unleash
Instrumentation
Orchestra and tape
Commissioned
by Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, with support from Arts Council Norway
Durata
7 – 8 min
About
Description of the piece for the premiere
unleash materialized from the transitional spaces between my artistry, my everyday life and some of the most important people in it. At the moment I am struggling with the following question: When it’s played in a piece of music, does a recording of everyday sounds become musical itself? And can such a recording be regarded as music and mere sound at the same time? Can a small child’s cry be beautiful? Is nutmeg a treasure and if so: long ago, when we were pirates, did we find it?
Text from the CD booklet:
I never cared much for the pictures from the ultrasound
but
to listen to the heartbeat
of him who would be my firstborn
for the first time
that was
a feeling I can’t put into words
when
he screams as loud as only he can
he should have fallen asleep by now
in his wagon
I keep walking
and walking
and the only thing I think about
is what his high-frequency screaming would
look like in a spectrogram
Recording
done by The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, conducted by Peter Szilvay, published by MERE records, on the album “unleash”
World premiere
by Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bjarte Engeset 27th of February 2014, Kilden Concert House, Kristiansand
Other performances
28.02.2014
by Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bjarte Engeset 28th of February 2014, Arendal Concert House
25.09.2021
by the Norwegian Radio Orcehstra, conducted by Ingar Bergby, in Ultima Festival’s closing concert 2021, Oslo Concert House