CRATAEGI (2012-2022) for percussion solo & live electronics (MaxMSP) deals with the microscopic metamorphosis, a gradual change from one state to something different. Sometimes occur significant contrasts to the continuous. CRATAEGI is known in Danish as Hvidtjørnens Hvidvinge (White Hawthorn’s White Wing) – a delicate name for a creature of equal delicacy. Picture a white butterfly, its wings spanning 50 to 65 mm, drifting on unseen air currents. Its body is a sleek contrast in black against the purity of its wings, which bear the intricate map of life’s veins etched in dark lines. Enter a realm of audiovisual enchantment, crafted by the artistic minds of Nes Lerpa and Ejnar Kanding, performed by percussionist David Hildebrandt and brought to life through the interactive video by photographer Kim Dang Trong.
The composition is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. The ensemble Contemporánea project, which includes the recording, concerts in Italy and Denmark, the digital release, and the video, is supported by Augustinus Fonden and William Demant Fonden.
CRATAEGI unfolds in eight movements, spanning 47:47 minutes of auditory and visual immersion. Each movement, bearing titles in Danish, Italian, German, and English, whispers of hues and emotions:
Hvidtjørnens Hvidvinge (White Hawthorn’s White Wing) – 4 rototoms, 4 toms – 3:47
Verderame (Copper Green) – multiperc & vibraphone – 6:17
Black Obsidian – vibraphone – 5:37
Amber Glow – multiperc – 5:24
Antracitgrå (Anthracite Grey) – marimba – 1:57
Blau Seelenfrieden (Azure Serenity) – multiperc – 9:49
Fuoco Rosso (Fire Red) – multiperc – 3:49
Zinnoberfeuer (Cinnabar Blaze) – little table with small devices, 3 cymbals – 11:07
For over a decade, Lerpa and Kanding have woven their creative threads together across continents, culminating in the inception of CRATAEGI in 2019. Trong finished the mesmerizing visuals of the video in December 2023. Recorded by Hildebrandt (2022-2023) and produced by Kanding (2023), the album emerged worldwide on diverse streaming platforms on January 12, 2024.
At its core, CRATAEGI is a contemplation of the butterfly:
Transparent, like the very air it dances through.
A tapestry of time and emotion, reflecting the depths of existence.
A mirror unto itself, revealing truths hidden within.
A philosophical inquiry, embodying the essence of being.
Fragile yet resilient, its strength lies in vulnerability.
Powerful in its simplicity, it is a testament to the beauty of the ephemeral.
Lerpa speaks of the synergy between painting and inspiration drawn from music, photography, and language, each layer enriching the final masterpiece. Meanwhile, Kanding’s musical tapestry weaves electronic and acoustic sounds, a symphony of complexity and simplicity, rooted in classical tradition yet blossoming into something altogether new – a genre he terms “postmodern classicaltronics.”
Lerpa about “Hvidtjørnens Hvidvinge” (2020):
“A dance of flight, through the ether,
both there and not, endless veins of life,
worn by time, yet soaring ever higher,
a convergence of selves,
the butterfly, its canvas unmarked, its beauty unbound,
underside and topside, a reflection of the timeless.”
CRATAEGI beckons, inviting you to lose yourself in its fleeting beauty, to ponder the depths of existence through the flutter of a butterfly’s wings and the symphony of sound and sight.