Reviews

November 8, Scenatet showed the work Land (Stadt Fluss) by German composer Hannes Seidl and film director Daniel Kötter at Copenhagen Contemporary as a part of the program of Klang Festival 2020. The work was a 5-hour immersive performance on an indoor picnic field in the art exhibition center. Danish sound art media Seismograf brought an extensive review of the piece with an in-depth analysis of the experience. In conclusion, they praised it for creating new awareness about the artificiality of the world we live in:

Bosætter man sig i den lille landkommune, bliver man beriget med en ny form for vågenhed over for verden og tilværelsen. En vågenhed både over for den kunstige verden, vi befinder os i under forestillingen – og den kunstige verden, vi har skabt udenfor.

Read the full review here

The Danish art media Kunsten.nu brought a review of Interludium by Jeppe Ernst, especially noticing the extraordinary ressonance between the work and its location at Den Rå Hal in Godsbanen. The reviewer Anne Niemann Clement also highlights the intensity of her experience and in acknowledgement of Jeppe Ernst’s artistic mission with his work emphasizes that:

Jeppe Ernst er måske en af de mest hypede komponister på programmet. Og med god grund. De seneste år har han markeret sig ved at arbejde med det, man kan kalde kreativ reduktion. I flere tilfælde har han opereret med et dogme om at fjerne musikkens bærende søjle: nemlig lyden. På den måde har han skabt kompositioner, der retter sig mod andre sanser og mod det sociale rum, der opstår mellem værk og modtager, og publikum imellem. (…) På den måde efterlader han sit publikum med fundamentale spørgsmål til det, man ellers tog for givet, – at en koncert primært skal høres for eksempel.

Read the full review here

30 May – 2 June 2019, Scenatet presented the playful participatory, interactive piece from 1961 Symphony for 20 Rooms by the renowned Fluxus artist and composer, South Korean Nam June Paik (1932–2006). The performance took place as a living installatory exhibition at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning in Copenhagen. The exhibition was open 5 hours a day, and the audience was invited to experience the piece at their own pace. The Danish newspaper Politiken gave the piece a 5-heart review full of praise:

“Det er en udsøgt fornøjelse at defilere rundt i ‘Symphony for 20 Rooms’. Rum til fordybelse og medskabelse“. (“It is an exquisite pleasure to wander around in ‘Symphony for 20 Rooms’. A space for contemplation and co-creation.”) (Henrik Friis, Politiken, 02.06.19)

Photo: Nanna Navntoft

Christian Winther Christensen’s album ‘Almost in G’ was released at the renowned Austrian record label con legno on 15 February. The album contains 7 pieces performed by Scenatet, and the reviews are great:

“Almost in G is clearly a major contribution to 21st century classical music.(…) There is an urgent originality at work here that absolutely sparkles next to less daring new classical recordings. Comparisons aside, it is a thrilling hour of compositions expertly performed by the SCENATET Ensemble for Art & Music.” (baddpress.blog)

“A very interesting revelation.” (toneshift.net)

And the Danish newspaper Politiken also gives the album a 5-heart review and positive words:

“Det er fysisk nærværende og overraskende let at høre Christian Winther Christensens originale hverdagsmusik.” (24.04.19, Henrik Friis, Politiken)

Between 6 – 8 June, SCENATET presented Salvatore Sciarrino‘s compelling masterpiece Aspern Suite at four performances at the Copenhagen festival KLANG, and already after the first performance and premiere on 6 June, the Danish newspaper Politiken featured a review full of amazement:

“KLANG Festival ended with an insanely beautiful combination of desperate bel canto in slowmotion and delicate, transparent sounds.” (Politiken, 08.06.18)

The online music magazine Seismograf also took place in the excited audience, and reviewed the staged performance, among others saying:

“SCENATETt’s lighting, video art and misty, watery darkness linked arms with the quietly melodramatic atmosphere on which Aspern’s events gain import and implication, and through which we might begin to imagine what they mean.” (Seismograf, 12.06.18)

Read the whole of Politiken’s review here (in Danish, for subscribers), and Seismograf’s review here.

The performance was documented by KLANG Festival and photographer Alexander Banck-Petersen, and to see a selection of images, visit the FACTS AND PHOTOS page here.

Photo: KLANG / Alexander Banck-Petersen