Øyvind Torvund: Symphony for Kunstnernes Hus

NRK’s KORK (Norwegian Radio Orchestra) will perform the symphony in the galleries of Kunstnernes Hus (The Artists’ House), at which the public can move freely from room to room and experience a constantly shifting sound balance.

This event, featuring two run-throughs of the symphony, is the world premiere of a work that can only ever be performed in this specific building. Commissioned to celebrate Kunstnernes Hus’s 90th anniversary in 2020, and delayed due to Covid, the symphony is woven into the fabric of the building. It will survive as an asset of the house, to be brought out at future special occasions.

The conductor-less symphony is an enveloping musical experience in which the audience can wander freely from room to room as the music is being played. In effect, several concerts are happening simultaneously in many of the spaces in the building. Each room has its own distinctive character as independent spatial compositions: ritualistic folk music, lamentations for brass ensemble, symphonic waves for strings, harp and electronic percussion. At the same time, the spaces conduct an acoustic dialogue with each other, with call-and-response and and melodic elements that circulate between the rooms.

The total duration of the piece is 30 minutes, and it will be performed two times only, on Friday 28 October.