in brief
06.01.2022

Ilden brænder i politisk fantasi

Mathias Monrad Møller: »The Best Version of Myself«
© Erik André Nes
© Erik André Nes

Ild slukker som bekendt ingen ild. Men tænkes kan det, at et endnu større flammehav tvinger omverdenens øjne op og får den til at reagere. Megen kunst fungerer ud fra netop den præmis: forstørrelsesglassets diktat.

Således også hos Mathias Monrad Møller. På et originalt og iltert portrætalbum rigt på abstrakt vokal kaster han sig over ildspåsætterne Bush og Trump, men bærer kun ved til bålet: Musikken er lige så uforsonlig, som den politiske debat længe har været det.

Det gælder også, selvom flere af værkerne arbejder med et opbyggeligt ønske om at sætte musikerne fri af det klassiske partiturs lænker. Fornemst ved udgivelsen – som vel var sidste års allermest dristige – er dog, at Møller ikke blot vrænger forudsigeligt ad verdensordenen. I stedet lykkes det ham på sin vis at opløse den.

Bush seniors båndede tale om stor- og frihed bliver loopet til et manisk refræn gennemhullet af krigeriske orkestrale sløjfer. Som om verdens mægtigste stemme desperat prøver at overbevise ikke befolkningen, men sig selv. Det er infernalsk fængende.

Senere forvandles Tiffany Trumps rosende ord om hendes far over 24 minutter til en vokalt fragmenteret tåge med enkle digitale spejlinger – puf, amerikansk politik destilleret til en feberdrøm.

Møllers musik vil dele vandene. Den er politisk, men også raffineret. Nogle gange er den en prøvelse for lytteren med uforfærdet nedbarberede koncepter og tyskskolet musikalsk logik. Heldigvis er den også morsom, gennemtænkt, viljefast og ganske enkelt umulig at ignorere. Ilden brænder.

© Paw Ager

»For me, music is about curiosity and surprises – yet it’s also something in which you can feel right at home. Music resides within us all, in a physical way that sets it apart from any other art form. To me, music is something greater than the individual – something that will always outlive the individual. The good stuff, in other words ;) « 

Kaspar Kaae is an award-winning film composer, music producer, and songwriter, known for his work with bands such as CODY and Bug Chaser. He holds a Master’s degree in film composition from SDMK.  He has previously been a guitarist in a number of bands on the Danish indie scene, such as CODY, Broken Twin, and Bug Chaser. The latter is releasing the album My First Crippled Love in November. He was born in 1983 on Bornholm, but has lived in Copenhagen and Berlin throughout his adult life.

© PR

»Music is like a black hole that sucks you in and shoots you out on the other side of the universe.«

Francesco Rista is a guitarist working across classical and electric guitar. His recordings have been reviewed by international music magazines and broadcast on BBC and RAI Radio 3. After studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and Lund University, he focused on studio recordings, exploring guitar repertoire from the Baroque and Romantic periods to contemporary music, as well as the instrument’s varied tonal possibilities. Rista is currently based in Iceland, where he teaches guitar, composes music, and collaborates with contemporary composers.

 

© Villads Hoffmann
© Villads Hoffmann

Percussionist and composer David Hildebrandt is honoured for his virtuosic work with new music and his efforts to push the boundaries of what rhythm can be.

David Hildebrandt is among the recipients of this year’s honorary awards from the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation. He receives DKK 200,000 in recognition of his uncompromising work with new music and multi-percussion, as well as his ability to challenge conventional ideas about rhythm.

© Thor Brødreskift
© Thor Brødreskift
The 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize goes to Norwegian composers Kristine Tjøgersen and Benedicte Maurseth for Elja, a suite for the Kronos Quartet and Hardanger fiddle.
 
Rationale
© Carsten Seidel

»Who ever said that music is ‘just’ music? To me, it is anything but that: an urge to understand and explain it all. A piece of jewelry I wear every single day. A joy that can, at times, run deep. An ever-changing imprint of millions of stitches in my heart. A longing to disappear.«

Henrik Marstal is a musician, author, and music researcher. He holds a PhD in musicology, is a senior lecturer at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, and frequently appears in the media as an expert source on music. His areas of interest include contemporary music, such as electronic music. This winter, he will release both a new album with the pop group ibens and a book about Else Marie Pade, published by the British publishing house Bloomsbury.