LYDREISE part 3
A Journey Through Sound and Memory
Parallel to the work on Requiem for a Star, I am currently writing a new piece for a trio consisting of Frode Haltli (accordion), Helga Myhr (Hardanger fiddle and voice), and myself on double bass. This new composition forms the third part—or third movement—of the larger project LYDREISE (Sound Journey).
LYDREISE invites listeners on a musical journey in three parts, exploring how we remember and experience sound. Part 1, performed in spring 2024, was written for solo double bass. Part 2, in autumn 2024, was a duo for Hardanger fiddle and double bass. Part 3 brings the full trio together in a concert that revisits the two earlier parts and introduces a new, concluding piece.
A Developing Collaboration
My collaboration with Frode and Helga goes back several years. We first worked together on RORAIMA, which we recently performed in a new version with the Trondheim Soloists. These shared musical experiences have laid the groundwork for our current process.
The sound of the Hardanger fiddle has long been an important influence on my solo work. Working with Helga in Part 2 of LYDREISE and the the piece Solstrenger gave me the opportunity to explore the sound world of the Hardanger fiddle more deeply. Solstrenger, written for Helga and myself, includes sung text from the hymn “Nu rinner solen opp av østerlide.” Helga performs the words in newly composed melodic settings, exploring their phonetic qualities in resonance with the bass and fiddle. The sonic blend between the two instruments and Helga´s voice was especially interesting to develop—and is now being expanded further in the trio setting with Frode.
Sound, Space and Texture
The music inhabits a space between jazz, folk music, and contemporary classical idioms. My compositional approach focuses on how the instruments can shift between foreground and background—supporting, intertwining, and occasionally dissolving into each other. A rehearsal in February yielded a sound sketch where we explored this idea in depth, using changes in texture and dynamics to shape the musical space over time. Have a listen here if you like:
The third and final part of LYDREISE will bring these ideas together in a work that aims to balance the intimate with the open-ended, blending past and present into a shared listening experience.
One of the questions I return to again and again in my compositional work is how memory shapes our experience of sound. In LYDREISE, I am especially interested in how musical gestures can evoke a sense of familiarity or recognition—whether through tonal colours, textures, or fragments that suggest distant echoes of something once heard. This is not about quotation, but rather a way of tracing the emotional and sensory residue that certain sounds leave behind.
The blending of genres in LYDREISE plays an important role in this exploration. Each tradition carries its own sonic memory and cultural resonance. By allowing them to interact organically, I hope to create a music that is rooted and open at the same time. Some ideas may begin as improvisations with folk-like phrasing, only to transform into more abstract textures. Others may emerge from structured compositional frameworks, but gain new meaning through timbral shifts or microtonal inflections drawn from folk traditions.
Working with Helga and Frode, who each bring deep and personal approaches to their instruments, has greatly shaped this process. Our long-standing collaboration has allowed for a shared musical language to grow over time. This foundation makes it possible to explore delicate balances: between the written and the improvised, the intimate and the expansive, the individual and the collective voice.
Premiere and Tour
LYDREISE – Part 3 will premiere in June 2025, followed by a tour in the Innlandet region of Norway presented by Musikk i Innlandet.
Upcoming concerts:
June 12 at 19:00 – Harpefoss Hotell
June 14 at 10:00 – Klevfos Industrial Museum, Løten
June 21 at 15:00 – Galleri Tøysentralen, Tolga
June 22 at 19:00 – Rendalstunet, Rendalen
Looking forward to sharing this new music with you! 😊