Pulsar i (meget) roligt pulserende åbning

Pulsar Festival: åbningskoncert

Festivalplakat for Pulsar Festival 2021. © Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium

Sune Anderberg. © Alexander Banck-Petersen

For et år siden var Pulsar den sidste festival, der blev afholdt inden nedlukningen. I dag åbnede den så i en superslank udgave kun for den allermindste kammermusik, og åbningen var også rent tematisk et studie i enkelhed.

Først James Budinichs White Stone, en flaskepost fra den amerikanske minimalisme med sit hakkende tonegitter i violinen ledsaget af et blødt elektronisk klangtæppe. Den manglende kritiske refleksion over arven gør mig jo nok lidt rastløs, må jeg indrømme. Jeg spejder forgæves efter et strukturelt argument eller en klanglig ambition, der rækker ud over meditationen.

Lige så enkelt, men dog mere brutalistisk, er Ida Lundéns DadoDado for guitar, som hamrer marcherende repetitivt af sted. Et typisk studieværk, vel, med sin grundlæggende undersøgelse af instrumentet, men meget afgrænsede form; jeg glæder mig glubsk til at høre mere. (Opd.: Nå ja, kort var værket, men »studieværk« er måske lidt malplaceret, når Lundén selvfølgelig ikke er studerende. Beklager.)

Og så: Rob Durnins W’hood Thunk Kit for berøring af et flygel, aftenens højdepunkt. Tangenterne brugt som guiro, et instrumentalt teater med begge ben placeret i stilhedsgenren. Her er der lidt mere på færde rent formmæssigt, og tak for det: for den tålmodige granskning og stiliserede leg.

Loïc Destremaus Saxocloned for, ja gæt selv, går klangligt til værks, en klagende saxofonsirene med klapren og overtoner, der udvikler sig til en ret charmerende leg mellem fjerne ekkoer og nære pusterier med sin selvkloning. Og som leder oplagt over til Adrianna Kubica-Cypeks Into the Whale’s Eye for duvende basklarinet og metallisk liveelektronik, et værk med en ro, der lægger an til en længere samtale mellem de to solister, men hurtigt er ovre. Ligesom koncerten. Men så er vi da i gang, og hurra, altså, for det.

playlist

14.05

We are L'arannà – would you like to see our playlist?

»To us, music is the definitive companion. As listeners, it fosters a sense of communion, bridging the gap between souls through the shared experience of sound. As creators, however, music confronts us with our own inner void, that profound solitude that nourishes the creative spirit. At the same time, it dares us to leap into the unknown to decipher the ineffable. Music anchors us to the present moment, to the 'now' shared with a live audience; yet, it also touches the eternal.«

L'arannà is an electronic folk duo. With their last project, Turmarí, the duo dives deep into the folk music traditions of the Pityusic Islands, offering – through their blend of sound exploration– a perspective on Ibiza and Formentera. Synthesizers and keyboards share the stage with traditional instruments and aesthetics inspired by the ancestral ball pagès dance. Reviving cant redoblat (a unique form of singing from these islands preserved by fewer than twenty people) the group weaves a narrative that traces the roots and lived reality of two islands that are far more than just a dreamt-of paradise. The band will be touring around Denmark and Sweden, from 27th to 31th of May, playing at venues like Turkis, Dexter, Inkonst or ALICE.

playlist

14.05

My name is Marcela Lucatelli – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music to me is movement, trance, transformation. The rest I won't tell you.«

Marcela Lucatelli is a vocalist and composer. Born in Brazil and based in Denmark, she has gained international recognition for her boundary-pushing performances — sensuous, politically charged, and uncompromisingly original. Described by The Wire as a composer of »scores for the limits of bodies and voice,« Lucatelli challenges conventions with her fearless vocal experimentation and bold compositions. Her works have been performed by Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, and Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart. She has appeared at major festivals and venues, including Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, DR Koncerthuset, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Darmstadt Ferienkurse, IRCAM, Copenhagen Opera Festival, Ultima Festival, Borealis Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Cafe Oto, A L’ARME!, DMA Jazz – Danish Music Awards, WOMEX, and many more. Lucatelli's work has earned her several prestigious awards, including the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Talent Prize (2019), Pelle Prize (2021), and the Danish Music Awards' 2023 Vocal Jazz Release of the Year, which shows that vocal jazz has many faces – and does not necessarily belong only to the soft end of the spectrum.

playlist

14.05

My name is Salim Washington – would you like to see my playlist?

»What is music to me? Here’s a quote from Nietzsche: ‘The people dancing all seemed crazy to the people who couldn’t hear the music.’«

Salim Washington is a saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, academic, and activist from Detroit who has been highly active on the American jazz scene since the 1970s, and also in South Africa, where he became a central figure. The spirit of John Coltrane hovers over his music, which carries both spiritual and social dimensions.

playlist

11.05

We are DØGNKIOSK – would you like to see our playlist?

»Music for us is the perfect language that we love to speak. A language where it is the individual's feelings and imagination that determine what is right and wrong. Everyone can speak the language. You don't have to be able to write or understand, but just listen. Some music requires that you listen carefully and maybe hear it several times. A bit like when you talk to someone from Norway or Sweden, you also have to listen a little extra.«

DØGNKIOSK is a Danish punk rock band with roots in Silkeborg. The band consists of bassist and singer Anders Ejner, who has been active on the Danish underground scene for several decades. Musically, DØGNKIOSK moves in a field between classic Danish punk and alternative rock. In the spring of 2026, the band will release their second album, Tæt på kanten.

news

05.05

A Critic on the Move – In Memory of Andreas Engström

It is difficult to comprehend that Andreas Engström is no longer with us. Just a couple of months ago, he wrote – as he had done so many times before – with an ambitious proposal: he wanted to review a box set of twenty releases by Dror Feiler. In the same message, he mentioned plans to come to Aarhus for the recently concluded Spor Festival.