Frontside Festival: A Journey Beyond the Horizon
The Frontside Chamber Music Festival, founded in 2019 by Bob Kelly and clarinetist Karin Dornbusch, has always embraced Gothenburg’s outward-looking nature, its connection to the sea, and the vastness of the western horizon. From its initial location at Röda Sten, the festival’s first editions explored themes based on the four cardinal directions. This year, the festival ventures "Beyond the Horizon," maintaining its centrifugal spirit but shifting its focus from the purely geographical. Relocating to the historic Kronhuset in Västra Nordstan, near the site of Gothenburg’s first theatre, the festival finds a new home steeped in the city’s cultural heritage.
This year’s theme, "Beyond the Horizon," draws inspiration from several sources. It resonates with the acclaimed exhibition "Romanticism. A Way of Seeing" at Nationalmuseum, particularly the evocative landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich. These works emphasize the importance of connecting with a "beyond" to fully experience the present. This echoes Bob Dylan’s mantra in "Beyond the Horizon," a sentiment explored at the festival through Rosali Grankull’s "Music for Strings and Silk." This interactive workshop and collective improvisation probes the strength and fragility of silk threads, a material that arrived in Gothenburg with the East India Company, further connecting the festival to the city’s history.
Continuing from previous years, the enchanting family performance "The Story of a City" returns. Artist Ayla Kabaca and The Gothenburg Combo, a nomadic guitar duo, guide the audience on a musical odyssey. The performance weaves together sounds of 17th-century Holland, Scottish songs, Spanish dances, the music of Evert Taube, and influences from China and America, showcasing Gothenburg’s diverse cultural heritage. This vibrant energy extends beyond Kronhuset to the Maritime Museum in Majorna, where one festival day highlights the district’s Finnish maritime history. This includes a performance of Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund’s "Oceano" for violin, viola, and cello.
The concept of "beyond the horizon" is further explored through musical works that evoke a sense of vastness and transcendence. Massimiliano Matesic’s "The Siren’s Silence" for bassoon and piano, and Olivier Messiaen’s cosmic "Appel interstellaire" for solo horn, create an atmosphere of otherworldly beauty. The horn, particularly since the Romantic era, has been used to evoke expansive distances and profound emotions. These pieces create a sense of awe and wonder, inviting listeners to contemplate the mysteries beyond the visible realm.
In contrast to the grand, cosmic themes, Jonatan Sersam’s "Rain heart hammer," performed on the final festival day, explores a more intimate "beyond." Featuring Karin Dornbusch’s clarinet and a string trio, this three-movement work, commissioned by Sveriges Radio P2, is inspired by Edith Sitwell’s poem "Still falls the rain." The piece traces the sound of rain, moving through its various textures and intensities until reaching a point beyond the rain itself – a profound silence pulsating with a furious frenzy. This work demonstrates the festival’s commitment to showcasing contemporary compositions and exploring a range of musical expressions.
The Frontside Festival, with its diverse program and thought-provoking theme, offers a rich exploration of musical and cultural landscapes. From the historical resonance of Kronhuset to the evocative sounds of contemporary compositions, the festival invites audiences to journey beyond the horizon, both geographically and conceptually. The festival’s exploration of "beyond" encompasses not only distant lands and cosmic spaces but also the inner landscapes of emotion and the subtle nuances of human experience, enriching the cultural landscape of Gothenburg. By incorporating historical context, family-friendly performances, and contemporary works, Frontside Festival creates a dynamic and engaging experience for a wide audience. It reinforces Gothenburg’s identity as a city open to the world and dedicated to fostering artistic expression.
