Immerse in Nordic soundscapes across Glasgow

Next week, one of the world's oldest celebrations of new classical music and sound works, Nordic Music Days is set to take place in Scotland for the first time in its 136-year history.

Article Source: Nordic Music Days
Last Updated: 25 October 2024 9:43

Image: Northern Connections, credit Julias Töyrylä and Music Finland

Infusing Glasgow with stunning music and sound from 30 October until 3 November, the festival features over 200 musicians and composers from Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland – and, for the first time this year, Scotland.

From sound routes across some of Glasgow’s most iconic locations to a multi-country simultaneous musical performance - Nordic Music Days offers something for classical music aficionados and the curious newcomer alike, here's some of the festival highlights:

Apolonia, Apoloni | 30 Oct | 19:00 | Glasgow Film Theatre
Thirteen years in the making, Danish director Lea Glob’s award-winning documentary film Apolonia, Apolonia charts the personal and professional development of Parisian artist Apolonia Sokol. The film explores Apolonia’s career as she tries to establish herself in the art world at the same time as dealing with the pressures - and pleasures - of womanhood in a world dominated by the patriarchy, capitalism and war. Shortlisted in the 2024 Academy Awards – the film is a must-see!

The film’s soundtrack composer Jonas Struck will be joined by Glasgow Film Festival’s Paul Gallagher and Signý Leifsdóttir of Nordic Film Music Days for a short Q & A following the screening.

Festival Club | 30 Oct - 2 Nov | 22:00 | CCA
The CCA has long been a hub for adventurous, innovative, and experimental music making in Glasgow and for four nights across the Festival, CCA will become home to the Nordic Music Days’ Official Festival Club from 10pm. From emerging artists alongside established names to thought-provoking stillness following disco infused social commentary, each night promises new musical experiences behind every door! The programme includes performances from Catriona McKay, Chris Stout, Red Note Ensemble and Norwegian improvising group Lemur.

Word of Mouth: Phōnḗ | 2 Nov | 15:00 | Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery
Experience an international musical moment as Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum play host to phōnḗ, a new work for massed choirs by Finnish composer Tytti Arola. The performance in Kelvingrove will be the hub performance, with choirs throughout Scotland and the Nordic countries (and further afield) putting on their own performances concurrently. Phōnḗ is a playful work which uses old-school technology in the form of homemade tin can telephones to underline the importance and value of communication between people and cultures in the modern world.

Nordic Music Days are inviting all children, amateur, school and professional choirs in Scotland and beyond to join and add their voices. Visit nordicmusicdays.org/phone to find out more!

An Extraordinary Voyage! | 31 Oct | 19:30 | City Halls
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s programme An Extraordinary Voyage! at City Halls takes the audience on a fantastical musical journey with Maja S K Ratkje’s trombone concerto Considering Icarus (with Stephen Menotti as soloist), and through orchestral transformations in Britta Byström’s Voyages Extraordinaires, inspired by the enchanting (and impossible) journeys depicted in Jules Verne’s famous novel series.

Sound Route 1: Directly to Directly From | 30 Oct – 3 Nov | Glasgow Necropolis and Cathedral area via SonicMaps
New beginnings require space for something to form, whether the ‘something’ is physical, emotional, intellectual, or conceptual. Made up of words, whispers, vocal lines, and atmospheric electronics, Olga Szymula’s work directly to directly reflects on a litany of things that composers say goodbye to. It’s a personal and unfiltered sharing of a loss, letting go of the past, filled with illusions, abuse and pain.

Take an atmospheric autumnal walk through one of Glasgow’s most iconic locations in this geo-located sound route which will be available from 30 October to experience via headphones at any time through a smartphone via SonicMaps. There will also be a group soundwalk led by one of the Nordic Music Days Curator Team on Sunday 3 November at 11am (meeting point - outside the front of the Cathedral).

Wonder of the Night Sky | 3 Nov | 16:00 | Planetarium, Glasgow Science Centre
Experience a special edition of Wonders of the Night Sky presented as part of the Festival, featuring a 10-minute audio piece, Trioxia, by Swedish artist Girilal Baars. Audiences will be immersed in the audio-clutter of near-Earth-orbit, following which you can take in the seasonal highlights of the sky above your head in a presenter-led tour of the stars before being whisked away on a trip to the solar system and the galaxy beyond.

Afterlife (Fringe Event) | 29 Oct | 20:00 | CCA
Developed and performed by the interdisciplinary duo ONLY SLIME (Tobi Pfeil and Claudia Cox), AFTERLIFE follows two 3D-characters through an operatic fantasy computer game underworld on their desperate quest for existential meaning. Using real-time motion tracking, and hyperpop-inspired autotune vocals with electronics, the two performers on stage control two avatars in a game engine, traversing both Dantean and Final Fantasy-inspired landscapes on their existential search for purpose and understanding of their world.

Installation: Sound and Sculpture at Waterstones | 30 Oct – 3 Nov | Wed – Fri - 9:00 – 19:00, Sun – 10:00 – 18:00 | Free and Unticketed | Basement Level, Waterstones Books, Sauchiehall Street
Bringing musical moments into your everyday, Scotland’s largest bookstore, Waterstones on Sauchiehall Street is set to host Sound+Art. This set of three sonic posters allows the user to select and manipulate drum, bass and melody lines to create their own pieces. This new project is the latest in a set of works allowing users to interact with technology, art and music.

Echoes from the Edges | 3 Nov | 17:00 | Glasgow St Mungo’s Cathedral
Sound echoes off the rock, changing and fragmenting as it rolls around the space.
The final concert of the festival takes its inspiration from the series of concerts hosted in the legendary Klæmintsgjógv sea cave in the Faroe Islands each summer.

The RSNO’s Faroese Principal Trombone, Dávur Juul Magnussen, curates a programme which brings the atmosphere - though hopefully slightly less damp - of the cave to Glasgow Cathedral, for a promenade concert featuring music from the Faroes, Outer Hebrides, and Glasgow, exploring the echoes and resonances of the building itself.

Find out more about the whole programme and book your tickets now at: nordicmusicdays.org

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