in brief

10.02.2023

Humor i maven

Lydenskab: »The One Behind the Score #2«

»HÅ!« lød det fra Lydenskabs instrumentalister, mens Birgitte Alsted reciterede eventyret i Agnetes Vandgang, og udråbene blandede sig med indspillet lyd af bobler, droner og stemme. Og det fik lov til at lyde fjollet: »Hå, hå, hå, hååå!« Lydenskabs portrætkoncert af komponisterne Birgitte Alsted og Sandra Boss The One Behind the Score #2 var hamrende gennemtænkt og veludført – og samtidig fornøjelig og egentlig også bare rar at overvære. De behøvede hverken at legitimere sig selv eller kunsten gennem selvhøjtidelig seriøsitet.

Efter åbningsværkets lange, enkle og rene cellotoner i Sofia Gubaidulinas Cello Preludes no. 3 bredte sig et smil på cellistens ansigt. Buen hamrede pludselig ned på strengene i en helt forløsende lille klangeksplosion, og den vidunderlige lyd og glæden over at have det sjovt med musikken smittede helt ned i maven. Sandra Boss havde valgt værkerne og dertil to egne værker. Først fik jeg frydefuld søsyge af ÆTERs gyngende strengetoner, og da Bølger begyndte, lod jeg mig ramme af barnlig begejstring, som havde jeg set et trylletrick, da ensemblets instrumenter pludselig skabte den umiskendelige lyd af bølger og vind.

Jeg elsker kunst, der ikke kun er kompetent vellydende, men som også åbner rare sociale rum. Tit i kontrast til den overlegne alvor, man også risikerer at møde til kunstevents. Eller som Alsted formulerede det i artist-talk-spørgsmålet om at være med i sit eget værk: »Fordi, det er sjovt.«

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.

in brieflive

21.09

The Trombone Finds Its Quiet Side

Francisco Coll: »Tapias«

Stavanger Concert Hall, 17.09.26

Andrew Mellor

At 19, the Spanish composer (and trombonist) Francisco Coll wrote a wild-child of a trombone concerto that pushed the instrument out of its comfort zone. 22 years later he has created a new piece from some of that material. Its priorities are the opposite.

Tapias embraces the lyrical, ethereal qualities of the trombone. It is not a concerto, insists Coll. Perhaps it could be described as a set of frescoes for trombone and orchestra. Whatever the category, it’s a beguiling piece that was gorgeously birthed on Thursday by Ian Bousfield, conductor Nuno Coelho and a sumptuous-sounding Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.

Composers from Sibelius to Turnage have reacted against caricatures of the trombone as brusque and clowning by exploring its dark-hued lyricism. Coll does something more, setting his soloist’s introspective, intervallic melodies in evocative and provocative orchestral contexts. The soloist’s lines can resemble spray-canned tracings on walls already heavy with the patina of history, decoration and graffiti.

Initially the trombone appears to seek repose. The second movement draws it into more agility but the dancing is suppressed: a layered burying of all manner of rhythms from flamenco to Hiphop. Great wodges of rich harmony weigh the boogying down for good.

The trombone does find peace in the final movement – its long, soulful melodies more yielding. But not before Coll has conjured up moments of huge harmonic strain and conscious orchestral magnificence. They sat well next to Coelho’s fierce performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No 5 after the interval. But Bousfield’s heartfelt journey through Tapias, sounding entirely at one with the orchestra, will linger longest in the mind.

playlist

21.09

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

16.09

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

»For us, music is a passion, a livelihood, and a focal point for us and our best friends in the band.«

Barselona consists of Rud Aslak and Rasmus Theodor. The band was formed in 2016 after a year at Ollerup Musikefterskole and has since released five albums and two EPs, most recently the album *Tag Min Hånd, Så Slipper Vi*, which is set for release in September 2026.

playlist

14.09

My name is Abel Alazo Rangel – would you like to see my playlist?

»To me, music is humanity, community, a smile, a conversation, a moment, an eternity«

Abel Alazo Rangel is the founder, curator, and producer of the Nova Concerts Series in Copenhagen. Nova began as a festival in 2003 and was relaunched as a concert series in 2023. Through Nova, he presents musicians and creates musical encounters that bridge the Cuban, Latin American, Danish, and international music scenes.