Paradox
Paradox is three recorder soloists each with a strong musical personality.
Three individualists intent on investigating the possibilities inherent in
the recorder with a starting point in Dan Laurin's pioneering sonic
vocabulary. With a wide-ranging repertoire and timbral plasticity there is
room for both free improvisation and harmonious beauty.
We chose the name Paradox because we play music that was not necessarily
written for the recorder. Because we have three conflicting wills. And
because the very essence of interpretation lies in the tensions between
conflicting ideas.
It is claimed that the human ear can only perceive three parallel
activities. From the intricate new styles of the late 14th century right up
to the piano trio of the late 19th century, the challenge has been to create
the maximum possible effect out of a limited number of voices. Both for the
performers and for the composer the smallness of the ensemble leads to a
flexible mode of _expression; freedom in the choice of tempi and the
elasticity of a small body of sound make room for improvisation and for
individual interpretation. Difficult musical procedures are possible to
realize when the musical logistics can be readily surveyed.
DAN LAURIN's extraordinarily developed sense of timbre and his scenic
presence have made him famous and appreciated all over the world. He has a
remarkably rich and personal repertoire that stretches from mediaeval dances
with improvisations inspired by the music of the Balkans via the subtleties
of high-baroque music, through the intellectually demanding music of today
and on to tomorrow's fusion of free jazz and notated art music. His numerous
successful tours to the USA, Japan, Taiwan and Australia as well as to the
musical capitals of Europe have established his reputation as one of the
most interesting as well as, at times, controversial exponents of his
instrument. With great integrity and courage he has promoted the sonic
advantages of the recorder and his nuanced expression and challenging
performing style have inspired many contemporary composers to write music
for him. He is a professor, winner of record prizes, member of the royal
Swedish Academy of Music, holder of the prestigious Litteris et Artibus
medal, a keen debater and critic and he also finds time to engage in
research at Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology and at the Royal College
of Music in Stockholm.
BOLETTE ROED graduated from the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen,
where she studied with Dan Laurin, in 2001 and made her concert debut in
2004. Bolette devotes much of her energies to contemporary music, not least
with the Alpha Quartet of which she is one of the founders. With the
accordion-player James Crabb she has given the first performances of several
newly written compositions. She has made recordings for the radio and has
given concerts throughout Scandinavia as well as in France and New Zealand.
SUSANNA LAURIN studied with Dan Laurin at the Carl Nielsen Academy in Odense as well as at the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen. Susanna is the leader of Stockholm Barock which performs extensively throughout Europe and she has toured as a soloist and with various ensembles to India and Australia. She is also one of the founders of the ensemble of soloists known as Concert Spirituel and of the Renaissance ensemble Macchina. She has taken part in a succession of CD-recordings and has released a solo CD of music by the contemporary German composer Markus Zahnhausen.
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