ABSTRACT
Erik Bergman's stylistic position arises from his personality: he defines himself as a rebel, always reacting against accepted rules. Bergman acknowledges that different trends were influential for him at different times and sees this as a process of discovery and renewal, reinventing himself in order to retain an individual voice. In terms of a broader, historical perspective however, examples of pieces which include controlled improvisation within formal schemes structured around principles of duality most certainly exist rather than symphony. The formal consequences of such gestural antecedents stem from the overriding sweep of a vast architectural space opening up over time. Collectively, the devices offer an implicit continuity, operating between the separate layers of activity: a contrapuntal momentum. Pitch is an important structural parameter, but in more global terms; concerns include issues of register, the outlining of a specific compass, material that is consistently confined to, or set in contrast with, other layers.
