review08.10
Here, Music Is Allowed to Go Wrong
Festival of Endless Gratitude is less a parade of finished works than a living laboratory where musicians are given the freedom to experiment – and to fail.
Perspectivereview
what we immerse ourselves in
review05.10
When Music Takes You Down the Rabbit Hole
Sonica Glasgow turned sound into massage, sweets into instruments and Serbian folk song into a psychedelic journey. The festival was most convincing when it dared to go all the way to the edge.
review01.10
Everything Makes Noise. Then Comes Silence
The Oslo-based contemporary music festival Ultima taught me that in a world where everything makes noise, silence can be the most radical expression of all. Perhaps we should send Ed Sheeran to Norway for a study trip?
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review30.09
Into the Unknown
In Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s first opera, the Arctic becomes a landscape for music that moves slowly but contains immense power. -
review20.09
Samsø Finds a New Sound
On Samsø, Salad Days makes room for sound art, improvisation, noise and experimental music. The festival’s small scale creates a particular openness – but also leaves the project vulnerable, as it depends on the efforts of a few people. -
review15.09
Langgaard Lets His Hair Down
The Rued Langgaard Festival opened up the composer’s universe to Sweden, visual art and new interpretations of his music. The strongest moments came when Langgaard escaped the familiar confines. The next step must be to bring him further out into Ribe.
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review26.08
The Art of Letting Go
On three new albums by Sofie Birch, Tyondai Braxton, and Gustaf Dicksson & co., electronics come alive, melodies are allowed to lose their way, and experimental music discovers a rare lightness. -
review13.07
Five Things I Learned About Love in Bergen
The Bergen International Festival promised »endless love«. I listened closely – and found it everywhere from medieval madrigals to pop ballads spanning the centuries. -
review02.07
Oh, to Lose Yourself in Moers
The German Moers Festival is no longer primarily a jazz festival, but a curated laboratory for free improvisation, sound art, compositional music, and political absurdism. At times it feels forced. Most of the time, it is liberating.
review28.06
When Music Stopped Explaining Itself
Klang Festival was at its strongest when the works spoke directly to the body rather than to the programme notes. Not everything succeeded, but this year's festival was willing to take risks.
review23.06
While Europe's Jazz Searches for New Languages
At Jazzkaar, international stars are no longer the main attraction. Instead, the festival offers a glimpse of an Estonian scene in the process of shaping its own musical identity.