Liquid Borders
Artist in Residence
Commissioned works are not a new theme for this year's Artist In Residence Hedvig Mollestad. In 2018 she wrote Tempest Revisited which won Spellemann, in 2019 she made Tingingsverket Ekhidna for Vossajazz which also won Spellemann and the following year she made Maternity Beat for Moldejazz's 60th anniversary. All the works have been released on record and praised to the skies by a collective group of critics.
This year's opening concert will also be the world premiere of a brand new commissioned piece from Mollestad's hand: Liquid Borders.
Opening the festival with commissioned work!
With Liquid Borders, Hedvig Mollestad takes another step forward in writing for orchestra. This time she has included several strings, grand piano, bass clarinet and a vocalist, in addition to creating lyrics. She envisions a work without the "loud" dimension of a hard-hitting comp, and is looking for a kind of contradiction. She herself describes the work as follows: - I look for my extremes, and as AIR I have a unique arena to show them, without them needing to be interpreted as a new direction, but more as an image of how much I can accommodate here and now.
About what has inspired her for this work, she says further: - I have listened to Jon Balke's ensembles a lot. I have played with Jon in several contexts, but he as an arranger and composer has touched me deeply, from his distinctive expression with Magnetic North, Oslo 13, Siwan, and not least through his work for Trondheimsolostene and Trondheim Voices: "A World of Daughters ». It made such an extreme impression on me to hear this performed, not least in context with everything else he has done, and how far he has moved from his jazz-harmonic expression, and to a much greater extent combined it with classical traditions and herds. It changed my view of what was possible to achieve as a jazz composer. Another key inspiration is Trygve Seim, and especially his release from 2000, "Different Rivers". A record that has followed me since it came out, and always put me at the bottom by virtue of creating a beautiful melancholy with resistance, variation and unpredictability. The presence of Sidsel Endresen on selected parts of that record has been decisive for the direction of Liquid Borders.
It's quite a star team of musicians she has brought along for the premiere of Liquid Borders. Resident artist at Moldejazz in 2012, Jon Balke, and ubiquitous Sissel Vera Pettersen are two of those who will be helping to leave their mark on this concert.
Sissel Vera Pettersen - vocals and sax, Emil Strandberg - trumpet, Håvard Lund - bass clarinet and clarinet, Anna Lindal - violin, Eva Lindal - violin, Tanja Orning - cello, Jon Balke - grand piano and synth, Ellen Brekken - double bass, Ingvald Vassbø - drums, Hedvig Mollestad – guitar
Sound: Johnny Skalleberg | Lighting and video: Joffe Myrvold
Music and lyrics: Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen