Archive for December, 2013

Night of the Proms tour ends in Bremen

Bremen, December 22nd (Picture from weser-kurier.de)

Bremen, December 22nd
(Picture from weser-kurier.de)

The Night of the Proms tour 2013 ended at the ÖVB Arena in Bremen on December 22nd, after three weeks on the road and 19 concerts around Germany.

Morten performed the same five songs he’s done at every concert, before an audience of 8000 people.

The final week of the tour also included a concert at the EWE Arena in Oldenburg on December 17th, an additional show that wasn’t listed on the original tour schedule.

Here is a selection of videos and photos from the final week:
FOTM/SOTR/DILYB (19 Dec.)
TSASOTV (19 Dec.)
Hey Jude (19 Dec.)

Stay on These Roads (21 Dec.)
There is a Place (21 Dec.)
Hey Jude (21 Dec.)

Oldenburg gallery    Hannover gallery    Berlin gallery
Hamburg gallery    Bremen gallery

Magne brings “Norwegian Wood Remix” to Stavanger

New version of

New version of “Glass Onion”
(large version)

Kunstgalleriet in Stavanger recently announced that Magne will hold a Beatles-themed solo exhibition at the gallery next month.

“We are very proud that Magne Furuholmen is bringing a new solo exhibition to our gallery”, Elin Halvorsen at Kunstgalleriet told newspaper Rogalands Avis on December 18th.

“In London [and Oslo] he exhibited woodcuts, but this time he’s made twelve large oil paintings. The exhibition itself doesn’t have a title, but the theme of the exhibition is Norwegian Wood Remix“, Halvorsen said.

Magne will be present at the opening, which takes place on January 25th.

Meanwhile, some new photos of Magne appeared on Facebook before Christmas. Tini Flaat Mykland, who has continued working on her debut album with Magne this autumn, posted this photo from a recent get-together at an Oslo restaurant. And a local fruit pressing factory in Askim posted this photo of Magne and Simen Staalnacke (Moods of Norway). Apparently the duo created their own apple juice to give away to family and friends for Christmas.

Concert in Langesund

Another Norwegian summer concert was announced today:

Just announced: Morten will play at Wrightegaarden in Langesund, Norway on Saturday July 19 – http://www.wrightegaarden.no

Morten previously played in Langesund in 1996, while a-ha played there in 2001.

Update: Tickets for the concert are now available at billettportalen.no. Apparently there’s a 20% discount if you buy your ticket before the end of the year.

Night of the Proms radio broadcast

Morten on stage in Munich this weekend (Photo from br.de)

Morten on stage in Munich this weekend
(Photo from br.de)

A selection of live highlights from Night of the Proms 2013 were broadcast on the German radio station Bayern 3 last night.

Four of Morten’s songs were included; “Foot of the Mountain” / “Stay on These Roads” / “Did I Leave You Behind” / “The Sun Always Shines on TV” – plus “Hey Jude” together with the other artists. “There is a Place” was left out. His performance was recorded in Munich on December 14th.

If you missed the broadcast, here it is:


German and UK dates announced

Four German dates were announced on the official Morten Harket website today:

Morten will be performing four concerts in Germany in early May:

May 5th – Hamburg, Laeiszhalle
May 6th – Cologne, E-Werk
May 8th – Berlin, Columbiahalle
May 9th – Offenbach, Capitol

Tickets for these shows go on sale via Eventim on Tuesday, December 17 at 9:00am.

Update Dec. 17th: A UK date has now also been announced:

Morten will be back in London at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on May 16! Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday December 20 at 9:00am via Gigs & Tours.

Concert promoter Marek Lieberberg sent out a press release in connection with the German dates, which says that Morten’s upcoming album is called Brother – the same as the first single. The press release goes on to say that the album has similarities with Wild Seed.

Incidentally, Morten used to perform a song called “Brother” live in the late 90s – as pointed out by @tTrovik on Twitter. That song, also known as “Father”, was the English version of “Lyser Når Du Drar” from Vogts Villa.

I can’t really see it being the lead single off the new album, unless it’s been heavily reworked. So this new “Brother” may be a different song using the same title.

Magne appears in Edvard Munch documentary

Magne interviewed in the documentary

Magne interviewed in the documentary

A new documentary film about Edvard Munch, Let The Scream Be Heard, made in connection with the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous painter, aired on NRK1 in Norway last night.

Magne was one of the people interviewed, alongside other artists like Marina Abramovic, Tracey Emin, Ketil Bjørnstad and Liv Ullmann.

Magne’s own early work was heavily inspired by Munch, as could be seen in his first solo exhibition “Maleri” in 1989.

“You’re floored by his ability to make complex things appear simple”, Magne says in the documentary.

Munch’s reluctance to sell his art was among the topics Magne commented on:

“It does affect you as a human being to be that sales person for your own work, but I really don’t feel like I have a choice. I believe in what I do and I will stand by it. Munch used the phrase ‘raising children’; that you will do anything for that work. You will go to war for it.”

The 57-minute english language documentary was made by Indian director Dheeraj Akolkar and can be seen online at nrk.no (Norway only).

Links:  Metro India article    Trailer

Morten at Over Oslo Festivalen 2014

Another Norwegian summer festival was announced on Morten’s website today:

The ‘Over Oslo’ Festival is in its fourth season in 2014. 370 meters above Oslo, but still only just over a block from downtown, the festival takes place in quite spectacular surroundings. There is forest on all sides and a vantage point overlooking the artists and the city. “One of Oslo’s finest summer traditions,” wrote Dagsavisen in 2013. In the past, all days of the festival have sold out, usually well before the event.

Morten will perform on June 20, along with Odd Nordstoga and other artists to be announced later this month. For all details about the festival, visit the web site at http://www.scenegrefsenkollen.no/

Tickets for June 20th cost 690 kroner and are available now at billettservice.no.

Interview with Morten

Interviewed backstage at NOTP

Interviewed backstage at NOTP

The Night of the Proms tour continues, and tonight Morten and the other artists are performing in Luxembourg.

In a short video interview posted on the NOTP Facebook page, Morten is asked what he enjoys most about being on stage on this particular tour:

“I’m kind of used to being on stage. Obviously, being on stage has to do with contact with the audience and that connection, with the music as the agent between. That’s what it’s about. What is different for me here is obviously this big ensemble behind me and this huge orchestra. And that opportunity is something you don’t really get often. I’ve done it, kind of, many times over the years. We’re talking about 30 years now. But to be able to do it like this, on a daily basis more or less – because we play virtually every night – is an opportunity of a different kind. So that is what stands out for me”, Morten tells interviewer Markus Othmer, who also hosts the shows.

Morten is also asked how it is to perform his new songs “There is a Place” and “Did I Leave You Behind” together with the orchestra:

“That is a great opportunity as well, because these songs are really fresh. They’re very new. It’s not long ago I sat on a couch with a guitar, together with Peter [Kvint], my songwriting partner. And these songs were just that. And all of a sudden, five minutes later, it’s in such a setting. So this I’ve not done before”, Morten says.

Some recent video clips from Night of the Proms:
Foot of the Mountain (Multicam)    Did I Leave You Behind (Dec. 6th)
There is a Place (Dec. 8th)

New Marius Beck EP, co-produced by Magne

Recording the EP in London (l. to r.): Magne Furuholmen, Ole Richard Korsan Stuwe, Martin Terefe, Åsmund Knutson, Marius Beck, Nicolai Herwell and Sam Keyte.

Recording the EP at Kensaltown Studios (l. to r.): Magne Furuholmen, Ole Richard Korsan Stuwe, Martin Terefe, Åsmund Knutson, Marius Beck, Nicolai Herwell and Sam Keyte.

Marius Beck’s new 5-track EP Majors & Minors is released in Norway today.

The EP was recorded at Kensaltown Studios in London in September, and has been produced by Magne Furuholmen and Martin Terefe. Magne also plays keyboard on the EP, while Terefe plays bass guitar.

Cover

Cover of the new EP

“The songs are more melancholic and on a whole different planet than what I’ve done before”, Beck said in a recent interview with newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad.

“The collaboration with Magne Furuholmen has been really good. I’ve been sending him demo tapes with new songs on a regular basis, and together we’ve seen the songs evolve”.

Majors & Minors is released through WiMP DIY and the Furuholmen/Terefe company Vox Watch Music. It is available for streaming and purchase on WiMP now, and will be up on iTunes soon. A UK release is planned for next month.

Links:
Marius Beck interview on WiMP blog    Marius Beck on Facebook

Ltd. ed. Morten Harket jackets now available

Morten wearing the jacket at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards

Morten wearing the jacket at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 19th

The new fashion brand Jilani is now offering a limited edition Morten Harket jacket in their webshop.

The leather jacket was co-designed by Morten especially for his appearance at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May, where he performed together with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera.

“Morten wanted to wear a jacket that reflected both the 80s and the present. He co-designed it himself. The jacket was only intended to be used by Morten at this particular event, but already the day after the Billboard Awards people started contacting us, wanting to buy it. So we decided to produce a limited number of jackets for sale”, Jilani writes on their blog.

Morten recently visited the Jilani studios where he signed 50 limited edition jackets, which are now available for 9500 kroner ($1550) at jilanishop.no.

Morten to perform at Brønnøysund Roots Festival

Morten is the first artist to be confirmed for next year’s Roots Festival in Brønnøysund, Norway. The festival is held between 16 – 19 July, but the exact date for Morten’s concert has not been decided yet.

“Morten Harket is apparently bringing along an incredibly good band”, festival manager Torstein Moe tells local newspaper Helgeland Arbeiderblad.

“This is all about putting enough money on the table to make it interesting. He turned out to be pretty expensive. By far the most expensive act we’ve had in the festival’s history. But we’re very happy to have him confirmed”, Moe says.

3-day festival passes are now available from billettservice.no.

Update (13 Dec.): The date will be 17 July.

Night of the Proms tour opens in Cologne

On stage in Cologne

On stage in Cologne
(Photo from regioactive.de)

The Night of the Proms tour opened with two concerts in Cologne this weekend, where a total audience of 25,000 people filled the Lanxess Arena on Friday and Saturday.

As the headliner, Morten came on stage at the end of the 3-hour show to perform five songs, including two new solo songs:

1. Foot Of The Mountain
2. Stay On These Roads
3. Did I Leave You Behind
4. There Is A Place
5. The Sun Always Shines On TV

At the very end all the artists did The Beatles’ Hey Jude together.

“Night of the Proms is something I’ve been asked to do over the years, but there’s never really been a suitable time. It’s with a big philharmonic orchestra. A lot of this and that musically, which is in itself interesting. It’s an opportunity of a different kind and I’m kinda curious as to what it will be”, Morten said in a backstage video filmed before Friday’s premiere.

Yesterday Morten also appeared at a press conference together with some of the other NOTP artists. The tour will visit twelve more cities until December 22nd.

Photos and reviews:
morten-harket.net    regioactive.de    wdr2.de    notp-fanpage.de

As for “There is a Place”, the song has now been confirmed to be released in connection with Night of the Proms as “a taste of the music he is working on for his new album”. Whether it ends up on the album or not remains to be seen. The song is now available for download and streaming worldwide, through iTunes, Amazon, 7digital, WiMP, Spotify etc.

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