OoS#1: Gyða Valtýsdóttir & Kobe Van Cauwenberghe

OCEAN OF SOUND#1: Gyða Valtýsdóttir & Kobe Van Cauwenberghe

OCEAN OF SOUND er en koncert-serie skabt i samarbejde mellem Aarhus Unge Tonekunstnere og Radar.

Til OCEAN OF SOUND præsenteres musik, man kan svømme i, flyde ovenpå og dykke ned i. Musik der giver lytteren mulighed for at give sig hen og lade sig forføre til en tilstand, hvor lyd bliver et grundelement, som vandet i oceanerne. Uden genrebegrænsninger og æstetiske fordomme inviteres der indenfor til en oplevelse af musikalsk magisk realisme, hvor den normale virkelighedsopfattelse udfordres.

Første koncertaften bliver i selskab med den islandske cellist og komponist Gyða Valtýsdóttir, der blandt andet er kendt fra múm og hendes samarbejder med navne som The Kronos Quartet, Colin Stetson, Damien Rice, Jónsi (Sigur Ros), Ben Frost & Bryce Dessner (The National). Hun får selskab af den belgiske eksperimenterende guitarist Kobe Van Cauwenberghe, der med hjælp fra to spolebåndsafspillere og en elektrisk guitar vil fremføre Brian Enos og Robert Fripps legendariske studiealbums “No Pussyfooting” og “Evening Star”.

Koncertaftenen præsenteres i samarbejde med Aarhus Unge Tonekunstnere med støtte fra puls - Nordisk Kulturfond.

Gyða Valtýsdóttir

Gyða Valtýsdóttir and her twin sister Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir came to prominence with electronic experimentalists múm, the lauded Icelandic group leading the charge in the country’s fertile underground scene in the early 00s, rightfully gaining international recognition. Gyða left the band to pursue her studies as a cellist; gaining a twofold Master’s degree from Musik Akademie, Basel, both as a classical player and a free-improvisational one. Since then she has journeyed with a colourful palette of collaborators, including The Kronos Quartet, Josephine Foster, Damien Rice, Colin Stetson, Jónsi (of Sigur Ros fame), Skúli Sverrisson, Ólöf Arnalds, Ben Frost, Aaron & Bryce Dessner (from The National) and visual-artist Ragnar Kjartansson. To name but a few.

In 2017 Gyða released the album Epicycle worldwide, a constellation of pieces by the likes of Schubert, Schumann and Messiaen but also more experimental composers like Harry Partch and George Crumb. The music within actually spanning two thousand years, as it also included a work by 12th Centrury abbess, polymath and composer Hildegard von Bingen and “Seikilos Epitaph”, the oldest surviving complete musical composition, dating from around 100 AD. The music was given to Gyða’s unique interpretation, where she reached into the core of the music, swaying it instinctively – and creatively – making for an astounding work that garnered deserved praise from critics. The album topped “end of the year” lists in her native country, received awards and accolades, inspiring one of Iceland’s most esteemed music critic to declare: “Here we have the rarest of things, an utterly unexplainable magic that goes way beyond the music itself, tugging ones heart forcefully.” General reception actually echoed the artists hope that the “record would quietly dissolve walls by simply not sensing their existence.”

Gyða’s new album, Evolution (autumn 2018), features her original compositions and was co-produced by Alex Somers. Other collaborators were Shahzad Ismaily, Albert Finnbogason, Aaron Roche, Julian Sartorius and Úlfur Hansson. Not unlike the predecessor, but make no mistake, the pastures are new and unexplored, Gyða bringing out her artistry and vision unadulterated. Strings swirl, electronics hums gently, voices enter – and then exit – gracefully. This is a sturdy yet elegant album – delicate and powerful at the same time. Gyða’s distinctive vocals remain in the foreground, her cello always inventive and highly personal, underlining a dignified craftsmanship. “Etheral” is a word tossed around, perhaps irresponsibly, but never has its true meaning been as apt.

Kobe Van Cauwenberghe

The Belgian experimental guitarist Kobe Van Cauwenberghe performs Robert Fripps and Brian Enos legendary studio-albums “No Pussyfooting” and “Evening Star” using two reel-to-reel tape-recorders and his electric guitar.

No [more] Pussyfooting brings back to live the classic experimental studio-albums “No Pussyfooting” and “Evening Star” by Brian Eno and Robert Fripp. In these pre-ambient albums from the early '70s Brian Eno blends his tape-loop experiments with Robert Fripp's rock guitar, creating unique layered soundscapes.

Two specific pieces from both albums will be presented: "The Heavenly Music Corporation" (A-side of "No Pussyfooting") and "An Index of Metals" (B-side of "Evening Star"). Both pieces, each taking up an entire side of an LP, beautifully explore the rich sound textures of the electric guitar in combination with tape-loops.

Using contemporary technology in combination with the original “frippertronics” set-up of two reel-to-reel tape-recorders, this project aims at restoring these gems of experimental repertoire, originally created in the studio, and bringing them back to the stage.

Kobe Van Cauwenberghe: “As an interpreter of Fripp & Eno’s music I used the studio albums as main reference, and intended to come as close to it as possible in a live situation. Nevertheless every live performance sounds different given the unpredictableness of an analog tape delay setup and ever changing interpretational choices. This seemed to comply with the abstract nature of the pieces. In the end it shouldn’t become too technical, it is about bringing these gems of experimental repertoire back to the stage.”