EDVARD Prize to Eivind Buene

Composer Eivind Buene is the winner of the prestigious EDVARD Prize 2015 in the Contemporary category for the work "Blue Mountain".

The EDVARD Prize is a prize that has been awarded by Norwegian composers, lyricists and music publishers through the organization TONO since 1998. The prize in the Contemporary category will be awarded on September 15th at approximately 2000 at the ULTIMA festival held in Oslo. Here, Buene's work will be performed by the Chamber Orchestra in the University Hall. The prize will be presented by last year's winner in the same category, Magnar Åm.

– Music is a dream, a memory and a reality at the same time. Receiving the Edvard Prize is a great honor, a wonderful recognition from music Norway, says prize winner Eivind Buene.

The jury's reasoning:
“Since he took his place in Norwegian contemporary music as a young man with the greatest ease, Eivind Buene has impressed with a rare writing ability and stylistic certainty. This enables him to take great artistic risks in his projects, and land on his feet. From his non-classical background, he has also retained a playful attitude to what is allowed and not allowed within musical genres.

 To top it all off, the composer has also managed to establish himself as a writer. And in the work "Blue Mountain" he gets a rare opportunity to show himself from both sides, as he is behind both the text and the music. These two elements are conceived as one concept, tailored to each other in a form that could almost only have been conceived in one and the same mind. This is what makes the work something completely unique.

 The dialogue between the two actors is discreet and everyday, but comes step by step closer to the listener. We are seated as spectators at a concert within a concert, where the orchestra's presence on stage also becomes a double reality. The quotes by Gustav Mahler and other classical composers fall naturally into an orchestral movement that is not overplayed, but kept in an almost sketchy tone. A strong piece that says something about the power of music to carry memories with it.”
The EDVARD Prize
The EDVARD Prize, named after Edvard Grieg, is a prize that TONO has awarded annually since 1998, and which is awarded to authors and composers who have created musical works and lyrics of high artistic quality. With the prize, TONO wants to increase attention to Norwegian composers and lyricists, and to increase Norwegians' understanding of and knowledge of newly written Norwegian music. The winner's music or lyrics must have been premiered or published in the previous year. Emphasis is also placed on the author's other production.

The 2014 EDVARD jury consisted of composers Nils Henrik Asheim (jury chairman), Arvid Wam Solvang, Marte Heggelund, Rita Engedalen, Terese Birkeland Ulvo, and music publisher Jan Stefan Bengtsson.
For an overview of all winners of the EDVARD Prize since 1998, visit this page:
http://www.tono.no/om-tono/priser-og-stipender/edvardprisen-tonos-formidlerpris/

For more information:
Janne Sievers, communications advisor at TONO, mobile 95760286, email: janne.sievers@tono.no

About TONO:
TONO is a non-profit cooperative, founded in 1928, owned and managed by its members: Composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers. TONO manages performance rights for musical works in Norway, and collects remuneration for their public performance. TONO currently represents more than 26,000 Norwegian composers, lyricists and music publishers. Through mutual representation agreements with similar companies in other countries, TONO practically manages the entire world repertoire. As a non-profit enterprise, TONO's results are transferred to the rights holders of performed works. TONO thus facilitates the use of music in society, while at the same time providing TONO's members with a basis for constantly creating new musical works. For more information, visit www.tono.no.