Legende
Afterwards, they disappeared across the bridge,
arm in arm.
No one ever got to know
who they were. The carnival is there
to protect the lovers’ faces
from those still alive,” said Harlequin in the subway,
and his green eyes sought mine
– as if from the bottom of a mirror.
Ib Michael from Legend, The Wind in the Metro, 1990
Legende (Legend) is a 17-page poem by Ib Michael, from Vinden i Metroen (The Wind in the Metro), 1990. Inspired by the poem, Ejnar Kanding has composed the music for the ensemble Contemporánea, which in this project is a quartet consisting of Fritz Gerhard Berthelsen, clarinets (bass, Bb); Ida Nørholm, cello; Matias Seibæk, percussion, and Ejnar Kanding, piano and live electronics (Max). Ib Michael’s recitation of the poem is integrated between the music’s movements with subtly resonating textures that allow for a deep understanding of the text. The audience listens to the poem’s sections, which are immediately interpreted and reflected musically after each section.
The world premiere was on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at Torup Kirke, Halsnæs.
The work is commissioned by cultural enthusiast Inger Molich, Halsnæs. Subsequently, multiple performances are planned throughout the country at libraries, venues, music associations, churches, and similar venues. Duration: 51 minutes, including 9 minutes of recitation.
Ib Michael comments on Kanding’s music:
“Thank you very much for the sent music samples, which I have listened to with interest and fascination. I certainly feel a kinship, both in sounds and expressiveness. It’s difficult to put words to music, and it must be at least as difficult to put music to words, so it’s important that we have a common ground to stand on. And I have no doubt, I feel it when I come back and listen several times to the music. You have a large repertoire of expressive possibilities, which perhaps corresponds quite well to my own way of shifting dimensions and bringing multiple realities into play. I like the diversity, from the golden age with cello and piano to the orchestra, percussion, and even electronic sounds. Let the music lead the way, that’s also how I work with my texts.”
Ejnar Kanding about his work:
“For many years, I have read and admired Ib Michael’s novels. Lately, I have with enthusiasm immersed myself in his later books. I have chosen the poem Legend because it resonates in my mind when I think of Ib Michael’s fantastic novels. The music in this work is a journey of discovery through the unknown, other realities towards new awareness. Ib Michael’s jumping style of writing is omnipresent in the music. The physical and the sensual are united with the spiritual. The quartet is transformed in real-time by the MaxMSP software into a dual expression: the acoustic (concrete) reality and the surreal (magical) electronic sound processing. FM synthesis, granular synthesis, deviation sampling, spectral filtering, and multi-channel processing are among the real-time techniques that will be explored in this work.
Commissioner: Inger Lund Molich. Organizer of lectures, concerts, and poetry readings. Central figure and organizer in Halsnæs’ cultural life. Member of Torup Sogns Menighedsråd, Torup Bogby Folkeuniversitet, Torup Musikforening (Mejeriet).