Archive for 2013

a-ha meet with King Harald

a-ha outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, June 10th

a-ha outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, June 10th

a-ha arrived at the Royal Palace in Oslo earlier today, where they had been granted an audience with King Harald. This is taking place in connection with the band members being appointed Knights First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav last year.

Picture from nrk.no

Picture from nrk.no

“It’s an honor to get recognized on an official level for the work we’ve done together. We accept it with gratitude and humility”, Magne told the press.

One reporter asked what they expected to talk about with King Harald.

“I reckon he’s a professional in that area, so he’ll lead the conversation”, Magne said with a laugh.

“We’re not coming here with lots to tell. Instead, we’ll listen to what the King has to say”, Morten added.

Another reporter asked how it is to come together as a-ha now, to receive this honour.

“It’s becoming increasingly harder to gather the three of us together, so we’re grateful to His Majesty for this opportunity”, Magne said.

Watch video clips of a-ha arriving on nrk.no and aftenposten.no. There is also a large photo on vg.no and a photo set by Stian Andersen on a-ha.com’s Facebook page.

a-ha granted audience with King Harald

Receiving the Royal Order of St. Olav, November 6th 2012.

Receiving the Royal Order of St. Olav, Nov. 6th 2012.

Morten, Magne and Paul have been invited to the Royal Palace in Oslo on Monday, June 10th, for an audience with King Harald of Norway at 12:30 (local time).

This is in connection with the band members being appointed Knights First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in November last year. Anyone who receives the Order of St. Olav are eventually granted an audience with the king.

But this isn’t the first time the members of a-ha have been granted an audience with the King of Norway. In February 1987 they were invited to the Royal Palace by the late King Olav, in recognition of their international achievements. Here is a picture of them afterwards, standing outside the Royal Palace with a group of fans. “It was a great experience”, Morten told the press back then.

Gumball 3000: Team 43 arrives in Monaco

Magne after arrival in Monaco (Picture by Valerie)

Magne after arrival in Monaco
(Picture by Valerie. Click to enlarge.)

They started out Italian style, but opted for a more Russian flavor along the way, suitable for an Apparatjik.

Last night Team 43 and their Gumballada crossed the finish line in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where they got a warm welcome from the crowd.

“We’ve been on the road for six days now, so tomorrow it’ll be a week since we started. But it feels both like a week and as a 31-second boxing round”, Magne said in a video shortly before arriving in Monaco.

Update: At the official wrap party on Saturday night, Team 43 won the Gumball Ambassadors Award. Well deserved!

Read all about the trip on the team’s Tumblr blog: skjervenracing.tumblr.com

Here are some YouTube clips featuring Team 43:
Start in Copenhagen (at 5:06)    Start in Copenhagen 2
On the road in Sweden (at 3:06)    Arriving in Krakow
Arriving in Krakow 2 (at 0:48)    Arriving in Vienna (at 1:28)
Arriving in Monaco

Gumball 3000: interview in Krakow

Team 43 interviewed in Krakow

Team 43 interviewed in Krakow

“We start in a Ferrari and end in a Lada. Can it get any better?”

Watch Magne get interviewed by Danish newspaper Ekstrabladet here.

Magne takes part in Gumball 3000 rally

Magne behind the wheel (Picture from

Magne behind the wheel
(Picture from skjervenracing.tumblr.com)

Magne, who is a big car enthusiast, is taking part in the 2013 Gumball 3000 road rally, which started in Copenhagen on May 19th and finishes in Monte Carlo on May 24th.

Magne and Einar Skjerven, CEO of investment company Skjerven Group, will be driving through Europe in a black Ferrari 512 M, followed by a support car with a mechanic and a masseur. The Ferrari has been partly decorated by Magne.

The route: Copenhagen – Stockholm – Helsinki – St Petersburg – Tallinn – Riga – Vilnius – Warsaw – Krakow – Vienna – Verona – Monte Carlo.

Unfortunately, the Ferrari’s gear box broke down before Helsinki yesterday, and the team has since been searching for spare parts all over Europe. They seem to be continuing in the support car, with the Ferrari following on a truck until it’s fixed.

Update: Sadly, the gear box couldn’t be fixed. But the team seems determined to continue regardless of the bad news. Update II: They end up continuing…in a Lada!

You can follow all the latest developments on Team 43’s Tumblr blog (Magne’s updates are written in lower case): skjervenracing.tumblr.com

Other celebrities taking part in the infamous road rally this year include David Hasselhoff, Tony Hawk, Xzibit and The Dudesons.

Prior to the rally, Magne attended hotel tycoon Petter Stordalen’s annual May 16th costume party in Oslo. This year the party had a Swedish theme, and Magne came dressed as Karlsson-on-the-Roof. As you may remember, Magne and Heidi came dressed as the lady and the tramp at last year’s farmer-themed party.

Morten appears at Billboard Music Awards

Morten on stage at the Billboard Music Awards, with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera

Morten on stage at the Billboard Music Awards, with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera

Morten appeared as a surprise guest at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas last night, where he joined Pitbull and Christina Aguilera on stage at the end of their hit song “Feel This Moment” to sing the chorus of “Take On Me”.

The 3-hour show, which aired live on ABC in the US, was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The performance of “Feel This Moment” can be seen on YouTube.

Morten, Christina Aguilera and Pitbull (Picture from xtina-web.com)

Morten, Christina Aguilera and Pitbull
(Picture from xtina-web.com)

“Feel This Moment”, which borrows the classic riff from “Take On Me”, has been a big hit around the world in 2013. Pitbull was in contact with a-ha manager Harald Wiik over several months last year, to negotiate the use of the riff – which ended with Morten, Magne and Paul all getting songwriting credits on “Feel This Moment”.

“I thought it was fun, essentially. [Take On Me] has been treated to a lot of different versions. What is it, 25 years now, at least, since it was released. So it’s a resilient bugger. It’s been done in punk versions, heavy metal, death metal. All kinds. And now; Pitbull”, Morten said in the press room after the performance.

Morten also briefly talked about the new solo album he’s currently working on:

“I’m doing an album with a Swedish songwriter and producer, Peter Kvint. It’s possibly the best stuff I’ve ever done, actually. And that’s difficult to talk about, because it doesn’t sound true.”

Here is the whole Q&A session from the press room:

Prior to arriving in Las Vegas, Morten spent some time in New York on Friday, where a few select people had a chance to listen to some new demos.

Magne after heart surgery: “I’m in fantastic shape”

Cover of Magasinet, May 11th

Cover of Magasinet, May 11th

Magne is on the cover of Dagbladet’s Saturday magazine today. He is also on the front page of the newspaper itself.

In a 6-page interview done in London, he talks about the Norwegian Wood exhibition and the music he’ll be making for the upcoming Beatles movie at Abbey Road Studios.

“I’ll be using the old recording equipment used by The Beatles, and try to rent the old tape reels and microphones. I want to make it as authentic as possible.”

He also says that his heart condition is now much better, following a heart surgery last year.

“I have lived with the diagnosis atrial fibrillation, and there’s no denying that it’s been difficult at times. But after my surgery at Haukeland University Hospital last year I’m in fantastic shape. I have to thank the Norwegian health care system for giving me a new life at the age of 50. The problem is of course, if you ask my wife, that now I can work more than I’ve ever done. I have no limits.”

The journalist asks if he still has to take special considerations in his everyday life.

“No, not anymore. I’m healthy! For the first time in ten years I’m not taking any medication, that’s how it’s been for one year now. It feels really good.”

Magne has previously talked about his heart condition is several interviews, including The Daily Mail in 2009.

Magne in N Magazine

Picture from N Magazine

Picture from N Magazine

Magne is profiled in a 5-page article in the May 2013 issue of airline Norwegian’s in-flight magazine N.

The article focuses on Apparatjik and the Apparatjik Suite, his gallery Stolper + Friends, and the other projects he’s involved with in the new Tjuvholmen art district in Oslo, including mentoring young art students.

The whole interview, which was done by UK writer Lucille Howe at The Thief on March 25th, can be found online here (in English).

Apparatjik in Copenhagen, May 3rd

Copenhagen, May 3rd

Copenhagen, May 3rd

Magne, Martin and Jonas did their first Apparatjik concert of the year on Friday, May 3rd, with a 14-song set at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) in Copenhagen.

A reviewer at Danish music website Gaffa praises the “extremely well planned audiovisual bombardment of the senses” and gives the concert 5 out of 6 stars. Although he feels the music lacks an emotional quality, he says the show “worked incredibly well throughout its compact 49 minutes”.

Guy Berryman attended Magne’s exhibition opening in London on Thursday, but did not join the others for the concert in Copenhagen. The busy Coldplay-bassist last performed with Apparatjik in March 2011, and has been replaced with a stand-in at every performance since then.

Lowell had taken the trip over from Canada, though, and came on stage to do her two songs “Shake Him Off” and “The Birds”.

YouTube videos (by Carlos and others):
Intro / Josie   Do It Myself   Supersonic Sound   Tell The Babes (w/ Magne on vocals)
Shake Him Off   The Birds   Deadbeat

Meanwhile in Oslo, a new sculpture by Apparatjik has apparently been installed outdoors at Tjuvholmen.

‘Norwegian Wood’ opens in London

Magne in front of his version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Magne in front of his version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The black P and B is an homage to Sir Peter Blake.

Magne’s new Beatles-inspired exhibition Norwegian Wood opened with a private view at the Paul Stolper gallery in London last night. NRK had an interview with Magne yesterday, as he prepared for the opening, which can be viewed here.

Helter Skelter by Magne F, 2013

Helter Skelter by Magne F, 2013

Norwegian Wood came about because Magne wanted to return to his woodcut-techniques of the mid-90s. During the preparations, he was asked to make the music for the upcoming Beatles-movie, which in turn inspired the theme of this exhibition.

“The Beatles was our pathway to adventure, they were our big heroes. We were like those boys in Lars Saabye Christensen’s book, we grew up with The Beatles. We had big dreams and made it big, largely because of them”, Magne told NRK.

For the artistic process, Magne was able to borrow antique woodcut tools from Sir Peter Blake, who designed the album cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

“His tools were quite small and delicate, while I have a somewhat rougher style. So for some of these woodcuts I had to use a chainsaw as well.”

Some photos of Magne creating the woodcut prints at Atelje Larsen in Helsingborg, Sweden can be seen at paulstolper.com.

Blake was scheduled to attend the private opening yesterday, where Magne would return the tools.

“Paul McCartney couldn’t make it to the opening, unfortunately, but he sent an e-mail with his best wishes”, Magne says.

Come Together by Magne F, 2013

Come Together by Magne F, 2013

Magne will be busy working on the Beatles film music in the coming fall and winter, but he’s already got some ideas ready.

“It’s a bit scary to compose something that will be heard alongside the iconic Beatles music. You need to find the right balance of being both respectful and disrespectful. The film music has to stand on its own feet, but also sound authentic of that time period.”

 
Magne has also made a few other public appearances recently. On April 18th he appeared at The Thief in Oslo, as UK newcomer Gabrielle Aplin did an intimate showcase gig.

“The concert was really good. She writes and sings beautifully. People should keep an eye on her, and be proud that they had a chance to see her this early”, he told seher.no.

On April 29th Magne attended the European opener of Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball Tour 2013, at Telenor Arena in Oslo. “I’m the world’s biggest Bruce Springsteen-fan”, he said (sarcastically?) as he walked in the VIP-entrance.

Paul working with “several new artists”

Paul’s studio engineer Eliot Leigh has recently added a new bio page to his website, which includes the following piece of information:

Day to day, Eliot also works closely with A-Ha songwriter and guitarist Paul Waaktaar Savoy on all of his current projects, which include several new artists on major labels.

Exactly who these new artists are, remains to be seen…

From the archives: Paul on the Memorial Beach recording process

Memorial Beach (1993)

Memorial Beach (1993)

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Memorial Beach, regarded by many fans to be a-ha’s perhaps best album.

Recorded with producer David Z at Paisley Park near Minneapolis, the album was a continuation of the organic sound on East Of The Sun, but more guitar-based and largely recorded live.

I recently re-read an interview with Paul from Norwegian music paper Puls in June 1993, which I thought I’d share with my readers by translating it. I don’t think it has been posted online before. In the interview, Paul talks about the recording sessions at Paisley Park, the challenging mixing process in New York and his songwriting in general.

“Memorial Beach is full of high-tech, but the recording itself went by very quickly. Never more than two takes, David Z wouldn’t allow more than that. So we had to rehearse a lot in advance, and I think this had a very positive impact on the final result. ‘Let’s knock his socks off!’, Paul says in the Puls interview.

Read the whole translated interview here: The new a-ha is born

Magne to score Beatles movie

Magne standing in front of a fountain at Briskeby in Oslo, which is an important site in the novel (Picture from VG)

Magne standing in front of a fountain at Briskeby in Oslo, an important location in the original novel
(Picture from VG)

Magne has agreed to compose the original score as well as supervise the recordings of other music for the upcoming Norwegian movie Beatles, production company Storm Rosenberg announced in a press release today.

“My own musical journey really started with listening to The Beatles while growing up, and it is such a thrill to be allowed to work with this iconic material and to be a part of presenting this great story on film”, Magne says.

The movie is based on author Lars Saabye Christensen best-selling novel Beatles from 1984, a coming-of-age story about four boys growing up in Oslo in the 1960s and 70s.

The project has already garnered international attention, by securing the rights to use original music by The Beatles in the movie. To help achieve this, Magne wrote a letter to Paul McCartney saying how The Beatles had influenced a-ha.

“If we hadn’t grown up with and modeled ourselves after The Beatles, we would never have had the courage to set our goals so high and try our luck abroad. That’s what I wrote in the letter”, Magne tells VG.

Beatles book cover

Beatles book cover

“If you listen to a-ha’s songs, the melody lines are always the basic element. We got that from The Beatles. It’s not music that emerged from jam sessions. There are always intricate harmonies underneath in Beatles songs. That’s something I’ll have to use now.”

Magne is soon going to Abbey Road studios in London to work on the score, where he’ll be using The Beatles’ original microphones and recording equipment.

“I’ll try to be true to the 60s era and the sound. I grew up with The Beatles as my big heroes, so this is a welcome trip back to my own childhood. I have thought a lot about the fact that original Beatles recordings are also included in the movie. That’s incredibly challenging on one level, but also a dream come true for a big fan like myself”, Magne tells VG.

The movie will be directed by Espen Sandberg og Joachim Rønning, who have previously directed Max Manus and Kon Tiki – which was nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year. Beatles is currently scheduled to start shooting in June and premiere in February 2014.

Magne, together with Kjetil Bjerkestrand, has previously composed the score for Marius Holst’s Ti Kniver i Hjertet (1994) and Øyenstikker (2001), Karin Julsrud’s 1732 Høtten (1998) and the mini-series Hotel Oslo (1997). He also scored the documentary series På jakt etter paradiset (2008), together with Nils Petter Molvær.

Ti Kniver i Hjertet was also based on a novel by Lars Saabye Christensen, called Gutten som ville være en av gutta.

In 1991, Saabye Christensen collaborated with a-ha on the NRK TV special Østenfor Sol, Vestenfor Måne, where the band played live at an NRK studio, while the author read his own poems between the songs.

‘Norwegian Wood’ exhibition

The Paul Stolper gallery in London has announced a new Magne F exhibition, entitled Norwegian Wood, which opens on 3 May:

This new series ‘Norwegian Wood’ uses music as its main reference point, but this time it is the iconic pop music of the Beatles, music which Furuholmen grew up listening to, and which directly inspired him to leave his native country to become an internationally renowned musician at a young age. Borrowing titles of songs and lyrics, the artist creates new works by transforming and changing these well-known word combinations into a new visual language. ‘I use letters and words as the architecture of my works – both for composition and conceptually, as a kind of emotional architecture.’ (Magne F, March 2013). These vibrant, new works mark a return to music as the main source of inspiration, and also to the monumental woodcuts that launched the artist’s career in 1995.

Read the whole press release and see a selection of the works on paulstolper.com. The exhibition will be open from 3 May to 1 June. A private view, presumably with Magne present, is held on 2 May.

New Martin Halla album, co-produced by Magne, out now

Martin Halla - Winter Days - album cover

Album cover

The Voice-winner Martin Halla’s debut album Winter Days is released in Norway today.

The album, which has been produced by Magne Furuholmen and Martin Terefe, is available now on Spotify, Wimp, iTunes and on CD.

In addition to providing backing vocals and playing various instruments on the album (including piano, synth, guitar and wurlitzer), Magne has also co-written five of the songs.

Here is the full tracklist, with songwriting credits:

1. Illuminate The Sky (Martin Halla/Lowell Boland/Magne Furuholmen/Martin Terefe)
2. Ignited (Espen Gulbrandsen/Magne Furuholmen/Martin Terefe)
3. The River (KT Tunstall/Martin Terefe)
4. If He’s The One (Glen Scott/Martin Terefe/Magne Furuholmen)
5. All The Red Lights (Magne Furuholmen/Martin Terefe)
6. Winter Days (Martin Halla)
7. Falling Slowly (feat. Tini Flaat) (Glen Hansard/Markéta Irglová)
8. Everybody’s Angel (Martin Halla/Magne Furuholmen)
9. When I See You (Paul Herman/Martin Halla)
10. In The City (Martin Halla/Marte Maaland Eberson)
11. Time’s Up (Nick Whitecross/Martin Halla)
12. My Little Wonder (feat. Karoline Wallace) (Martin Halla)

The album was recorded at Martin Terefe’s Kensaltown Studios in London and Magne’s Passionfruit Recording Studios in Oslo, while the string arrangements were added in Nashville.

“The album was supposed to be released in November last year, but we chose not to rush things. We found out that we needed a few more songs”, Halla tells newspaper Romerikes Blad.

“It’s been an exciting process; I had never written songs together with others before, so that took some getting used to. But gradually a new landscape opened up.”

Links:
“Illuminate The Sky” (Live on TV2)          “Illuminate The Sky” (Lyric video)
Martin Halla on Facebook          Martin Halla on Twitter

Photo exhibition opens in London

Stian Andersen and Magne Furuholmen at Strand Gallery in London, 27 February 2013

Stian and Magne at the opening
(Photo by Rachel)

Stian Andersen’s exhibition of a-ha photos opened at the Strand Gallery in London last night. In addition to Stian himself, Magne also made an appearance. Music was provided by harpist Erin Hill, who had come over from New York.

A gallery of photos from the opening can be seen at Strand Gallery’s Facebook page, and the UK edition of Huffington Post has an interview with Magne about Stian’s photos.

“They’ve revealed a feeling of unity that you don’t really think about in terms of the band, and that was a positive feeling that came out of it… I wrote in the preface to the book that I think it’s captured something we all felt was like being there, it had that authenticity, feeling of recognition. It takes a lot for us to agree on anything, and we all really liked the outcome of his work”, Magne says.

The exhibition at the Strand Gallery is open until March 17th.

And if you haven’t already, check out a mini-documentary about the photo book project on Vimeo and a new interview with Stian on a-ha.com.

Apparatjik to play in Copenhagen

The cube is coming to Copenhagen

The cube is coming to Copenhagen

Apparatjik will play at the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen on May 3rd, gaffa.dk reports.

Last summer the band presented a spectacular show for an audience of 50.000 people at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, but this time they’ll be playing inside the cube.

Tickets are available now, from billetlugen.dk.

 
In other Magne news, he presented In Transit at Tronsmo bookstore in Oslo last week (February 13th) with his right arm in a sling.

He didn’t say what had happened, but he has previously broken his left arm in three separate snowboard accidents.

Luckily Magne is left-handed, so he had no problems signing the book.

Paul and Lauren contribute to Infuze EP

Eliot Leigh, who works as an engineer in Paul’s studio in SoHo, NY, has his own dubstep project called Infuze. Last November he released his debut EP called Far Away on Smog Records. In a recent interview with house music website icangiveyouhouse.com Leigh reveals that the vocal melody and lyrics of the title track were written by Paul and Lauren:

The title track of the EP features your own vocals. Was this the first time you’ve sang on one of your own songs? Where’d you get the pipes?

I work really closely in my day job as an engineer with a guy named Paul Waaktaar Savoy. He’s the songwriter/guitarist of the Norwegian band A-Ha. He wrote “Take On Me”, one of the biggest songs of all time. I played him the instrumental of Far Away and he suggested he and his wife Lauren have a go at writing a vocal. He’s got an unbelievable knack for melody and she for lyrics, and I really liked what they came up with, so I went home and demoed it with my own voice with the intention of finding another singer. So many people told me they liked the sound of my vocals that I decided to keep them! To be honest, I sung pretty seriously when I was kid in choirs and stuff, but I hadn’t used my voice in many, many years before this.

Here you can have a listen to the song:

The full 5-track EP, which also includes a radio edit of the same song, is available on iTunes, Beatport and Amazon.

No word yet on Paul’s own projects, but Leigh reportedly came over to Norway to do some work in Paul’s studio in Oslo a few weeks ago…

Songwriting session in Brazil

An update from the website of Swedish writer/producer Peter Kvint (Feb. 10th):

Morten in Brazil, 3 February

Morten in Brazil, February 3rd

“Just got back from two weeks of writing with Morten Harket on the beautiful island of Ilha Grande in Brazil. The monsoon rains and extreme humidity made all my technical equipment break down but even so it was a really creative stay with lots of new songs coming together! Here’s a snapshot of a vocal session featuring mr Harket singing straight into my laptop mic.”

Morten is currently working on the follow-up to Out Of My Hands, which may be released sometime later this year.

Apparatjik Suite opens at The Thief

The so-called Apparatjik Suite, which has been designed by Magne and the other members of Apparatjik, opened at the new luxury hotel The Thief in Oslo on Friday, 8 February. Tini Flaat has posted an instagram photo of Magne, Jonas and Martin at the opening.

“Apparatjik’s music and art, with its creativity and positive madness, appeals to us at The Thief. We let them do whatever they wanted when designing the suite, and the result is impressive”, Marcus Majewski (The Thief executive officer) says.

The suite’s interior includes pixelated carpets, video installations, antlers on the walls and a mirror ball in the bathroom.

“We have created a small corner of the Apparatjik World”, Magne says in a press release. “We wanted to design a room that would make whoever stays here smile and shake their heads at the same time. One thing that the members of Apparatjik have in common is that we have all used a disproportionate amount of our lives staying in hotel rooms. With the Apparatjik Suite at The Thief, our starting point was that it isn’t necessarily the hallmark of a good hotel that all the rooms are identical.”

The suite also includes music by Apparatjik and a large selection of their own favorite albums.

“Everyone thinks their personal taste in music is the best in the world, and we’re no exception. We’re also hoping to eventually offer a growing selection of music that you won’t be able to hear anywhere else – maybe some material that hasn’t been released yet, and obscure projects that we feel deserve more attention. In that respect, the Apparatjik Suite is guaranteed to be the radio station with the fewest listeners anywhere in the world. Now, that’s what we call exclusive”, Magne says.

Visitors to the The Thief can also try out Magne’s Climax Cardgame from 2007, of which the hotel has bought 7 of the 20 copies in existence. There will also be a copy of Magne’s new book In Transit in every room.

“There are some hotels around the world that have made a serious effort to create an arena for experiencing art, and when it works it’s a win-win situation”, Magne says.

If you would like a stay in the Apparatjik Suite, the suite is now open for booking on The Thief’s website.

Magne planning opera about Julia Pastrana

Ceremony for Julia Pastrana

Magne Furuholmen, Ute Meta Bauer, Laura Anderson Barbata and Jonas Bjerre standing by Julia Pastrana’s coffin.
Oslo, 7 February 2013.

Magne is now planning an opera based on the tragic story of Julia Pastrana. She was a Mexican woman, born in 1834, who suffered from hypertrichosis, a syndrome that gave her a very unusual appearance.

She would eventually be exhibited at sideshows around the world as “Bearded and Hairy Lady” and “The Apewoman”, until her death in 1860. Bizarrely, her body was then mummified and would continue to be displayed in public for more than one hundred years, until it somehow ended up in storage in Oslo. Now, in 2013, Julia’s remains are finally being returned from Norway to Mexico, where she will have a proper funeral.

Magne has personally gotten involved in the process of returning Julia Pastrana to Mexico. Yesterday he took part in a closed ceremony at Oslo University Hospital, along with Jonas Bjerre, Ute Meta Bauer and Mexican artist Laura Anderson Barbata, where the coffin was formally handed over to Mexican authorities, represented by ambassador Martha Barcena Coqui. The funeral will be held in Sinaloa, Mexico on Tuesday next week.

Julia Pastrana

Julia Pastrana

“The story of Julia Pastrana is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever come across, both as an artist and as a fellow human being”, Magne tells VG.

Together with Laura Anderson Barbata he is now planning to turn Julia Pastrana’s story into an opera:

“We want to make a rich, proud and ambitious production. We’re aware that there’s also a Hollywood movie being planned, but we’re hoping to tell the story in our own way. This is about how society responds to unusual people, how we treat people with handicaps. It’s such a strong story that an opera would be appropriate. It will be a celebration of her”, Magne says.

“Julia Pastrana used to sing opera, so I think it’s a good idea if they make this a worthy tribute to her”, ambassador Barcena Coqui says.

Article in English: newsinenglish.no
TV report from yesterday’s ceremony: Østlandssendingen

In Transit book launch

In Transit book launch at The Thief

Books on display at The Thief yesterday

The release of In Transit was celebrated with a book launch at The Thief hotel in Oslo yesterday. The publisher Forlaget Press has posted a gallery of photos from the event on Facebook, including Magne in conversation with Ute Meta Bauer and Håkon Harket (head of Forlaget Press).

There have also been a couple of interviews with Magne in the press this week. First in Aftenposten’s paper edition on Monday, which is also available online at aftenposten.no. And yesterday there was an interview in Dagsavisen, from which I’ve translated a few quotes below:

You’re known as a musician, composer and visual artist, and have now released a book about your art career. How does that feel?

– The book has been in production for a long time, and was supposed to be published in 2010. So it’s a relief that I’ve finally been able to finish it. The problem is that I’ve always had new projects in the works. Each time I came up with a new project, it was also a new addition to the book. Now In Transit is finally ready, as a summary of my career. This is the first book of its kind that has been published.

First? Are you planning more books about your art career?

– He he. Yeah, from now on I’ll put out a new book each year. No, I meant that this is a special book with an overview of most of the stuff I’ve made over the last 20 years. My previous books have been of the “artist book”-type, while this is a book that also includes interpretive essays written by art historians and others.

What are you working on these days?

– I always have various projects in the works. Right now I’m working on an exhibition that will open in London in May, plus a couple of Apparatjik projects. I’m also working on some interesting projects that will combine music and visual arts in new ways for me. I can’t say more at the moment, as we’re having some important meetings about it this week.

First look at Magne Furuholmen – In Transit

A sample from In Transit (English edition)

A sample from Magne Furuholmen – In Transit
(English edition)

Although it was not supposed to be released until next month, the English edition of Magne Furuholmen – In Transit has now started shipping from at least one Norwegian online bookstore. I received my copy today. The Norwegian edition, however, still seems to be scheduled for February 14th.

At 400 pages long, this massive coffe-table book gives a detailed look at Magne’s most important art projects from 1993 to 2013, with an overwhelming amount of photos.

Edited by Stephanie von Spreter, Thor Arvid Dyrerud, Henrik S. Haugan and Magne Furuholmen, the book also features essays written by Mark Gisbourne, Ute Meta Bauer, Sune Nordgren, Richard Dyer, Selene Wendt and Per Hovdenakk. The photos have been taken by Lars Gundersen and 14 others, including Magne himself.

For anyone interested in Magne’s art, this book is a definite must-have.

The English edition can be pre-ordered from amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and amazon.de. If you are in Norway, the English edition can be ordered from haugenbok.no and bokkilden.no. The Norwegian edition (scheduled for February 14th) can also be ordered from haugenbok.no and bokkilden.no.

Update: there’s also a pre-sale on a-ha.com from 28 January – 6 February.

Here are a few previews of the book (click to enlarge):

“Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha”

WEXT logo

WEXT logo

A two-hour a-ha tribute show called “Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha” will be airing on Monday, January 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. (eastern time in the U.S.) on the Albany, NY, radio station WEXT. To listen online, use this link.

Presented by Jeremy Clowe, this retrospective will take a look at the career of the band and their music (from a uniquely American perspective).

Here is some info from the radio station’s website:

“They topped the international charts, sold over 35 million albums, achieved world records and awards, and inspired multiple generations of fans world-wide. You know the song… but do you know the band?

On Monday, January 21 starting at 6pm, join listener Jeremy Clowe as he takes a look at the phenomenal career of the Norwegian trio, A-ha. Best known for their massive hit, “Take on Me”, A-ha became a breakthrough sensation in the 1980s with their unique blend of melody and introspective lyrics, which struck a definite chord with listeners around the globe.

Clowe will bring us current on the band’s career — from their humble beginnings in Oslo to their huge international success in the 1980s; their transition from reluctant pop stars to critically acclaimed artists, and influence on such bands as Coldplay, Keane and Sondre Lerche. We’ll look at groundbreaking videos, Guinness World Records, knighthood and, of course, the music.

“Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha” is a two-hour look at the career of three artists from Norway who truly lived a boy’s adventure tale.

Jeremy Clowe is an independent artist/filmmaker living in the Capital Region. Over the years he has interviewed such music acts as Neil Finn, Travis, The Temptations, and A-ha. Check out clips from his A-ha documentary on his website.”

Apparatjik in Aftenposten K magazine

The cover of Aftenposten K, January 2013

Magazine cover

Magne and a few other Apparatjiks are on the cover of the January 2013 issue of Norwegian culture magazine Aftenposten K. Inside there is an 8-page interview with Magne, Martin Terefe and Jonas Bjerre, which was done in connection with the apparatjik xmess extravaganza performance in Oslo last month.

According to the magazine, Apparatjik were recently asked to do a tour of the U.S., but they declined the offer.

“That’s because we only do the projects that we want to. Agreeing to do a tour means that you also have to be interviewed, you have to sell yourself, promote heavily. But then you’re suddenly doing what you wanted to break away from in the first place”, Magne says.

In the interview he also talks about how they prepared for the festival concert at Roskilde, by imagining that this was the first time anyone had come up with the radical idea of performing on stage in front of an audience.

But as we know, they have later played inside the cube again.

“The cube still exists. It’s a kind of refuge that we sometimes escape into. But it shouldn’t become an institution. It was exciting to see the [audience] reactions in the beginning, but now it’s become just another tool”, Martin Terefe says.

“That’s true. But I think that if we hadn’t performed inside the cube to start with, Roskilde would never have turned out as it did either. (…) Roskilde felt incredibly new and unconventional, because we emerged from the cube. However strange that may seem”, Magne says.

The magazine is now available on Norwegian newsstands and as an iPad edition.

Picture from Aftenposten K, January 2013

Magne, Jonas, Martin, Lowell and Rudolph
(Picture from Aftenposten K)

In Transit book coming soon

Magne Furuholmen - In Transit book cover

The new cover of the book

The long-awaited book In Transit, which provides an overview of Magne’s 20+ year career in visual arts, finally seems to have a confirmed publishing date; February 7th 2013 update: February 13th 2013.

First announced in December 2010, the book project has been delayed a number of times, but the Norwegian publisher Press now says it will be out next month.

A previous announcement described the book as follows:

“In Transit is the first complete presentation of his activities as a visual artist and brings us close to the creative process. This lavish book also includes all the most important artworks, like a Furuholmen “Greatest Hits”. In Transit shows why Magne F has become one of our most prominent international artists.”

In Transit will apparently be available in both an English and a Norwegian edition. The English edition can be pre-ordered from amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and amazon.de, while you can get the Norwegian edition from haugenbok.no and bokkilden.no.

Powered by WordPress