Young Karl played chamber music at his school and electric guitar in heavy metal bands in Umeå, a small city in the north of Sweden. “It was only some years later, when I was studying at conservatory, that I discovered that the lute was the instrument for me”. He strives for and works on achieving a sound that is both beautiful and that projects. “There is no point in making a beautiful sound in an orchestra if no one hears it”. Another challenge with playing his instrument is that it’s not just one instrument, but many. “I have some 14 to 15 different plucked instruments – lutes and guitars – that I choose depending on the repertoire. Picking the right instrument(s) to bring to a project can sometimes be hard.”
Karl mostly listens to hard rock and progressive rock from the seventies and eighties. “To pick just one, the song “I lost my head” by British progressive rock band Gentle Giant is a favourite, a miniature masterpiece!” Apart from that, he also loves to bake, especially sour-dough bread. ”I find it fascinating that it’s possible to create fluffy and tasty bread from just three ingredients. To keep my sour-dough alive I sometimes bring it with me on tour!”