Legendary Swedish composer Sten Hanson will perform a range of works for voice and recorded sound from the span of his career, some old and some new, in this joint project from Lampo and the Graham Foundation.

Sten Hanson (b. 1936, Klövsjö, Sweden) first came to prominence in the early 1960s as an experimental poet and composer. He pioneered the use of tape-recording techniques in the renewal and development of poetry, and as a means to expand the limitations of language. One of the forerunners in the field of multi-media art, Hanson's combined his theories of “Text-sound-visual image” with intensely personal live performances. From his earliest pieces consisting of rough cut-and-paste tape collages, through to the later use of computer to apply effects, Hanson's voice remains the focus throughout. His works include electroacoustic pieces as well as instrumental and vocal compositions.

From the end of the 1960s up to 1979, he worked essentially with electroacoustic music and created, with Lars-Gunnar Bodin, Åke Hodell, Bengt Emil Johnson, the theory and the practice of a new aesthetic field: “the electronic text-sound." Many of his early compositions were short, hard-hitting collages of text and sound with social and political content: “Che” (1968), “Western Europe” (1969), “Revolution” (1970). In other works the emphasis was more on humorous burlesque: “Coucher et souffler” (1968), “How are You” (1969). Compositions like “Fnarp(e)” (1970) and “L'Inferno de Strindberg” (1971) have passed through more extensive electroacoustic processing, as is also the case in the humorous but cautionary “The Flight of the Bumblebee” (1982).

Throughout his career, Hanson has played an extremely active part in both Swedish and international musical life. He was leader of the Fylkingen language group from 1968 and in charge of the Text-Sound Festivals that were held for many years. He was director (1968-1977) and then chairman (1980-1984) of Fylkingen, chairman of the ISCM (1975-1981), member of the Royal Academy of Music of Sweden and president of the Swedish Composers' Union (1985-1994), member of the Executive Committee of International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music (ICEM) (1981-1982) and chairman of this organization from 1997 to 2002, among other positions.

Presented in partnership with Lampo.

Founded in 1997, Lampo is a non-profit organization for experimental music, sound art and intermedia projects. For information and to add your name to the Lampo list, contact info@lampo.org or visit www.lampo.org.