Jury's reasoning This year's prize winner can point to an exceptionally rich and multifaceted list of works. His versatile musical background has resulted in an artistic production that encompasses a wide range of techniques and musical forms of expression. The prize winner's compositions are performed all over the world, and he is considered one of the Nordic region's foremost living composers. The winning work Strange News is based on […]
/ 01/04/2014 / codexThis year's prize winner can point to an exceptionally rich and multifaceted list of works. His versatile musical background has resulted in an artistic production that encompasses a wide range of techniques and musical forms of expression. The prize winner's compositions are performed all over the world, and he is considered one of the Nordic countries' foremost living composers. The winning work Strange News is based on a libretto by Joose de Paauw and leads the listener into a dramatic story about the cynical exploitation of child soldiers in Africa. The composer uses an extensive multimedia apparatus that he masters with great virtuosity: symphony orchestra, actor, video and surround computer sound. The work's structural development of form has a condensed and captivating momentum, and the orchestral movement is rigorous, insistent and powerful. The dramatic and captivating text together with the intense theatrical means effectively drive the plot forward. The interpretation of the individual's vulnerability, vulnerability and the path back to a dignified life is heartbreaking and keeps the listener in a firm grip. Strange News is commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic and Casa da Musica, Porto in collaboration with NRK, Christian Relief Network and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.