Pocket Symphonies (Electronica) Sven Helbig

• 1Am Abend03:11
• 2Gone03:11
• 3Rise03:59
• 4A Tear04:13
• 5Eisenhuttenstadt04:47
• 6Urban Parfume03:56
• 7Sing For The Moment05:07
• 8Frost05:13
• 9Zorn04:30
• 10Autumn Song04:24
• 11Bell Sound Falling Like Snow02:51
• 12Schlaflied02:26
• 13Rise (Deep House Mix)06:45
• 14Rise (Abstract Mix)05:40
• Total Runtime01:00:13

Info for Pocket Symphonies (Electronica)

The Pocket Symphonies are a coherent cycle of 12 compositions for orchestra and piano quartet in which the composer Sven Helbig pursues the idea of creating symphonic pearls in the form of songs: short, catchy and yet possessing the impact and depth of great classical symphonies. The Pocket Symphonies were recorded by the MDR Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kristjan Järvi and with the Fauré Quartet as soloists. A purely acoustic production of the Pocket Symphonies was released back in 2012 on the Deutsche Grammophon label, though Sven Helbig has radically adapted the recordings for his solo concerts. He does this by stripping down the recordings and creating them anew from electronic clusters. Alienated vibraphone sounds, synthesizer surrogates and breakcore elements are all part of his musical arsenal. These electronic variants – the Pocket Symphonies Electronica – are now being released exclusively on the Neue Meister label as 180-gram vinyl records with a download code and as a digital album. The album marks the beginning of a renewed collaboration for Sven Helbig. In September his new choral album “I Eat the Sun and Drink the Rain”, also a co-production with Kristjan Järvi, will be released. The Pocket Symphonies Electronica will be presented at the Neue Meister concert at the DRIVE Volkswagen Forum Berlin on June 20, 2016, featuring the German Chamber Orchestra of Berlin and Sven Helbig on live electronics.

Sven Helbig is one of the new composer generation for whom there are no longer any barriers between the classical world of the orchestra, experimental art and pop music. He composes choral, orchestral and chamber music for the classical concert stage and tours solo performing electronic music. Sven Helbig is Composer in Residence at the German National Theatre in Weimar, at the University of Leipzig and the National University San Martin in Buenos Aires. His debut Pocket Symphonies were released on the traditional Deutsche Grammophon label. This September will see the release of his choral work “I Eat the Sun and Drink the Rain” on the Neue Meister label. Sven Helbig is a co-founder of the Dresden Symphony Orchestra, the first European orchestra devoted solely to the performance of contemporary music. Sven looks back on may years of creative collaboration with the Fauré Quartet, the opera singer René Pape, the conductor Kristjan Järvi, the Pet Shop Boys and the cult rock band Rammstein.

Sven Helbig, Synthesizers, mallets
Fauré Quartett
MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony
Kristjan Järvi, conductor

Sven Helbig
belongs to a generation of composers who have removed the border between classical and popular. He is recognized in the world of contemporary classical music as well as in the establishment and underground of popular music.

Creative partnerships emerged, such as those with the Fauré Quartett, opera singer René Pape, Kristjan Järvi or the Deutsche Grammophon label on one hand and the Pet Shop Boys, Rammstein or Snoop Dogg on the other.

Next to his choir and orchestra compositions for the classical concert stage, Sven Helbig tours with his electronic music. On mallets, controllers and keyboards he adds prepared sounds and samples to his compositions , using all means of electronic altering.

Last year, Sven Helbig received the title “Maestro honorario” from the National University of San Martin in Buenos Aires. Since then he has been working closely with the university on mutual art projects and has given presentations on subjects of intercultural exchange. Sven Helbig was born in Eisenhuettenstadt. He studied music in Dresden and New York. In 1996, he and Markus Rindt founded the Dresdner Sinfoniker, the first European orchestra exclusively dedicated to contemporary music.

In February 2013, Sven Helbig released his debut album Pocket Symphonies at Deutsche Grammophon.

Booklet for Pocket Symphonies (Electronica)