Crepuscular Hour

It was another prolific year for Maja Ratkje, the polymathic Norwegian artist, that saw the release of several albums from And Sing’s matching of her extraordinary vocals with contemporary classical ensembles, through a collaboration with the modern jazz band Poing, to an album commemorating the 20th anniversary of Spunk, the notoriously experimental quartet she forms […]

De Noorse componiste en elektronica producer Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje schreef ‘Crepuscular Hour’ in 2010 in opdracht van het Ultima Festival in Oslo. Het werk heeft een markante bezetting, bestaande uit drie koren, drie instrumentalisten – gitaar, tenorsaxofoon en hoorn, die bedieners van elektronica en een kerkorgel. In 2012 beleefde het stuk zijn tweede en

Delle due rappresentazioni dell’oratorio di un’ora scarsa “Crepuscular Hour” – la prima è avvenuta nella sua Oslo nel 2010 – la norvegese Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje (classe 1973) ha scelto, per l’incisione su disco, la seconda in Uk del 2012, anche trasmessa via broadcast. Il nuovo missaggio evidenzia l’adozione, non ultimo simbolica, del numero tre:

La de Maja S. K. Ratke es una obra de escucha atenta, de colores y matices infinitos El Pais 6 JUN 2016 La compositora y cantante noruega Maja S. K. Ratkje trabaja principalmente desde tres frentes: la voz humana, la música electrónica (con querencia por su versión más ruidosa) y la inclusión de ambas en

“When I was young, I was really quite scared of the dark. I think my parents taught me to be and I remember the deciding thing was, I turned around and said: I’m going to go to the woods at night and walk into the darkness and embrace it and if I die, I die”.

By positioning the musicians at the perimeter and the audience at the centre, Crepuscular Hour becomes an act of materialisation. Instead of bursting outward and dispelling into the open air, sound funnels inward and solidifies – guitars react effervescently with waves of choir, while organs meld with flumes of brass and electronic noise. At certain

Crepuscular Hour is a foreboding, toweringly ambitious and arresting new work by celebrated Norwegian composer Maja SK Ratkje, bringing the worlds of Choral music and Noise together in a way that will leave you gasping for breath. Its her first new long-form solo release since the end of the last decade, and follows extensive collaborations

Wo soll man bei der Trondheimerin mit dem Staunen anfangen? Bei Fe-mail, ihrem radikalen Duo mit Hild Sofie Tafjord? Beim Miteinander mit Lasse Marhaug oder Phantom Orchard? Ihren Brecht-Songs mit Poing? Bei Spunk, gipfelnd im 12-jährigen Zyklus “Das Wohltemperierte Spunk”? Bei ihrer Kollaboration mit Elfriede Jelinek und Sophie Rois beim Hörspiel “Neid”, oder der mit

Maja S.K. Ratkje lager musikk slik jeg vil ha det, bortenfor det lettvinte, opplagte og sleipe. Arild Andersen, Aftenposten 05.04.2016 Maja S.K. Ratkje er vanskelig å møte med likegyldighet. Hun formidler alvor gjennom ukonvensjonell form og vekker interesse gjennom det særegne. De gangene jeg har sett henne på scenen, har musikken hatt et dramatisk tilsnitt

The Drone: Ecoute et survol de l’album, dispo sur Rune Grammofon. 21.04.2016, par Olivier Lamm Préparez-vous à quelque chose de violent. Je ne parle pas de la musique que vous allez entendre – même si elle n’est pas dénuée de fureur et d’intensité – mais de ce qui risque de survenir dans l’intimité de vos

Dalston Sound: Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje: improvisational vocalist, electronics artist, composer. She’s been a member of the electro-acoustic quartet SPUNK since 1995, and has an extensive portfolio of work in various media – her life as a sound artist is beautifully portrayed in a new film, [intlink id=”9000″ type=”post”]Voice – Sculpting Sound with Maja S.