what we immerse ourselves in

interview03.06.2019

‘I really wanted to write a pop love song’

Marta Śniady. © Marta Śniady

Polish composer Marta Śniady is about to finish her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. Recently, her aesthetics have changed considerably, embracing video and pop music.

interview03.04.2019

‘I need to believe it myself’

Ragnhild May works in a chameleon-like way. James Black takes her to yoga class in this final interview with young ‘composer/performers’.

By James Black
interview25.02.2019

So, this is where it all ends

In Bára Gísladóttir’s view, the apocalypse is a given. James Black goes bowling with the captivatingly introvert, yet apocalyptic, Icelandic composer/performer.

By James Black
interview09.01.2019

‘It’s almost like I can feel the whole world’

James Black goes climbing with Marcela Lucatelli in this first of three interviews with young composer/performers.

By James Black

reportage27.12.2018

Deep in the Norwegian forest

Knut Olaf Sunde: ‘Himdalen’. © Henrik Beck Kæmpe

A 13-hour immersive performance on a freezing winter night outside Oslo – Knut Olaf Sunde’s site-specific work ‘Himdalen’ radically challenged traditional concert practices.

comment18.12.2018

Not so diverse after all

The Nordic Music Days in Helsinki failed to deliver on its promise of diversity, even if seen from a strictly stylistic point of view, writes participating composer Tine Surel Lange.

By Tine Surel Lange
interview28.11.2018

Man among the machines

Kaj Duncan David’s music has always been intimately linked with software and machines. His next major work deals with artificial intelligence.

By Andrew Mellor
review20.11.2018

Gold fever and infernal machines

Simon Løffler’s personality shines through while Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard’s conceptual gold piece rings hollow at Gong Tomorrow.

By James Black

reportage16.10.2018

Try competing with history, then

Trond Reinholdtsen: ‘Ø – Episode 6’. © Grzegorz Mart

A contemporary music festival, especially one with a remarkable history, might be judged by its ability to free itself from the pressures of tradition. In that respect, Warsaw Autumn is becoming a victim of its own success.

reportage14.09.2018

Maybe we fight, maybe we defend

Are commercial demands starting to influence contemporary music in the Nordic countries? James Black writes from the UNM Festival in Bergen, Norway.

By James Black
essay04.09.2018

Memorials of grief: Music after 9/11

Essay by Tim Rutherford-Johnson on the musical responses to an incomprehensible historical event.

By Tim Rutherford-Johnson
review03.08.2018

»An opera you need to see twice«

A generational cycle of sexual abuse paired with a clear and lucid score. Last year’s operatic talk of the town was back for one day.

By Andrew Mellor