Andreas Borregaard
11
Et blodsultent corona-genfærd
Stormglas: »ACROSS«
© PR
Kan man sige, at Karlheinz Stockhausen med sin Helikopter-Streichquartett foregreb pandemisloganet »sammen hver for sig«? Tyskerens satellitforbundne strygere roterer i baghovedet, mens jeg hører den nye EP ACROSS af Stormglas aka akkordeonist Andreas Borregaard og guitarist Mikkel Sørensen. Da pandemien lukkede verden ned, åbnede den samtidig for en ny strømning af kompositorisk 5G-core. En bølge af ukuelig optimisme, som Stormglas red med på ved at sende noder og grafiske partiturer til alverdens musikere, som så sendte lydfiler retur. På ACROSS er sporene blevet samlet. Og nu, hvor corona føles som en fjern fortid, lyder værkerne også som et genfærd fra dengang, vi troede, at pandemien ville forandre alting.
Æteriske træblæsere breder sig som en tåge om lytteren på »Quiet Autumn«. En grådkvalt violin spøger i baggrunden, og pludselig er vi lokket ind i et musikalsk rum uden vægge. Som et sonisk Zoom-møde bliver nye instrumenter lukket ind og ud af lokalet og bidrager til den ulmende mosekonebryg.
Spøgelsesæstetikken – med hviskestemmer og bagvendte lydoptagelser – bliver næsten for subtil på EP’ens to første numre. Det er først, når den til sidst i »Sometimes I Walk Backwards« med sit kompositoriske helikopterperspektiv kammer over i blodsulten horror-klaver og jagtende woodblock, at man for alvor mærker apokalypsen. Spooky.
© 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
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
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.