what we immerse ourselves in

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

essay11.07.2018

Lullabies and memory loss

© Alexander Banck-Petersen

It’s the opening concert of Klang Festival 2018. Everyone is paying close attention, preparing to discuss the music afterwards. But listening is no simple task – what’s it all about? Professor Holger Schulze, author of ‘The Sonic Persona – An Anthropology of Sound’, takes us through his listening experience.

By Holger Schulze

reportage29.06.2018

Noise in the tropical underground

The Indonesian noise and experimental music scene exists. Sanne Krogh Groth spent two weeks in Central Java, whose local culture influences the music.

By Sanne Krogh Groth
reportage09.04.2018

Heterotopias

Maya Shenfeld returns to Israel to investigate the local music scene amid what has been labelled a ‘culture war’.

By Maya Shenfeld
interview07.02.2018

Shouting, naked. James Black, the composer

His debut concert only a few weeks away – both a blessing and a ‘fucking nightmare’ – Copenhagen-based composer James Black talks to Andrew Mellor.

By Andrew Mellor