Jury's reasoning Kjell Samkopf is unlike anyone else in Norwegian music. The man who has recorded hikes in the mountains and released them on record is not one to follow trends. The release Burragorangian Stones fits naturally into Samkopf's life project where the central point is listening as an active action. Man is active in […]
/ 31/03/2014 / codexKjell Samkopf is unlike anyone else in Norwegian music. The man who has recorded hikes in the mountains and released them on record is not one to follow trends. The release Burragorangian Stones naturally fits into Samkopf's life project, where listening as an active action is central. Man is actively in interaction with nature's own "random", inevitable impulses and the result is refined in respect for this interaction - an exquisite balance is maintained. A 79-minute audio file with recordings from the Australian wilderness invites us on a performance-free journey of experience accompanied by a cover with carefully selected illustrations, small instructions and something reminiscent of a score. The work must be understood as a whole of all this. In a personal, balanced and sympathetic way, the composer encourages us to just be, or to let what happens happen, but a deeper experience awaits those who actively listen. With an agenda that makes little noise in the public sphere, it is all the more a pleasure for us to award TONO's Edvard Prize in the Open Class to Kjell Samkopf.