TEXT // Ragnar Olsen // Querini – an opera from Røst

Ragnar Olsen is a lyricist with the gift of simplicity. He believes in the power of a sacred, ordinary language. He believes in the music of everyday language, and he knows how to bring it out. The story he tells in “Querini” is not only fantastic and incredible, but also true. An Italian merchant ship really sank off Røst in Lofoten in 1421. The survivors were really taken care of by the local people for months before they could return home. Pietro Querini from Venice really wrote a book about the experience, published and translated into several languages. Almost unbelievable. Or to tell in a credible way, especially not through a libretto, in impeccable rhymes. It takes a Ragnar Olsen. The fact that he is also a musician and songwriter means that he has expertise from both sides in how text and music can play together. The story becomes musical, oral and alive. The prize winner has a long experience in writing, he is productive and he is picky. He has also recently written the powerful libretto for Heksehammeren, an opera about witch burning in Finnmark. He has written for Hålogaland Teater, he writes the finest song lyrics and is a significant rewriter, including of Jacques Brel and Bertolt Brecht.