Anja Garbarek has been awarded the EDVARD Prize in the Open Class category for "The Road is Just a Surface." - I am extremely happy, and very proud, said an emotional Garbarek to standing ovation at Nøtterøy Cultural Center on Sunday evening.
/ 28/10/2019 / Kristian Dugstad
– I think that being seen in a positive way is always good, for everyone. I am especially happy about this award, because it is very high. I am extremely happy and very proud, said Anja Garbarek after she was presented with the EDVARD award on Sunday evening by jury member of the EDVARD award Ole Børud and TONO's communications manager Willy Martinsen on stage in Nøtterøy Kulturhus.
The award ceremony took place immediately after the performance of the award-winning work. From the stage, an emotional Garbarek thanked the Bergen International Festival, Jo Strømgren Kompani and Drabant music.
– They have all shown me enormous trust, and have been incredibly inspiring to work with throughout.
Listen to an interview with Anja Garbarek in TONO's podcast "Make Music" here.
The double album "The Road Is Just a Surface" stems from a play created in collaboration with choreographer Jo Strømgren. It stands on its own two feet as a musical experience. With the album, Garbarek has created a unique, holistic and intricate universe, and the listener gets to dive deeper and deeper with each listen. The wealth of detail constantly provides new discoveries and creates new connections, without the album feeling overloaded or diffuse. "The Road Is Just a Surface" is a work to sink into, which grows and expands. Anja Garbarek is not afraid of the musically unexpected or unfamiliar, and weaves in sounds from everyday life: An alarm clock. A spinning bass. A piece of tape. The listener gets to take part in an expanded soundscape, one that is always rhythmically based. It has a pulse, but is at the same time melodically beautiful and melancholic, with lyrics that revolve around existential themes such as belonging and mental illness.
The EDVARD Prize has been awarded annually at TONO since 1998, and is awarded in five categories to composers and lyricists who have created musical works of particularly high quality in the previous year. A highly qualified professional jury selects the winners, who receive kr 50,000 as well as a trophy and a diploma, both designed by artist Magne Furuholmen.
– A central part of TONO's work is to highlight that music has value, and that music creation is an important work. With the EDVARD Prize, we highlight some of the most beautiful music created in the previous year, and with it we want to both honor individual creators and create awareness about the important work that composers, lyricists and songwriters do, says TONO's communications manager, Willy Martinsen.
Read more about the EDVARD Prize on TONO.no, under the section "about TONO":
https://www.tono.no/om-tono/priser-og-stipender/edvardprisen-tonos-formidlerpris/
The jury for the EDVARD Prize 2019 consists of Peter Edwards (NKF), Kristin Norderval (NKF), Torgny Amdam (NOPA), Kate Havnevik (NOPA), Ellen Brekken (Independent), Ole Børud (Independent), Jan Stefan Bengtsson (Music Publishers) and jury chair Stine Lieng (Music Publishers).
