The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned and premiered the work ‘Low Jive’ by Jon Øivind Ness in 2008, and now they release a portrait of this fascinating composer. Powerful symphonic music – with references to popular culture, post punk and Zappa.
Concerto for violin and concerto for cello
Mad Cap Tootling is a violin concerto written for Peter Herresthal, a violinist among the leading interpreters of contemporary music in Europe today. The political title of the piece depicts FORMER president George W. Bush and his behaviour prior to the Iraq invasion. Another prominent performer is Øystein Birkeland, to whom Ness wrote Wet Blubber Soup – the title is a play on words from a Godley and Creme remix. In this piece, Ness himself remixes the contrasting elements of the concerto.
In the depths of darkness
Low Jive for full orchestra and the duo Gust both share a mesmerizing dark atmosphere. In the latter piece for viola and double bass, Ness creates a disturbing gloom where flashes of icy light only occasionally brake through. The whole orchestra is on stage again for the Low Jive in grand, unhurried and vigorous movements – like a monumental dance in the depths. The title is derived from Slowdive, a song by 80s band Siouxie and the Banshees.
Jon Øivind Ness – preferably without the manual
Jon Øivind Ness (1968) wants to attract his listener with some sort of mood in his music. “But I hope that if the audience become aware of these moods it is because they are a part of the music. In general there are too many program notes about contemporary music. I hope to communicate something which is readily available to the listener, without the need to ‘consult the manual’. Complexity has been an ideal in its own right, and this has led to vagueness both aesthetically and in terms of expression.”
