'Gongmusik' is for 20 handheld gongs played by four percussionist. I bought some gongs in Vietnam - the kind of gong which is used by the highland minority people - and it is these rough-sounding gongs I have written my piece for. These minority people in Vietnam play the gongs while walking in a long row, singing, drumming and dancing. Each of the musicians carry only one gong. I have adopted this idea, but in my piece the musicians change gongs while playing.

It is very difficult to make the gongs sound in the same way and at the same time, when you are playing four people together. And this is of course one idea in the piece: To make the repetition higlight the unevenness of the sound and the rhythm.

The sound of the gongs resembles in some way the sound of church bells. Just like gongs, these has an odd distribution af partials, and both are used mostly in religious contexts. Both instruments are from Southeast Asia.

Musicians: Frederik Olsen, Mads Büchert, Simon Bjarning and Toke Odin.
Produced by: Simon Bovin
Recorded August 30th 2006 in Garnisons Church, Copenhagen


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