GGR Betong – Electronic Music for Chamber Orchestra Vol. 2 LP

New release by the noise chamber orchestra GGR Betong, performing noise evergreens and commissions by Lina Järnegard, Zbigniew Karkowski, Ruta Vitkaukaiste and Dror Feiler.GGR Betong from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 2014 as a tribute orchestra to the late noise musician Zbigniew Karkowski. A group of local composers and musicians wanted to honour Karkowski by interpreting and perform a piece of his heavy noise music. For the opening number the ensemble chose Karkowski’s massive “Doing By Not Doing” (a piece that was itself an homage to another radiator, Iannis Xenakis). Finally, this classical work is now released on ”Electronic Music For Chamber Orchestra Vol. 2”, a thundering rollercoaster surrounded by three pieces specially commissioned for the ensemble.

As a chamber orchestra, GGR Betong uses a conductor and written scores. No improvisation, no computers. The commissioned works are usually graphical scores with parts for hi range, medium range, low range and full range. Instruments can be used differently in the arrangements, but usually it follows the classical settings.

The music:
LINA JÄRNEGARD (b.1979) is a composer living in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her piece ”Don’t Say A Word” (2018), written for voice and three noise musicians, has both written instructions for particular sounds and actual words—quite rare for GGR Betong. A vocal drama, sort of a lullaby-gone-wrong.

ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI (1958-2013), was born in Poland and lived in Sweden during the 80’s. The ensemble’s methodology for transcription of his ”Doing By Not Doing” (2002) was to rip and tweak French electronic pioneer Pierre Schaeffer’s graphical notation system from the 1940s. Arranged for eight instruments and a conductor, it has everything: bursting avalanches, abysses in abundance, and shrieks of blind, merciless noise.

RUTA VITKAUKAISTE (b.1984) is a Lithuanian composer, musician, and researcher. Her work ”KRAGRAGA” is a graphic score for eight instruments and conductor. Some parts of the score have headlines like “The Swirl,” “The Fight,” or “The Beautiful Melodies”. There are graphical details to play—like blueberries, monsters, eyes, mathematical signs, birds… An eccentric and philosophical work.

DROR FEILER (b. 1951) is an Israeli-Swedish composer, musician, and artist. His commissioned work ”Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante” (2019) refers to the book of the same name published in 1584 by Renaissance philosopher Giordano Bruno, burned at the stake by the Inquisition in Rome in 1600 for heresy. The piece is, as often with Dror’s music, meant to be loud, fast, abrasive, confrontational, transformative—a helluva beautiful noise!

Said about GGR Betong:
“Wow! Give it up for GGR Betong. Sweden’s loudest band! (Graham McKenzie)

”…demonic squalls and sonic tempests from modular synthesizers, fuzzbox feedback, battered oil barrels, ad hoc electronics and various homemade instruments, plus a violin and soprano voice” (The Wire)

“This and this and this this this and this and fucking THIS. And then some.” (5:4)