in brief
17.03.2023

Dansende epifani

»Immortal Summit«
© Märta Thisner
© Märta Thisner

Omtrent halvvejs i livet synes man måske nok, man har set det hele, men heldigvis tager man fejl. Tag nu bare det blomstrende københavnske miljø for moderne dans, som jeg har brugt et halvt liv på at overse. Det står klar til at gribe dig med sammenviklede kroppe og nye kompositioner, begge dele med akut antiblasert virkning.

Som nu for eksempel Immortal Summit i aftes, en denimbetrukket duoperformance med flosset musik af Holger Hartvig for forvrænget guitar, dunkende bas og dinglende saxofon.

Her fremmanede to stolte kroppe – BamBam Frost og Lydia Östberg Diakité – en paradoksal mandehørm af arrogant afsky og muskelpositurer, mens de gik i cirkler og kastede med sækkestole. Friskt prikkede Hartvig hul på attituden med en udstrakt rundgang af rockvræl, der langsomt blev centrifugeret til ukendelighed: punkteret testosteron.

Efterhånden indfandt sig i stedet en intimitet. Kroppene viklede sig gulvnært ind i hinanden, og afstumpet guitarstøj blev til famlende ro med nøgen, let ustemt bas i centrum og svag cikadeimitation i baggrunden. Til lyden af drømmende syntharpeggio og en saxofon så fri som et vindspil forvandlede hanekamp sig til akrobatisk tillid og fælles ømhed. Saligt!

Samme opløftende brainstorm mellem musikalsk og koreografisk tænkning har jeg de sidste måneder også set i andre danseprojekter som MYKA’s Regnbuen med absurdistisk MIDI-lyd af Christian Vogel og Antoinette Helbings The Mirror Project med suggererende elektronik af Mads Emil Nielsen.

Danseverden, jeg ser og hører dig nu!

© 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.