The National Anthem of Norland Bolis
2025; dur: 2′; Pno; Score at Wise Music Classical
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Too Much To Carry
2025; dur: 10′; a performance for onstage actor/singer, live and in recording; Score at Verlag Neue Musik In 1989, Kate Bush wrote the song “The Sensual World”, inspired by Molly Bloom’s soliloquy at the end of James Joye’s Ulysses, exploring the idea of how a literary character might experience the world with fresh eyes and
The Swamp reviews
Absurd Beauty in the Theatre of Noise “The term Dadaism must be used with caution – it easily risks becoming a cliché and trampling disrespectfully on its origins. Nevertheless, it’s hard to avoid Dada when listening to The Swamp, created by Norwegian experimental composers Maja Ratkje, Torstein Slåen, and Sigurd Ytre-Arne. The album is a 40-minute chaotic mirror
Stian Westerhus & Maja S. K. Ratkje, Jazzfest (NO)
“All tekst er hentet fra William Shakepeares verker, og lyder både eksperimentelt og middelaldersk. Moskus blir et både sakralt og intimt rom. Dirrende pedalakkorder, dramaturgisk fengslende tekstformidling, både mektig og skjør sammensmelting av klanger – tørt, slørete og tungt om hverandre. Bildet jeg danner meg er en ensom, vuggende skipsferd, med de to som seiler
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(How) To Play The Ocean
2025; dur:10-15′; 1+afl+pic.2+ca.3.3/4.2+pictpt.3.1/timp.3perc.hp.pf(cel)/str.;Score at Wise Music Classical How can an orchestra sound like an ocean? The rich and multi-layered sea, reconciling and disturbing, full of all types of big and small waves at once in simultaneous fractal patterns, always changing—from calm ripples to house-high swells—much alive, yet never aware of its overwhelming effect on humans
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Pedunculate
2025; dur: 4:30′; Vln; Score at Wise Music Classical The oak tree is an inspiration for this piece. The oak tree is a host to a huge number of endangered species, from birds to small insects and plants, growing, breeding and dying on the tree. Oak trees play an important role in the cultural landscape
I Cannot Heave My Heart Into My Mouth (Cordelia’s Lament)
2025; dur: 11′; Accordion and Voice (One or two performers); Score at Wise Music Classical This solo piece is an uttering for sincerity and love, using a textual fragments from Shakespeare’s King Lear – in the mouth of Cordelia. The performer is asked to sing along while playing the piece. There is no demand to
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The Swamp
‘The Swamp’ is a get-to-know-you party where furniture is broken, wine glasses are smashed and walls are defaced with graffiti, but the living room remains more beautiful than the night before. The album is the first meeting between vocalist Maja S. K. Ratkje, guitarist Torstein Slåen and electronics artist Sigurd Ytre-Arne. With a fair dose
Punkt Live Remixes Vol. 2
by Sidsel Endresen, Jan Bang and Erik Honoré PUNKT EDITIONS: Renowned Norwegian musicians Sidsel Endresen, Jan Bang and Erik Honoré are proud to announce the release of their collaborative album “Punkt Live Remixes vol. 2.” This album features live remixes performed at the Punkt Festival in Kristiansand, as well as live remixes from various international
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Visefine avantgardister (NO)
KONSERT: Duo, jeg og vi to, Kampenjazz og de to! Anmeldelse av Arild R. Andersen for Jazz i Norge, 09.09.24. Foto Käthe Øien/Kampenjazz. Den skal stå på årsbestelista mi. Plata «All losses are restored», av og med Stian Westerhus & Maja S. K. Ratkje. Albumet ble utgitt i mars, men jeg oppdaget det først i
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Helt for seg selv (NO)
KONSERT: Lundelig, meidelsk, apnesielt og majastetisk. Av Arild R. Andersen, Jazz i Norge. Der Maja S.K. Ratkje møter opp i musikken, setter hun tydelige spor med god mønsterdybde. Det gjør hun også på «Collage», det nylig utgitte albumet på Hubro.Erlend Apneseth Trio with Maja S.K. Ratkje står det på coveret, og all musikken er skrevet
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All Losses Are Restored reviews (in French, German, Norwegian, Italian, Czech and English)
photo by Ola Vatn and Voldseth “…Le jeu de guitare de Stian Westerhus révèle une subtilité que ses habituelles incursions noisy peinent à dévoiler de façon aussi nue, alors que les atonales cordes des violons ne cessent de poser des tentures effondrées. Beau, solaire et sensible plus que tout autre, ce disque n’est pas de
National Anthems
2021/2024; dur: 50′; Voice solo, (pic).1(ca).1(b.cl.).1/1.1.1.1/pf.perc./str.; Score at Wise Music Classical
Kretsløp
2024; dur: 40′; A large number of Hardanger fiddle and fiddle performers, at least 7 soloist; Score at nb.no
Review from Vinterjazz in Salt Peanuts (DK)
“Det islandske ensemble Nordic Affect og Maja S. K. Ratkjes (hovedbilledet) samarbejde kombinerer ny musik med traditionelle instrumenter ligesom Forbidden Color fra aftenen før. Men begge har et unikt tag på denne fremgangsmåde – især med tilføjelsen af Ratkje på elektronik og sang til Nordic Affect. Hertil består Nordic Affect af violinisten Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir,
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Særingfestens triumf (Two reviews in Norwegian from Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2024)
Ja, jeg blir satt helt ut. Jeg tror denne opplevelsen vil bli stående som den sterkeste herfra i år. Takk, Maja.
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Peurakaira
EP with original music, composed and performed by Maja S. K. Ratkje and her two daughters Marte and Frida Haltli. The music is created for Matti Aikio’s video work with the same title. LINK TO BANDCAMP RELEASE ONLY Aikio’s work Peurakaira is a poetic and meditative portrait of – and a tribute to – Peurakaira,
Divine Supplication
TRACKLIST: Nobilis Humilis East Tennessee Perfect Matrimony I Bowed Divine Supplication (feat. Maja S. K. Ratkje) S’on Me Regarde Avoiding Friction Bell, Book, Candle Falling Away A Not-Quite Locked Door LINK TO ALBUM ON BANDCAMP Divine Supplication, Derek Piotr’s new release, is a deeply intimate work wrought from a series of personal tragedies. Yet while
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The Great Bailout
by Moor Mother The Great Bailout is Moor Mother aka Camae Ayewa’s ninth studio album and third with ANTI- Records, with production contributions on various tracks from Mary Lattimore, Lonnie Holley, Vijay Ayer, Angel Bat Dawid, Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty, Aaron Dilloway and more. Called “the poet laureate of the apocalypse,” by Pitchfork, Ayewa’s music contains multitudes of