Carl Unander-Scharin; Claudio Monteverdi - Monteverdi's Lament (Erik Westbergs vokalensemble; TCP/IP Quartet)

Information

Composer: Carl Unander-Scharin; Claudio Monteverdi

• Unander-Scharin - Lamento e più
• Monteverdi - Sestina

Erik Westbergs vokalensemble / Erik Westberg, conductor

TCP/Indeterminate Place Quartet

Date: 2026

Label: Swedish Society

_____________________

In Monteverdi’s Lament, the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble explores the intersection of historical tradition and modern innovation through two contemporary works inspired by Claudio Monteverdi. Utilizing interactive technologies and the digitally enhanced hyperorgan, these compositions establish a dynamic dialogue between 17th-century choral traditions and futuristic soundscapes. Central to the album is Carl Unander-Scharin’s 2023 work Lamento è più, created alongside choreographer Åsa Unander-Scharin. Drawing from Ottavio Rinuccini’s libretto for Monteverdi’s lost opera Arianna, the piece integrates choir, movement, and hyperorgan to expand the expressive potential of early Baroque poetry, bridging four centuries of musical experimentation.

Formed in 1993, the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble comprises 16 to 20 professional singers, soloists, and music educators from northern Sweden and Finland. Renowned for its commitment to contemporary choral repertoire, the ensemble has commissioned and premiered approximately 70 works by distinguished composers including Arvo Pärt, Sven-David Sandström, and Carl Unander-Scharin. Internationally recognized, the group reached over 500 million broadcast viewers with their performance of Across the Bridge of Hope. With roughly twenty recordings on labels such as Naxos and Opus3—alongside frequent broadcasts with Swedish Radio and the EBU—the ensemble continues to shape the modern choral landscape, recently releasing a 2025 composer portrait of Staffan Storm.

Formed in 2021 within Luleå University of Technology’s GEMM research cluster led by Stefan Östersjö, the TCP/IP Quartet explores the artistic potential of interactive hyperorgan systems. Comprising Robert Ek, Stefan Östersjö, Mattias Petersson, and Federico Visi, the ensemble integrates clarinet, MIDI guitar, live-coding synthesizers, and interaction design. Winning the Best Music Award at NIME 2021, the group’s name repurposes the network protocol to signify Tele-Copresence and Indeterminate Place. Through telematic performance, TCP/IP investigates mediated spatial experiences, blending physical and virtual presence into hybrid, overlapping environments that redefine contemporary musical interaction.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz