COEXISTENCE - EP

Low growls on woodwind and brass cast ominous shadows at the start of SØS Gunver Ryberg’s 2022 Coexistence, a commentary on the nature of creation and destruction. Within the space of a minute, the music coalesces into a colossal wall of sound, layers piled upon layers, orchestral sections jostling for attention. This extreme intensity soon gives way to a collage of textures: shrieking strings, fiery brass, thundering percussion, and oases of calm. “Ryberg is a fascinating composer,” conductor Dalia Stasevska tells Apple Music Classical. “She’s a sculptor of sound, and molds the sound of an orchestra like a synthesizer, concentrating more on effects than on harmonies or melodies.”

In the music’s final few minutes, Ryberg combines the incessant drumming of bow-wood on strings with flutter-tongued flutes and bass drum rolls, and brings Coexistence to an uncertain end, woodwind and brass halted as if midsentence.