FREDRIK HÖGBERG
Contemporary and fun from Brassbones to iOpera
FREDRIK HÖGBERG is one of Sweden´s most exciting contemporary composers of today. Among his many solo concerti, "The Return of Kit Bones" for Christian Lindberg, "Silent Purpose" for Martin Fröst, "Rocky Island Boat Bay" for Øystein Baadsvik and "The Poem for Ole Edvard Antonsen" have been highly acclaimed by both critics and audiences.
Fredrik Högberg completed his diploma-studies in 1997 for prof. Jan Sandström at Piteå Academy of Music. The same year the chairman of the Swedish parliament honoured him with the "Skapande människa" (creative-man) award. Fredrik Högberg is constantly collaborating with some of the worlds leading instrumentalists and ensembles and his music has been performed and recorded all over the world by orchestras like Prague Symphony, Sao Paolo Symphony, Amsterdam Symphony, Northern Sinfonia, The Norwegian Chamber Ensemble, The Trondheim Soloists and Norrköpings Symfoniorkester. His rich variety of chamber music is also frequently performed by ensembles and soloists in the US as well as in Europe. In 2001 Fredrik Högberg produced and directed the classic brass-western-movie "Brassbones", starring among others Christian Lindberg, Ole Edvard Antonsen and Håkan Hardenberger. Högberg has also composed the music for many ballet and dance productions such as "Slice of Time" for the Kroumata Percussion ensemble and "Standing Waves" that was shown on Swedish national TV and performed at the World Expo in Hannover in 2000. Högbergs music has been conducted by Serge Baudo, Andrea Quinn, Christian Lindberg, Ari Rasilainen, Glenn Mossop, Mats Rondin and Isabelle van Keulen to mention a few.
Musically raised in the post-modern era Fredrik Högberg combines, in an uncompromised way, the rhythmic elements from rock and pop with the intimate gestures from the neoclassic and romantic eras. He lets the primary meet the avant-garde, always in a colourful way and not seldom with a warm sense of irresistible humour attached to it. His production includes a variety of orchestral works as well as concertos, chamber music and intermedia.
Fredrik Högberg has been awarded numerous times, not only for his music, but also for his pedagogic methods for teaching composition to children.
In 2006 Högberg was awarded the biggest grant ever given to a Swedish musician, €200.000, to develop the first virtual opera house on the internet - iOPERA. The first production, "Woman of Cain", will be released in the virtual opera house in 2011. Malena Ernman and Olle Persson recorded the leading role vocals in May 2010.
Sample Repertoire
Selected works
Ballet/Dance:
Higgins & Mr. Wrengengengeng,1993 orkester (Gehrmans)
Subtrain Eroticism, 1994-95 kammarorkester, Ilios-festivalens beställning (Gehrmans)
Subtrain Eroticism II, 1996-97 tape, slagverk & trombone, omarbetning för Svenska Rikskonserter (Gehrmans)
In-Vita, 1997 tape & fyra sångare, NMD/Norrdans beställning (Gehrmans)
Excavating Ascent, 1999 tape, Banff Centre of the Arts beställning
Standing Waves, 1999 Sundsvalls Kammarorkesters beställning (Gehrmans)
Slice of Time, 2003 Slagverksensemblen Kroumata NMD/Norrdans beställning (Gehrmans)
Film:
En liten film om något stort (Granqvist/Högberg 1996)
Brassbones (Granqvist/Högberg 2001) Kortfilm med bland andra Christian Lindberg, Jonas Bylund, Ole Edvard Antonsen & Håkan Hardenberger.
Choir:
Erotica, 1992 blandad kör Chuang-tse och fjärilen, 1994 "Pierrot-ensemble", kör & sopran
Jag är rädd, andas på mig, 1995 kör & tape, Härnösands Domkyrkoförsamlings beställning
Barents Hymn, 1998 kör & blåsorkester, Norrbottens Körförbunds beställning (Gehrmans)
Svenskt Mantra, 2002 kör & tape, Ung i Körs beställning
(Gehrmans)
iSanctus, 2007 kör & tape, Örnsköldsviks Kammarkörs beställning (Gehrmans)
Chamber/solo:
Subadobe 1-4, 1992/94
fyra stycken för solo trombone
(Edition Tarrodi)
Subadobe 5, 1994
solo trombone & backstage trombone
(Edition Tarrodi)
HairCut Music, 1992/95
(John & Clint, level 2)
trombone, bas trombone, xylofon & frisör
(Edition Tarrodi)
PulsMusikk, 1995
klarinett & trumset (Gehrmans)
PulsMusikk, 1996
trombone & trumset (Gehrmans)
John & Clint, 1995
duell för trombone & bas trombone
(Edition Tarrodi)
Hubbeli-Bubbeli, 1995
brasskvintett Balder Brass, Norge
beställning (Gehrmans)
Erotic Music, 1995
svit för piano (Gehrmans)
Flight of the Dragonfly, 1996
solo flöjt (Gehrmans)
Cloud Balloon, 1996
solo klarinett (Gehrmans)
Sagan om Vintern1997
musiksaga för kammarensemble &
sångare, Norrbottens Musikens beställning
(Gehrmans)
The Bubble Tune, 1998
orgel & vibrafon, Härnösands Domkyrko-församlings beställning (Gehrmans)
Kroum Song, 1998
Slagverksensemblen Kroumata,
STIMs beställning (Gehrmans)
Schitz Musikk, 1998
Håkan Hardenbergers beställning
(Gehrmans)
Hawk Hardon & Kit Bones, 1998
(John & Clint, level 4) trombone &
trumpet (Edition Tarrodi)
The Ballad of Kit Bones, 1999
(John & Clint, level 5) Två solo trombone &
trombone kvartett, Trondheim Kammarmusikfestivals beställning
(Edition Tarrodi)
Melancholy Tango, 2000
Stockholm Chamber Brass
(BIS CD-1213) (Gehrmans)
The Bubble Tune,1998/2001
orgel & sopransaxofon (Gehrmans)
Danser från Helikons Källor, 1995/2002
brasskvintett (Gehrmans)
The Bubble Tune, 1998/2003
orgel & accordeon (Gehrmans)
Dancing according to me, 2006
duet för två accordion (Gehrmans)
More is more, 2006
stråkkvartett (Gehrmans)
Deja Vue, 2006
chamber ens. (Gehrmans)
Orchestra/concerti:
The Poem, trumpet concerto, 2005
Norrlandsoperans beställning/
Ole Edvard Antonsen (Gehrmans)
Trolltuba, tuba concerto, 2006
Stockholms blåsarsymfonikers beställning
Øystein Baadsvik (Gehrmans)
Rocky Island Boat Bay, tuba concerto, 2007
Norrköpingssymfoniorkesters beställning
Øystein Baadsvik (Gehrmans)
Hitting the first bass, double bass concerto, 2008
Det Norska kammerorkestrets beställning
Dan Styffe (Gehrmans)
Silent Purpose, clarinet concerto, 2008
Trondheimsolistenes beställning
Martin Fröst (Gehrmans)
Konzert für zwei Posaunen, double concerto for two trombones, 2008
Stockholms blåsarsymfonikers beställning
Nisse Landgren, Christian Lindberg (Gehrmans)
Chords´n Anger, 1993
orkester, Luleå Orkesterförenings
beställning (Gehrmans)
Strings´n Sadness, 1993
stråkorkester, Luleå Orkester-
förenings beställning (Gehrmans)
Little Suite for Orchestra, 1993/94
svit för liten orkester (Gehrmans)
Head Concerto, 1995
trombone & blåsorkester (Gehrmans)
Music for Strings, 1996
stråkorkester, Norrbottens Musikens
beställning (Gehrmans)
The 100 Bar March, 1998
blåsorkester, Musik i Västs beställning
(Gehrmans)
Concerto for Sopranosaxophone, 1998/99
Sundsvalls Kammarorkesters beställning/
Anders Paulsson (Gehrmans)
Three Gnostic Dances, 1999/2000
Sundsvalls Kammarorkesters
beställning (Gehrmans)
The Latin Kings & Orkester, 2000
Svenska Rikskonserters beställning
(Courthouse Music)
Concertino för sopransaxofon &
stråkar, 2001
Musica Vitae/Anders Paulsson
(Gehrmans)
The Return of Kit Bones, trombonekonsert, 2001
Västerås Sinfoniettas beställning/
Christian Lindberg (EditionTarrodi)
Tape/multimedia:
Movements of Infinity, 1992
"Akvariekonserten" (Högberg/
Breman) tape & livehydrofoni
Minds'n Pictures, 1993
tape, film & solister, Luleå
Kommuns beställning
Tiden snöar från trädet,1994
tape, Luleå Kommuns beställning
Sensualle, 1995
filmmusik, FNIKs beställning
PlastMusikk, 1995
trombone & tape (Edition Tarrodi)
PlastMusikk, 1995
klarinett & tape (Gehrmans)
- PlastMusikk, 1995
klarinett, slagverk & tape
(BIS CD-744) (Gehrmans)
PlastMusikk, 1995
trumpet, slagverk & tape (Gehrmans)
PopMusikk, 1996/99
sopransaxofon & tape, Anders
Paulssons beställning (Gehrmans)
- PulsMusikk, 1997
trombone & tape (Edition Tarrodi)
PulsMusikk, 1997
klarinett & tape (Gehrmans)
Kit Bones Theme, 2001
trombone & tape, SVTs beställning/
Christian Lindberg (Edition Tarrodi)
Invisible Duet, 2002/2003
klarinett & tape, Svenska Rikskonserters
beställning (Gehrmans)
The Death of Kit Bones 2005
trombone & tape, Ch. Lindbergs beställning
Invisible Duet, 2002
klarinett & tape (Gehrmans) Rikskonserter beställning
Visible Duet, 2003
klarinett, sopran & tape, Malena Ernman, Martin Fröst
Other:
- Musik till SM i styrkelyft, 1994
(Högberg/Sandström)
- Musik till EM i styrkelyft, 1994
(Högberg/Sandström)