VÅRFEST 2023 “Crossing Borders”
August 30 - Sept 2, 2023
International festival of NEW WORKS FOR VOICE
Saturday 02.09
Closing concert:
Crane Reflects on a Favor - an eco-opera
by Kristin Norderval(US/NO)
***World PREMIERE***
Hovedscenen Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo
Doors open: 18:30
Concert start: 19:00
“Crane Reflects on a Favor” is Part Two of the operatic diptych “The Sailmaker’s Wife”. The diptych is loosely based on the Japanese folktale “Tsuru no Ongaeshi” (Crane’s return of a favor) about a crane who pulls feathers from her body to weave a fabric that sustains and enriches the person she is indebted to. Offering her body to create the fabric, she is eventually driven to the edge of depletion due to human greed and hubris.
“Crane Reflects on a Favor” is a post-operatic allegory; a dream-like sonic performance installation, sung in three parts by three women, each representing one of the stages of the crane’s response to her offering: first as a gift given freely, then in response to pleading, and finally after demands of ownership.
Reflecting on our current relationship to our earth-mother’s body, this story offers a powerful metaphor. Cranes are over 10 million years old. They are descendants of the dinosaurs whose bones are the fossils in the fossil fuels we extract for wealth and power. That power, however, is simultaneously creating our own demise by destroying the body that sustains us. “Crane Reflects on a Favor” creates a sonic space to collectively mourn this almost inconceivable existential state.
The performer-controlled interactive vocal processing interface used in this work was developed through a Ph.D. Research Fellowship at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts/Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo, Academy of Opera. This performance marks the final presentation of that artistic research.
Concept and text: Kristin Norderval
Music: Kristin Norderval, developed with the ensemble
Visual design/staging: Jill Sigman
Costumes: Lydia Hann
Lighting: Kaja Lund
Sound design: Kristin Norderval
Sound engineer: Cato Langnes
Long string instruments construction: Jon Halvor Bjørnseth
Producer: Claudia Lucacel / VoxLAB
CAST:
The Crane:
Rosanna Vibe, Weaver
Flora Ångman, Soprano
Viktoria Nikolova, Soprano
Kristin Norderval, Soprano
The Sailmaker:
Viktor Bomstad, Electric Guitar
Miguel Frasconi, Glass instruments & modular synth
Peter Van Bergen, Contrabass clarinet
Rob Waring, Percussion
Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased at https://voxlab.ticketco.events/no/nb or at the door of each event. We recommend buying tickets in advance. You can pay by card or Vipps.
Tickets Types:
Ordinær: 300 NOK
Student/hønnor/NyMusikk: 250 NOK
VoxLAB member: 200 NOK
Festival Pass gives you the cheapest tickets to VårFEST 2023. This is the perfect option for those who want the full festival experience, granting you tickets to all our concerts and workshop. All you have to do is to show your ticket at the door!!
Ordinær: 650 NOK
Student/hønnor/NyMusikk: 550 NOK
VoxLAB Member: 500 NOK
WHAT IS VÅRFEST?
VårFEST is an international festival for new works for voice. VårFEST began in 2019, and has been held in Oslo over three to four days every year since. The content is mainly new vocal repertoire developed by composers working with an experimental vocal expression. Our theme this year is "Crossing Borders", where we are focusing on creating an open musical experience relevant to people everywhere. We are giving space to marginalized voices and promoting powerful tools for change, set against an existential environmental crisis and calls for freedom. We’ll experience renowned and upcoming composers and improvisers who represent different generations, nationalities and traditions. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re bringing us all together to promote creativity and community-building.
Festival’s full program:
https://www.voxlab.no/varfest
Supported by:
Oslo Kommune
Norsk Komponistforening
Komponistenes Vederlagsfond
Det norske komponistfond
Embassy of Hungary in Oslo
Oslo National Academy of the Arts (Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo)
Kulturdirektoratet