Ultima Podcast Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival

Rob Young travels with Maja S.K. Ratkje and Paola Palavidi as they prepare to launch Pytheas Travels, a musical/visual cocktail of surreal maritime experiences connecting ancient exploration with modern tourism. 

For more info, see https://www.ultima.no/en/pytheas-travels Ultima Festival 14–23 September 2023: ultima.no

Recorded and presented by: Rob Young

Sound editing: Silje Vemøy

Sound mix: Ådne Hallas at Filt Oslo

Original music: Kristine Tjøgersen

Thanks to Maja S.K. Ratkje and Hypercomf for permission to include sound clips from Pytheas Travels.

Rob Young discusses the music and legacy of German band Einstürzende Neubauten with Chris Bohn – Editor in Chief of The Wire magazine. As a music journalist with the New Musical Express in the early 1980s, Chris was the first British writer to interview and champion the group, whose name means 'collapsing new buildings'. In this conversation recorded live at Kulturhuset, Oslo, during the 2022 Ultima Festival, he shares inside stories from the group's history, apocalyptic sound, and the Cold War Berlin where they were formed. 

Presenter: Rob Young

Producer: Regine Døsen Kristoffersen @ Filt Oslo

Sound mix: Daniel Daatland

Original music: Kristine Tjøgersen

In a live conversation recorded during this year's Ultima Festival, Rob Young meets New York based composer Missy Mazzoli – 'Brooklyn's post-millennial Mozart' – Time Out NY) to hear about the ideas that inspired her new opera The Listeners. We also hear about her previous work with her band Victoire and her earlier acclaimed operas, with librettist Royce Vavrek and director Lileana Blaine-Cruz. 

https://missymazzoli.com

Ultima Festival 15–24 September 2022: full programme at ultima.no

Presenter: Rob Young

Producer: Regine Døsen Kristoffersen @ Filt Oslo

Sound mix: Daniel Daatland

Original music: Kristine Tjøgersen

Ultima 2022 opens on 15 September. The theme of this year’s festival – Freedom is Around the Corner – comes from an artwork by the late Danish artist/agitator Henning Christiansen. Rob Young explores this idea and its relevance to contemporary music and modern day utopian and dystopian thinking. Episode features interviews with Lena Lindgren (author of Ekko) and Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen (artistic director of Ultima).

Ultima Festival 15–24 September 2022: full programme at ultima.no

Presenter: Rob Young

Producer: Regine Døsen Kristoffersen @ Filt Oslo

Sound mix: Daniel Daatland

Original music: Kristine Tjøgersen

Also featuring extracts from: 180 Hammer Blows Against War Monkeys by Henning Christiansen

Ultima 2022 opens on 15 September with a performance of Oresteia by Iannis Xenakis. Rob Young meets bass baritone Seth Carico and percussionists Håkon Stene and Thomas Nilsson during a rehearsal for the 'Kassandra' section of this monumental vocal work. For more info on the free concert at Oslo City Hall (Rådhus) on 15.9.22, go to: https://www.ultima.no/en/opening-concert

Ultima Festival 15–24 September 2022: ultima.no

Presenter: Rob Young

Producer: Regine Døsen Kristoffersen @ Filt Oslo

Sound mix: Daniel Daatland

Original music: Kristine Tjøgersen

Rob Young meets Siv Øyunn Kjenstad to hear about preparations for her new Ultima Festival commission, 'Aspects'. Drummer, vocalist, composer, producer, actor – Siv Øyunn is a true omni-musician. For more info on her concert at MUNCH on 21.9.22, go to: https://www.ultima.no/en/oyunn-aspects

This episode features extracts from the unreleased tracks 'I Know You Can Do It' and 'Wanna Talk to You' by Øyunn. Used with permission. www.sivoyunn.com Instagram: @oyunn

Ultima Festival 15–24 September 2022: ultima.no

Presenter: Rob Young

Producer: Regine Døsen Kristoffersen @ Filt Oslo

Sound mix: Daniel Daatland

Original music: Kristine Tjøgersen