Sebastian Mullaert: “Natthall” LP
Sitting atop a 50m ridge, Natthall is a small, rocky bluff with majestic views east over the Rönne river situated in the idyllic Swedish countryside. It’s at this very spot that Sebastian Mullaert and Niko Seizov shared visions and dreams about a project bridging genres of music, exploring new ways of combining electronic with acoustic instruments, visual art and technology. A year later the dream manifested in a breath taking audio-visual performance at Zürich’s main concert house with no less than one of the top 10 philharmonic orchestras in the world - Tonhalle Zürich.
“an album, which reflects on the fragility and beauty of nature”
The in-depth 20 min documentary film features previously unseen behind the scenes footage, capturing the full process of this project coming to life, as well a wider commentary on the development of the modern classical scene. Featuring exclusive live footage captured during the concert in Zurich, extensive interviews with Sebastian Mullaert, the Tonhalle Orchestra musicians, arranger Luca Magni, areal videographer Tobias Larsson and TonahalleLate creative lead Pierre Bachmann.
“a musical project centered on improvisation that combines research and originality, recombining classical and electronic music.”
The pinnacle piece of the album “Moonwaker” received an accompanying mixed media music video treatment, created by visual artist Petra Hermanova. In her unique creative process the Berlin artist captures close-up and distorted shots of moss, bark and fungi by using a totally innovative image processing technique. As the images pass, melting into one another and forming strange and beautiful landscapes, they complement the organic soundscapes that form and dissolve at the background.
“connect the worlds of electronic and classical music with a fresh perspective”
Accompanying the track “Views Of Natthall” is a video based on raw nature footage captured by the esteemed Swedish areal videographer Tobias Larsson. Armed with a nimble Eurocopter AS350 helicopter and some of the most advanced camera technology on the market, Tobias and his pilot compiled an archive of breath-taking nature footage from the sky. Following his correspondence with Sebastian, the video material was shot whilst listening to his music and features incredible landscapes shot in Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, and Italy. The final outcome was developed in collaboration with immersive installation specialists Moritz Flachmann, who has enhanced the footage creatively with his psychedelic visual processing, conceptually developed and live synced with the music, to allow for a comprehensive audio-visual experience.
“an extremely lively project that combines classical and electronic music, with such an innovative approach”
Watch a live stream of the concert featuring an hour of previously unheard repertoire, performed at the spectacular Malmö Live concert house, under commissioned by Intonal Festival 2021. Performing together with Subchamber Ensmble, a collection of musicians operating outside of the traditional orchestral context, established by eminent cellist Gerda Holmqvist and renowned film score composer Nathan Larson.
“a perfect symbiosis.”
