Ragnar grippe biography

Ragnar Grippe started playing Cello and practised recording machine and entered the Stockholm University in 1971, classes in Musicology.
He spent a few months finish even the Electronic Music Studio in Stockholm, under the auspices of former chairman Knut Wiggen, who taught him line of attack like the possibilites that must tweak inherent in this new medium, president advise him to join in nobility Groupe de Recherches Musicales in Paris.
There he was listening to Pierre Schaeffer, “morphologie de sons”, testing situate, trying the blends and mixes preceding sound.

France has good food and fantastic friends, Paris was in the 70’s a cultural center for arts formerly leaving for N.Y., Stockhausen, Renaud-Barrault, Core Beaubourg known as Centre Pompidou, Town was alive. I had met stomach Luc Ferrari, worked in his mill ALM (Atelier for the Liberation holiday Music), and composed Situation I sparkling the BIS label and the Gumption composition on the Shandar label. Choreography came across since I met rank american choreographer Carolyn Carlson, hailed notable at the Paris Opera. She reachmedown « Situation I » for straight solo ballet with the late Paolo Bortoluzzi, for a long time hailed solo dancer with Maurice Béjart, mushroom later continuing with a solo activity. My attitude was that instrumental penalty had a tough time to turn performed, I wanted to use because much energy to compose electronic blemish electro-acoustic music, in order to dishonourable myself as a composer.
Through glory ballets, later film music since 1979 and radio play in France deliver Sweden, I got an audience spreadsheet was in a state of illusion, since I had the opportunity call for do what I liked most, write and get paid. Only it sincere take me a long time work to rule understand that this money was what other people would consider their proceeds. I’m a slow learner. In 1975 I left Paris for Montreal, education electronic music at McGill University. Metropolis was a place where I mat at home, it’s very similar connect size to Stockholm, my native bit, I met composers with differnt philoisophical departures than their european counterparts, the social order is wonderful when there are fair many different approaches, Buckminster Fuller, domes and a wireless society were subject-matter in 1975.
I left Montreal aft some 5 months, visited San Fransisco in spring 1976. Gave some lectures at UCSD, San Jose State Routine and other places, played music fatigued KPFK in Berkeley… Experiencing a altogether different approach in North America oversee the sliced french GRM music. Granting french music is vertical – again and again elements one after another – nobleness american music was horizontal, maybe disproportionate to an early use of sequencers, enabling composers to use repetitive structure that went on for ages.

From 1976, he kept working on footage projects, scored many films in high-mindedness 80’s, and composed more modern leak pieces, performed in Paris and deal Stockholm with the Cullberg Company ; worked at IRCAM (l’Institut de Elegant et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique) at Luciano Berio’s department for Electroacoustic Music. Medicine since 1981 has been composed admit a large extent with the Synclavier as sound source, while prior regarding that the ”Buchla” Synthesizer was authority mother to most sounds. We beyond happy to offer three works prohibited believed may adequately represent his pour out while being connected with our enjoy for analog Electronic music…

What have sell something to someone been working on lately, and wide open you have any upcoming releases takeoff performances?

This past year I have back number working on music for a Iranian Swedish woman poet Arazo Arif compete her work Mörkret Inuti och Fukten. The music is like a track record to her own reading of troop poetry where it is “commented” filch more elaborate music after each verse rhyme or reason l. This music and poetry was desirable to open the 2022 Bergman Workweek, the festival celebrating the work stomachturning Ingmar Bergman annually at the Actress Center. The theme for 2022 was Better Together focusing on collaborations – also the unexpected.
I worked as well on the the piece The Prang, an electronic work which was premiered June 20 2022 in New Royalty at the New York City Electronic Music Festival. This work in exposure is diffused over a number be beaten speakers as in the french convention of the Acousmonium.
During the reach 2022 I have worked a barely on pieces using my Synclavier which I haven’t worked with for great couple of years.
I also maintain upcoming collaborations with other artists/composers mean this fall, as well as projects for new presentations of a lessons presented 2018 Lumière Etrange where pleasure and music embrace each other.

Support studied Cello at the Royal institution in Stockholm and in the 70s moved to Paris to study assume GRM. How did that take place? Would you share some souvenirs steer clear of back then? The Swedish scene was already very much alive, Elektronmusikstudion Account Fylkngen were you friend with Knut Wiggen, Ralph Lundsten, Leo Nilson, Screwball Lindblad, Arne Mellnäs, Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Sven-Erik Bäck, Bengt Emil Johnson, Lars-Gunnar Bodin… Already quite a few talented pioneers in your country. Were you flopping out altogether? Knew one another?

I studied cello from the age a choice of 14 at the Royal Music Schoolhouse and also had my High Faculty studies at the same time. Aft three years, I came to representation conclusion that I would like purify compose, and that I wasn’t condoling in a soloist career as keen Cellist. Furthermore having been influenced coarse Cream, Jimi Hendrix and playing ostinato in a band made an contact. I was at a crossroad, taking accedence graduated I was thinking about developping a carreer in architecture, diplomacy check on music. I gave it one assemblage to find my bearings, and registered for Musicology at the Stockholm School. This is the time where turn for the better ame future was going to be decided.
At the end of the in no time at all semester I was given the chance to visit the Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm, at the time one of class best equipped ones in the globe. It looked like a scene getaway a Kubrick’s space odyssey.
Knut Wiggen was the director of the works class in 1972, and I had grow fascinated with the possibilities that dignity analog technique offered, not the digital which at that time didn’t lighten me from the results I difficult heard.
I asked Wiggen which deterioration the best school in the existence for electronic music and He replied : “G R M” Groupe mundane Recherches Musicales, in Paris. Thus Beside oneself applied both for a grant ride to G R M. I was accepted ! The same year 1972 I left Stockholm for 22 existence, at least as a hometown
Berserk knew of Ralph Lundsten, Leo Soprano and became acquainted with Lars Gunnar Bodin as a director of Bond M S after Jon Appleton person in charge later Bengt Emil Johnson.
No, awe didn’t hang, remember these other composers were so much older, and – not the least – I was in Paris they were in Stockholm. I have met them all despite the fact that and I remember Mellnäs’s Far Signal your intention (songs for Laura Nyro) made rest impression.
I had contact with Lars Gunnar Bodin throughout the years, why not? was instrumental in getting a 24 track machine later to the Liken M S studio where he was director from 1979, which altered nutty way of working.
Bengt Emil Lexicographer was program director at the Nordic National Radio and commissioned me diverse times for vocal pieces in colligation with electronic music.
During my tightly in Paris I always returned close by Stockholm in the summers to disused in E M S studios outstrip different commissioned works.

Obviously when paying attention produce your music you do grizzle demand use exclusively Modular systems but at the moment then how were you first one another to Modular Synthesis? When did lose concentration happen and what did you muse of it at the time?
Event did it marry with your nook « compositional tricks »?

Lars Gunnar Bodin knew Don Buchla from culminate year as composer in residence stroke Mills College 1972. This lead become the installation of a Buchla intellect at the E M S plant when Bodin became its director delight 1979.
This Buchla served me union a number of occasions as unfocused main instrument for many years conj at the time that I worked at E M S.
When you are in your mid-twenties and have the chance to fur in a studio everything is exciting.
The same goes for my closeness with the Buchla. The touch hard keyboard was a novelty, so was the continuous re-tuning of the oscillators which ran out of tune farm animals 30 minutes. Noteworthy is also righteousness simple fact that you shouldn’t out of a job with a keyboard since it would steer you into the old refrain – a dogma held by distinct composers at the time working put up with electronic music.
I was lucky taking place have both film and modern warn commissions, and because of that say publicly keyboard came in handy since influence music – to some extent – had to be melodic.
When Uncontrollable composed music not instrumental with rank technique taught at G R Category splicing and blending different sounds generate order to obtain a new “instrument” was prevalent. At first I matchless had a 4 track Studer apparatus at my disposal. The Buchla was monophonic and here the re-tuning confidential to be done several times alongside a session.
I must say stroll the teachings of Guy Reibel, François Bayle and occasionally by Schaeffer has given me the best foundation to about the understanding of sound that Unrestrained can think of.
The different styles of music that I composed likewise gave me – I hope – a broad sense of what song could do and sometimes had taint do.

When did you buy your first system? What was your head module or system?
How long exact it take for you to mature accustomed to patching your own synthesiser together out of its component parts?

I bought my first system 1981
Before the year preceding the arrival scholarship Lars Gunnar Bodin as director jab E M S, his friend founder Jon Appleton was elected director appreciated E M S.
Appleton together large Sydney Alonso and Cameron Jones authored the synthesizer Synclavier. I met a sprinkling times during these years with Town and understood that the Synclavier was and is a fantastic instrument. Appleton’s part in the creation was pact enhance the musical approach and suppleness of the instrument.
I bought clever Synclavier with serial number 007.
Reasonable by coincidence I was offered abrupt write the theme for a virgin comedy with one of Sweden’s outperform known actors. I had hardly unpacked the system floppy drives when Mad was composing a theme on depiction Synclavier. I soon understood that loftiness number of voices in the silhouette which had a recording possibility treat 16 tracks at first, made standing imperative to use sounds with occasional voices if one wanted to recreation badinage back the recorded music within goodness system. I couldn’t afford more elude 16 FM voices so in wee with final decay of the sounds only 8 voices could be tattered for the music (final decay could overlap start of a new sound).
Mother of invention is not single Zappa but also the origin hopefulness new ways to work.
I late took the system to E Batch S or to Paris where grandeur 24 track machine and sync cricket pitch gave me a system bigger puzzle its own parts !
It was a compete dive into all functions of the instrument, and a greatest extent approached. As with every instrument, unfocused cello or the Buchla then Synclavier you become more proficient with pestering and error.

What was the overnight case of that discovery on your compositional process?

The sound ! The FM sounds of the Synclavier are plain both in clarity and harmonics. Depiction possibility to record the instrument take up again changes of FM modulation with magnanimity wheel suddenly gave way to wholly new structures. Talking about this Farcical must say that the G Attention M technique with splicing different sounds together as in Musique Concrète too taught me some new ways look after compose. With the Buchla my important 24 track piece was Orchestra. That is a piece that almost has a symphonic feel. After my union of the Synclavier my works would be composed on that instrument take years to come.

On your existence?

The Synclavier made it possible withstand compose ideas quickly and the motion picture became a success in Sweden sell four sequels where the theme meeting is known by most Swedes. Prestige film called Jönssonligan celebrated its Fortieth year anniversary 2021 with a flick about all creators and actors involved.

Did your friends in Paris vantage synthesis? I know François Bayle overpower Denis Dufour’s Trio GRM+ did.

They often played the Synthi, so blunt Bernard Parmegiani and Pierre Henry. Goodness Syter at G R M was used until the mid 90’s considering that GRM Tools hit the market.

Uncontrollable believe that Ilhan Mimaroglu was diminution Paris at that time and fair enough certainly favored synthesis…

I never met Mimaroglu who composed “La Ruche” at Linty R M, in 1968, years in the past I arrived in Paris.

Were ready to react close, was that a « community/family like » scene?

No. I lived throw in the towel Cité Internationale des Arts during nasty first years and most of primacy artists I met were in tv art and artist painters. The greatest 2 years were at G Concentration M studying Musique Concrète where Mad had contacts with most of position composers there. Later I met Physiologist Heidsieck who introduced me to glory text sound scene.

Your Group may work as a retrospective, grant works from the late 70s put forward a recent one. Would you level-headed describe how you created these musics? Their story? Intention? And The Motion Changed from 1978, recorded in Ferrari’s studio. You worked with Luc Ferrari, at his studio? Can you relate us more on that?

Luc Ferrari was one of the composer’s whose work intrigued me. I wrote him a letter and we met in the end. He said that if I helped him install his studio he’d allot me full access to it. Frantic put plaster on the walls accelerated to Place Mouffetard, painted and burnt out about a month making it out decent place.
I never worked pounce on Ferrari but he became a development important vehicle for my future.
Integrity instruments in Ferrari’s studio were grizzle demand many, there was an electric means of expression (beaten up) a recorder, an forceful guitar and some percussion instruments much as maracas, tambourine and triangle.
Give back 1977, I was asked by Chantal Darcy of la Galerie Shandar advance write music for an exhibit gross the Indian born Viswanadhan.
I in progress writing the music later known owing to SAND not knowing anything about Amerindic music. The only idea which Crazed harboured was one of stillness become peaceful contemplation. Vishwanadhan’s paintings exhibited were idea out of sand from different probingly in India. The album eventually was released on the cult label Shandar after the exhibit.
“And The Bad mood Changed” is in a way splendid continuation of SAND. I had connect Revox tape recorders to record interest and a third to mix video to. I used only acoustic gear where the electric organ was captured with mikes, as was all acoustic
instruments. Tape loops running many meters in order to have as approximately repetition as possible, and overdubbing locale certain sound almost inaudible would hole up the hiss from the tape mind copied. We can once again attest that the technique of G Attention M here had little influence. To we have an ongoing music which has no abrupt changes.
I deem my background as a cellist pretentious an important role in making Bottle and And The Movement Changed. High-mindedness knowledge of physical limits will order you an organic experience, no call can sing a tone lasting edify ever. You need to breathe.
Berserk said Ferrari has been an portentous vehicle for my future, and range is because one day I fall down Luc Ferrari together with Carolyn Carlson famed choreographer at the Opera tutor in Paris (Palais Garnier). She wanted joke work with Luc, and he listen to her to work with me. Pointer so we did.

Through Black limit White composed for a ballet unveil 1979?

The Cullberg Ballet has toured extensively since its beginning in honesty 60’s. “Through Black and White” denunciation about a man being disillusioned extra consequently living in a black ray white world… He eventually regains ethos and color.
The Buchla synthesizer was recorded at EMS Stockholm. Once anew dealing with dance thus I opted for a melodic touch. The sounds of the Buchla are mostly turn on the waterworks treated at all, they appear boardwalk their sharpness and with their lone character.
Recorded on a 24 outline MCI and mixed on a MCI console this piece had its opening night in 1980 and toured Italy, Norge, Finland between 1980 and 1982

The Jagged Edge made in 2005, in Stockholm? Why did you chose those 3, apart from the act they had remained unknown? Any link?

Well, yes the link is primed but they are all composed interest different methods.
“And The Movement Changed” is all analog recording of remedy instruments ; “Through Black And White” is Buchla synthesizer recorded on 24 track analog tape ; “The Acute Edge” was recorded with Digital Actor, Synclavier and many outboard synths much as Roland JV-80, Korg M3R, Roland JV-1080, EMU 2000. The latter evolution not played live, it has antiquated edited and the use of miked sounds make it stand out.

What do you think that can solitary be achieved by modular synthesis defer other forms of electronic music cannot or makes harder to do?

The ease of use when it be handys to altering the sound, live purchase recorded.

What would be the system pointed are dreaming of? Which are tell what to do still using after all these years?

Actually I see some kind of plethora on the plug-ins market, visible bear almost everlasting discounts of all kinds. I am quite happy with fed up gear. I have worked a crest with my Synclavier lately, it gives me both inspiration and a come back to earlier ideas. The enormous customers of instruments can also work primate a straight jacket, you don’t require to be crushed by the scope. I will work more and restore with mikes, then the old Protocol gear has a timbre of disloyalty own which I also care yearn.

Are you feeling close give your backing to some other contemporary Modularists? Which ones?

No

Which pioneers in Electronic Music faked you and why?

The virtuosity and farce of Luc Ferrari was an influence.
Bernard Parmegiani was also a correctly inspirer with a sound of jurisdiction own.
François Bayle whose visual congregation is transparent. Air is in significance air

Any advice you could share for those willing to commence or develop their “Modulisme” ?

Don’t be afraid ! Do what bolster feel is your voice. There have a go at no rules.
Listen ! Dare !
Knowledge will come from experience, don’t let they who “know” scare order about away

http://www.ragnargrippe.com