“The secret in the sound”
Ancient Japanese art in a Nordic setting
A performative concert with recorder soloist Kirsten Aage. As both of us being versatile contemporary classical musicians with a strong interest in ancient cultures, the timeless Japanese Zen approach to art and music is our point of departure for this Performance.
Chidori no Kyoku (the Song of Plovers) by Yoshikawa Kengyo (1808-1872). Live performance by The Secret in the Sound in Glyptoteket in Copenhagen at Kirsten Aages debut from the soloist class by the Royal Danish Academy of Music in February 2019. Arranged with the addition of two Waka poems from around the year 1000 and 1200. Helle improvises the melody line in traditional musical style.
Kirsten Aage brings her unique experience with traditional Shakuhachi repertoire and contemporary Japanese music into the project. I bring the tradition and knowledge of ancient Scandinavian pastoral music and my professional experience with improvisational art, as performing vocal instrumentalist and as an actress of contemporary physical theatre.
This concert performance is as much an artistic encounter as a rare meeting of two of the worlds oldest musical traditions from each side of the globe with deep roots in Nature itself. And so we wish to unfold a rare glimpse of nature’s ever-inspiring point of view.
The secret pearl of wonder. The meaningfulness that art and Nature always silently and persistently is offering the modern world.
World premiere of our brand new piece “MA” by Aya Yoshida. Live performance by The Secret in the Sound in Glyptoteket in Copenhagen at Kirsten Aages debut from the soloist class by the Royal Danish Academy of Music in February 2019.
“BREAKABLE”
new Nordic landscapes of improvised music
Photo by Lone Mørch
Breakable is a contemporary ART music project, a duo consisting of organist and composer Flemming Chr. Hansen and I as a mezzo-soprano. We will sometimes do musical and artistic collaborations with guest musicians as The Breakable Collective. Stylistically our music unfolds freely between modern classical music and the field of free jazz, and whatever other influences from the world that we like. Always mixed with an unpredictable amount of magic from ancient Scandinavian folklore and Nordic shamanistic vocalizing..
By deconstructing the vast landscapes of the Nordic sounds, we bring together different times in one transient moment of multilayered improvisation – assembled through a new form and a new expression. This temporal continuum of different musical elements reveals the specificity of the Nordic sound – the airy and almost ethereal minimalism of its nature.
Photo and graphics in videos by Helle Thun
“FOREST VOICES”
SOUNDS OF THE ANCIENT NORTH
Helle Thun (Sang, tral, kulning)
Poul Høxbro (fløjter, horn, snattarpinnar, langlur)
..Både klangene og melodierne fra den urgamle nordiske hyrdekultur er helt enestående. Mange begræd det, da der blev mere og mere stille i skovene i begyndelsen af det 20 århundrede, hvor sæter- og fæbodskulturen begyndte at dø ud. Heldigvis lykkedes det i sidste øjeblik at samle rigtig mange af de bedste udøvere og tillige at få skrevet utallige af de urgamle melodier ned, så andre herefter kunne spille dem for fornøjelsen skyld. Derfor døde traditionen aldrig ud.
Det hører til sjældenhederne at få lov at opleve historiens vingesus gennem denne musik. Men det kan man med sangerinden Helle Thun og musikeren Poul Høxbro, når de med sang og autentiske instrumenter bringer disse urgamle klange fra skoven til live igen! Læs mere om FOREST VOICES her.
S A G A – nordic folklore
In S A G A, two strong and entwining voices chant the songs, tunes and melismatic sounds from Scandinavia. From old to new, the music unfolds with kulning, hymns, dancing tunes, meditations on medieval and Viking repertoire, littling and improvisations.
My fellow singer is the talented artist Margrethe Ingemann. Together we offer concerts and singing events where simplicity, raw power, and sheer vocal elegance is blended with love and respect for the traditional Nordic folk music and vocal styles.
Traditional bridal waltz from Sønderho, Fanø.
We perform and sing concerts at medieval and Viking events, make fanfares for special occasions, art fares, weddings, etc. and offer special church concerts where lift up the souls in joyful vocal meditations of Nordic music from our repertoire.
With Love – S A G A
Thun/VINDING DUO
The Press wrote: “Jazz på svensk. Smukt og stærkt. En nordisk naturpoesi bliver levende i Helle Thuns musikalske samarbejde med bassist Mads Vinding. Hans verdensberømte lyriske tone får fornyet berettigelse i det smukt balancerede samspil med hendes vokale folketoner.