As director of Ultima, composer Lars Petter Hagen was often not personally involved in the festival's music. As a guest on TONO's podcast, he talks about his marginal musical taste and interest. – I'm not interested in making a living from music. I'm interested in writing the music I want.
/ 04/12/2019 / Kristian Dugstad
Lars Petter Hagen is a well-known name in the classical and contemporary music circles, both as a composer and conductor. He has been director of the Ultima festival, artistic director of the organization Ny musikk and is currently working as project manager for the Oslo Philharmonic's 100th anniversary.
As a guest on TONO's podcast, Lage Musikk, he talks to Torgny Amdam about, among other things, his management experience, his work as a composer, and what he describes as his marginal musical taste and interest.
– I'm not interested in making a living from music. I'm interested in writing the music I want.
– I make a big distinction between what is my personal taste and what I see as necessary and important for the field. If I were to create the Ultima festival based on what I was personally terribly involved in musically, that festival would have lasted two hours. Art has to be about more than whether you like it or not.
Hagen says that for a long time he viewed management work and music distribution as a job he did to be able to afford to make the music he wanted.
– I'm not interested in making a living from music. I'm interested in writing the music I want.