Moments Of Presence

D.Shostakovich

In my childhood I was much more exposed to classical music than to "popular" genres. Bach, Handel, Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Corelli were often heard on the radio on Sunday mornings, Mozart and Beethoven throughout the week. Then in my early teens Beatlemania literally absorbed me. Nevertheless, at a slower pace I continued to move forward on a classical sidetrack as well, towards Beethoven first, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Grieg, eventually even contemporary composers like Stockhausen, Pierre Henry and Penderecki.

At age nineteen I listened to a symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich for the very first time, a composer that I had been unaware of. Ever since then I developed a strong inclination toward his work, which strikes many chords in my emotional metabolism.
Even though I listened to all symphonies and many other major pieces, the Piano Concerto Nr.2 had somehow eluded me until recently. The second movement (andante) is hugely popular and immediately inspired and spurred me to think about possibilities for  creating and arranging images around the music. Not that the music needs it, it is more an image-person's, a photographer's dream to find pleasing combinations of the two media.

The "Moments Of Presence" reflect three lovely winter days in late January 2015, strange intermissions in a basically grey and drizzely month. I was probably  influenced by the music I had just discovered and by my present frame of mind, filled with thoughts about the beauty, tenderness and mystery of life. These thoughts extend far into the human sphere, as I am fortunate to spend a fair amount of time with my seven months old granddaughter and to be near this eruption of energy, warmth and interaction...



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Just when I had finished "Moments Of Presence" nearly all snow had melted again in Gothenburg. All seemed to be back to normal, the usual wet and grey weather. But January had one final snowy surprise for us. Along with some sunny periods. This I could not ignore. Even though I was suffering from an enormous blister due to some new boots, I made it out and limped about for quite a while. And in a nearby city park I discovered a really nice area that I obviously had not visited before. That touched off some thoughts on how remoteness, closeness, familiarity and "newness" influence us in how strongly we experience the beauty and uniqueness of the natural world. More and more I sense how inside of me different experiences, times and places weave themselves into a tapestry. There's a dialog going on between the different threads. Vibrations in one strike resonances in others. Very pleasant. I am not convinced that this can be easily translated into an image show, but I tried anyway...

For higher image quality: Use this direct link to a Vimeo partner site: For Winter Lovers

Or else, click on the HD symbol, the Vimeo-info popping up guides you further.

 
For supreme image quality (Windows only, does not work on Mac): For Winter Lovers, ProShow format. This format requires a plug-in which downloads and installs itself. This you must allow when prompted. All ProShow files will play from then on.