in brief

23.09.2023

Gå dog hele vejen, DR!

DR Vokalensemblet, Kalle Hakosalo: Drømme og profetier

Jeg savner, at DR går hele vejen, når der eksperimenteres med repertoiresammensætningen. For hvor var det en god ide at lade Else Marie Pades vokalværk Dette er Vølvens spådom stå midt i Orlando di Lassos Sibylle-profetier i Studie 2 fredag aften med DR Vokalensemblet. De illegale kvart- og kvintparalleller i de rene kvindestemmer stod i smuk kontrast til Lassos renæssancetoner. Øret blev skærpet af begges musik.

Pades korte værk fra 1956 var en uropførelse, og Orlandos 12 satser over 25 minutter kunne godt bruge mere modspil af den art. P2-værten formidlede alle værkerne samvittighedsfuldt med mange ord, så koncertens profeti-koncept blev slået fast, men det ville have været befriende, hvis ny eller eksperimenterende musik havde stået uformidlet inde imellem Orlandos korsatser. Så øret engang imellem var blevet i tvivl, om musikken var 500 år, 50 år eller måske blot fem minutter gammel. Det sker på andre scener verden over lige nu – og nye og gamle klangverdener påvirker på mærkværdig vis hinanden undervejs.

Det kunne DR have gjort og fx ladet Nørgård-satsen stå inde i Orlando frem for at indlede koncerten, eller lade triumviratet af Suosalo (videokunstner), Supponen (komponist f. 1988) og Kalle Hakosalo (slagtøj, kendt fra NEKO3) skabe satser, der spillede direkte op med renæssancesatserne. I stedet stod de for Orakel, som over 45 minutter kørte i tomgang halvdelen af tiden. Alle muligheder var ellers til stede – med det yderst vokalpotente DR Ensemble placeret rundt om publikum, men kun for at hviske få ord/toner og til sidst række armene i vejret. Vistnok som træers blade stræber mod himlen. Men det faldt til jorden, når den lange tid ikke var brugt bedre – de smukke videokunstelementer til trods.

Lad alle værkerne tale bedre sammen næste gang, DR.

playlist

28.09

Mit navn er David Dyrholm – vil du se min playliste?

»Music is what gets my gears turning. It sets both my body and mind in motion – and on a good day, even gets them up to speed. My listening habits are entirely shaped by my mood... and by the musical tastes of my two children, which shift every eight minutes... so the home stereo gets exposed to a bit of everything. In a way, that’s exactly how it should be. Room for everything and everyone.«

David Dyrholm (b. 1990) is a food and music critic for Politiken, focusing on jazz – ranging from the traditional to the modern—and avant-garde music. Alongside this, he has worked for the Modern Jazz Days festival, served on the jury for the DMA Jazz awards, and previously released a number of records with the hip-hop collective DoktorDoktor.

in briefrelease

25.09

An Organ in the Dark Forest of Doubt

Calum Builder: »Although Changed, I Arise the Same«

Thanatosis, 25.09

Kristoffer Møllegaard

Last year, Builder released Poor_in_Spirit, an album in which he explored, on his own, the sonic possibilities of his self-built organ. It was an album shaped by this exploration, but ultimately also by the limitations of the organ itself. On Although Changed, I Arise the Same, the composer finds a way beyond them.

The organ is now joined by three additions: Builder’s own alto saxophone, along with the voices of Zola Mennenöh and Johanna Sulkunen. It makes all the difference, providing the diversity of instrumentation that Builder has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to compose for. At times, the organ’s bass sinks beneath the voices and saxophone like a light haze; at others, it envelops them in a heavy fog. It howls like wind in the trees and roars like a train in the night. Mennenöh and Sulkunen sing, chant and breathe simple, repetitive phrases about spiritual uncertainty and searching, as though lost in the dark forest of doubt.

It is a Spartan form of storytelling, giving the listener enough lyricism and atmosphere to set the mind in motion, but never so much that it becomes overwhelming. This is where Builder’s strength lies: his music clearly grows out of his life and experiences, yet he composes in such a way that the listener is invited to enter the story with their own imagination.

Builder determines the colours, but leaves part of the picture to the listener. It is an album that is far more restrained in its dramaturgy than previous releases. No less beautiful or inspiring for it.

English translation: Andreo Michaelo Mielczarek

playlist

25.09

We are Echo, Bravo – would you like to see our playlist?

»For us, music is a transcendent force with transformative potential – something we get to experience and shape when we create sound together. It is an opportunity to describe one’s innermost universes without words, and the best way for an introvert to express intense emotions at full volume.«

With roots in Copenhagen’s experimental jazz and punk scene, Echo, Bravo challenges the notion of what a rock band can sound like. The quintet blends post-punk, free punk, and noise rock into a raw and unpredictable soundscape. They describe the music themselves as a kind of »empty-the-fridge soup,« where various leftovers come together. »Best enjoyed as a hot meal in a cold industry.«

playlist

21.09

My name is Luca Quintavalle – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music is the best way to discover myself and understand the world around me.«

Luca Quintavalle is a harpsichordist, fortepianist and conductor. He has performed with ensembles including Concerto Köln, Harmonie Universelle, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and the Kölner Kammerorchester at venues and festivals such as the Kölner Philharmonie, Salzburg Festival and Enescu Festival. He was harpsichordist of Les Musiciens du Prince, led by Cecilia Bartoli, for over five years, and has conducted ensembles including the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Concerto Köln and Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss. His recordings include Mirrors, released by Berlin Classics and awarded an OPUS KLASSIK.

Gå dog hele vejen, DR!

Mit navn er David Dyrholm – vil du se min playliste?

An Organ in the Dark Forest of Doubt

We are Echo, Bravo – would you like to see our playlist?

Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen (1971-2026)

My name is Luca Quintavalle – would you like to see my playlist?