Sven Grünberg – Anima 1977-2001

Estonian archival label Frotee is honoured to welcome Estonian electronic music pioneer Sven Grünberg to its discography. Frotee releases a 24-track compilation featuring Grünberg's work for 10 animated films and 1 puppet-play, all music is previously unreleased on any physical format. Therefore, the release of "Anima 1977-2001" can be considered as a notable contribution to the acclaimed soundtrack composer's discography that hopefully cheers up the audiences who have been waiting for this issue to be released.

Regardless of the fact that he still continues writing and recording music for films, the latest recording, that was included to this compilation, was made in year 2001.

The selected tracks cover a full musical spectrum from electronic music to more classical works of Sven Grünberg. He has never put out any of his musical pieces that are strictly ‘experimental’, even though he can be introduced as the first composer in Estonia, who has been using electronic soundscapes in his music already since mid-70s. However, synthesizers were always mixed with natural instruments. On this compilation you can hear both ideas that pull off as fully fleshed-out and complete compositions to some excerpts or more rough ideas he would re-use later on for bigger works. For example using organ or wordless scat vocals for “Linalakk ja Rosalind” become later known as his main trademarks that he also used on his first solo album "Hingus" as well on the soundtrack of a sci-fi feature film “Dead Mountaineer's Hotel” based on a novel written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Grünberg has masterfully chosen 24 tracks for this compilation to make the album sound as a whole. First side can be described more as 'electronic' and 'experimental', including sounds from late 70s to 1980s guiding the listener from Estonian children’s film "Naksitrallid" title theme to more rhythmic theme from "Klaabu kosmoses". Grünberg’s music has some noticeable parallels with the early Berlin School of electronic music, but he certainly adds his own twist to it. On some earlier tracks, you can also hear interesting and unique sounds produced by hand-built synthesizers. Second side introduces Grünberg’s more classical approach to film music. It reveals why he is still recognized as one of the best film music composers in Estonia. Most tracks on this side have been recorded after 1992, but you'll also find here his first soundtrack work from 1977, that surprisingly also fits among his more recent work. Grünberg always paid full attention to the subject of each film he worked on, never losing his focus while playing around with sound and experimenting with composition. It was always the content, that dictated the form, not the other way around.