Hans-Kristian Kjos Sörensen, percussion/voice
Nordic Voices
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Volkov, conductor
Ellen Ugelvik, piano
Jennifer Torrence, percussion/voice
Kai Grinde Myrann, conductor
Ever since he was a child, Norwegian composer Henrik
Hellstenius has sought to explore music more freely
than by simply mastering the classics. His language,
which draws its inspiration from the modes of expression
of his time, takes shape in the course of his work through
sound, movement, rhythm and silence, as well as in his
encounters with musicians and their instruments.
Here, much of what is expressed is part of an intense
inner monologue: a litany of doubt, affirmation and
frustration being whispered, said, sung and shouted.
Everything about these two works, from their titles to
their modes of expression, suggests that they are
directed outwards towards society in general and
towards individuals in particular .
Public Behaviour is about how we act together in an age
of extreme individualism. The work presents musical
situations in which the soloist, vocal ensemble and
orchestra depict encounters and conflicts around the
theme of the individual versus the collective space.
Together is a meditation on the relationship between
‘me and the other’ . The question is how we relate to the
people we meet, work with and live with.
The versatile vocal ensemble Nordic Voices performs
both works and is joined by some of the best musicians
on the Norwegian contemporary scene.