Archive for October, 2021

a-ha in Bodø to record True North

Magne inside the Svømmehallen concert hall in Bodø
(Screenshot from TV2)

a-ha arrived in Bodø a few days ago, to prepare for the recording of the new film and album called True North during the coming week. They are joined by Even Ormestad, Kjetil Bjerkestrand (who has done some of the string arrangements) and Karl Oluf Wennerberg – plus a second drummer; Per Hillestad, who was a-ha’s drummer from 1990-94. In total, a crew of 100 people will be at work on the project.

Karl Oluf behind the drums in Bodø
(Screenshot from TV2)

Earlier in the month a-ha had been rehearsing at Studio Paradiso in Oslo, the same studio where Paul did some recording sessions with Per Hillestad back in the summer of 2019.

Meanwhile, Arctic Philharmonic recorded the string parts for True North at Store Studio in Bodø on 15 October. This was partly to see if the arrangements were working and partly as backup if something should fail during the upcoming live performance.

TV2’s evening news had a report from the Svømmehallen concert hall in Bodø on Friday, where Magne was interviewed about the project. It can be seen on TV2 Play (subscribers only). There is also an article on TV2.no.

Magne could be seen playing what appeared to be a melody line from “You Have What It Takes”, which may indicate it’s one of the songs that will end up on True North.

“This is a special project because we’re joined by Arctic Philharmonic, which provides a larger pallette to use. We have challenged our own sound in different ways previously as well, but this is where we’re at right now. This is a-ha’s diary from 2019/20/21”, Magne tells TV2.

Over on Instagram, Paul posted some pictures and video clips from a shoot with Stian Andersen in Bodø, which will probably be used as part of the True North film.

The planned release date for True North is late 2022.

Morten to speak at the University of Stavanger

.

On Tuesday 16 November Morten will join his longtime friend and partner in various renewable energy projects, Professor Harald N. Røstvik, for a special conversation at the University of Stavanger in Norway.

In 1991 they collaborated on a 15-minute film about the potentials of solar energy called The Sunshine Revolution, which was narrated by Morten.

To mark its 30th anniversary the film will be screened at the university event, followed by a half-hour panel discussion with Røstvik and Harket, moderated by Mehdi Torkaman and Helleik Syse. Afterwards 25 minutes have been set aside for questions from the audience. The event and conversation will be in English.

Attendance is free but registration is required. More information about the event is available on the university’s website:

Join us for a live film screening on campus followed by a conversation between Professor Harald N. Røstvik and Morten Harket. Together they will explore what the status of The Sunshine Revolution was 30 years ago, where we are today, and what will happen in the next 30 years. PhD fellow in Environmental Humanities Mehdi Torkaman and coordinator of Future Energy Hub Helleik Syse will introduce the film and moderate the discussion.

a-ha: The Movie to be released on Blu-ray

Norwegian Blu-ray cover

a-ha: The Movie is set to be released on Blu-ray in Norway in December, exclusively through the online store Platekompaniet. Bonus material will include footage of Bridges reunited and extra interview clips with Magne and Paul. Norwegian fans can pre-order the Blu-ray here (no shipping outside of Norway).

The documentary premiered in Norwegian cinemas last month, to excellent press reviews – including 5/6 from VG (“Robsahm and Holm’s movie is interesting and entertaining throughout”), Dagbladet (“A surprisingly funny and warm film”) and NRK (“An important and well-made documentation of Norway’s biggest band of all time”).
So far more than 18,000 tickets have been sold.

The movie also premiered in Germany, Poland and South Korea last month, followed by Switzerland, Austria and Hungary this month. November will see it premiere in Denmark, while the UK will have to wait until next spring.

It has also been screened at a number of film festivals since its world premiere at Tribeca in New York in June, including in the USA: Seattle International Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival, Canada: Calgary International Film Festival and Edmonton International Film Festival, South Korea: Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, Sweden: Nordisk Panorama in Malmö, Greece: Athens International Film Festival, Iceland: Reykjavik International Film Festival.

Coming up next is the Doclisboa International Film Festival in Portugal tomorrow, where both Thomas Robsahm and Aslaug Holm will be present.

More info about a-ha: The Movie is available on the movie’s official website.

Powered by WordPress