Oyvind Torvund
Encyclopedia
Øyvind Torvund is a Norwegian composer.
He studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music
(Oslo) and Universität der Künste
(Berlin); equally important is his background as a guitarist in rock and improvising groups. He has ongoing relationship with groups such as asamisimasa (Norway), Oslo Sinfonietta
and Plus-Minus ensemble
(UK), as well as the video artist Yorgos Sapountzis. From 2005 to 2008 he was the Programme Advisor to Nicholas Møllerhaug for the Borealis Festival in Bergen. In 2009 he was appointed Artistic Director of Ny Musikk.
Although some of Torvund's works, such as the Nono
and Scelsi inspired orchestral piece How Sound Travels (2006), are easily located under the umbrella of contemporary classical music
, many of his pieces combine sounds and concepts from other musical traditions. In Power Art (2006), for soprano, guitar and 2-stringed bass, the bass instrument
is built by the performer and the piece "is reminiscent of the musical feel of hardcore power trios like Black Flag, even if a song by Henry Purcell
is the piece’s foundation." In Album Cycle (2004) for 9 instruments, he "layers typical Baroque figures, the décor of garish 1980s pop, and stereotypical free jazz
riffs, resulting in a tableau of musical ornamentation
crossing styles and eras, oscillating between the exalted and the banal."
Torvund has created many installations, most notably the Bandrom project - "a multi-disciplinary performance event with a polyphony of independent concerts, slide-shows, installations and music situations." A Bandrom event may be realised on "one night or over several days, and in each version there is a new set-up that relates to the place and context." The core musical idea is that musician's teach each other short solo pieces "by ear" and this teaching process is shown to the spectators, usually in an informal setting with food and drink.
He studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music
Norwegian Academy of Music
The Norwegian Academy of Music is a music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the country's highest level of music education. As a university college, it offers both undergraduate and postgraduate...
(Oslo) and Universität der Künste
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK is a public art school in Berlin, Germany, one of the four universities in the city...
(Berlin); equally important is his background as a guitarist in rock and improvising groups. He has ongoing relationship with groups such as asamisimasa (Norway), Oslo Sinfonietta
Oslo Sinfonietta
The Oslo Sinfonietta is a Norwegian contemporary classical orchestra.The Oslo Sinfonietta grew out of contemporary music circles at the Norwegian Academy of Music...
and Plus-Minus ensemble
Plus-minus ensemble
Plus Minus is a music group that formed in 2003 specializing in contemporary classical music.There are eight members in the ensemble:* Mark Knoop -- conductor/piano/accordion* Vicky Wright --clarinet* Roderick Chadwick -- piano...
(UK), as well as the video artist Yorgos Sapountzis. From 2005 to 2008 he was the Programme Advisor to Nicholas Møllerhaug for the Borealis Festival in Bergen. In 2009 he was appointed Artistic Director of Ny Musikk.
Although some of Torvund's works, such as the Nono
Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music and remains one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century.- Early years :Born in Venice, he was a member of a wealthy artistic family, and his grandfather was a notable painter...
and Scelsi inspired orchestral piece How Sound Travels (2006), are easily located under the umbrella of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
, many of his pieces combine sounds and concepts from other musical traditions. In Power Art (2006), for soprano, guitar and 2-stringed bass, the bass instrument
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
is built by the performer and the piece "is reminiscent of the musical feel of hardcore power trios like Black Flag, even if a song by Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
is the piece’s foundation." In Album Cycle (2004) for 9 instruments, he "layers typical Baroque figures, the décor of garish 1980s pop, and stereotypical free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
riffs, resulting in a tableau of musical ornamentation
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
crossing styles and eras, oscillating between the exalted and the banal."
Torvund has created many installations, most notably the Bandrom project - "a multi-disciplinary performance event with a polyphony of independent concerts, slide-shows, installations and music situations." A Bandrom event may be realised on "one night or over several days, and in each version there is a new set-up that relates to the place and context." The core musical idea is that musician's teach each other short solo pieces "by ear" and this teaching process is shown to the spectators, usually in an informal setting with food and drink.