Posts Tagged ‘stavanger’

Morten on the climate crisis: “We need to be shook so deep that we don’t dare to not act”

Morten Harket and Harald N. Røstvik in Stavanger, 16 November 2021

Morten visited the University of Stavanger on 16 November, to take part in the previously mentioned screening of The Sunshine Revolution and subsequent discussion together with Professor Harald N. Røstvik.

A video of the whole event is available to watch on YouTube.

The Sunshine Revolution (1991) focused on the enormous potential of solar energy, and how it could play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Although there’s been progress in the field since then, Røstvik pointed out that a lot more should have been done, but he’s still optimistic about the future.

Harald: “The sad thing really, watching this film thirty years on, is that we knew then [that] this could be done in a much more practical and better way than what we’ve done over the last thirty years. So we’ve lost a lot of time, that’s the sad thing. But I suppose that’s the process also. I must say though, I felt at the time I was on a loser’s team. Today I feel I’m on a winner’s team. I think there is a completely different attitude to these issues in the world. And anybody can sense the urgency, and the need to act and not just talk. And that’s the big difference from [back] then.”

Morten: “But not through enlightenment. It’s because we’re scared. That’s the main reason why the world is responding. And that’s what it takes, quite simply, because we knew everything that we’re concerned of today [thirty years ago]. And we were not the only ones, there were a lot of people already back then who were involved in the same issues. But that’s what it takes for us to respond. We need to be shook so deep that we don’t dare to not act. And that’s leaving it very late. And costly. And that’s just a fact.”

Morten to speak at the University of Stavanger

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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.

Concerts announced in Stavanger and Bergen

a-ha in Bergen, 8 December

a-ha meeting the press in Bergen, 8 December

a-ha were in Bergen today, to announce the final concert of the Cast In Steel Tour, which will be held at the 22,000-capacity outdoor venue Koengen on 7 May 2016.

They will also do a concert in Stavanger on 6 May 2016, at the 4,500-capacity indoor arena DNB Arena. Update (9 Dec.): Due to high demand, an extra concert has been added in Stavanger on 5 May.

“Bergen is an important city where we’ve always had a good time, so this time we decided to end the tour here”, Magne said.

“We won’t have the opportunity to tour Norway more extensively this time around, but what we’ve been able to do is extend the tour by one week. Initially we booked the two nights at Oslo Spektrum and now we’ve added these two shows. But beyond that our schedules won’t allow us to add any more”, Morten added.

A video of the Bergen press conference + an interview with the guys can be seen at ba.no. There is also another press conference/interview video at bt.no and a radio interview at nrk.no.

Following the Bergen press conference, the guys headed for Stavanger to meet the local media there as well. A video from their visit at the DNB Arena this afternoon can be seen at aftenbladet.no.

The fan presale started earlier today. Ticket prices in Bergen are 685 kroner (£52) for standing tickets and 1250 kr (£95) for golden circle tickets.

Stavanger will be all-seated, with ticket prices ranging between 680 kr (£52) to 1540 kr (£118).

Tickets for all three concerts go on general sale on Thursday, 10 December at 9am CET through Billettservice.

Morten back in the studio

Haugesund, September 26th (From YouTube video by Iwona Magdzinska)

Morten on stage in Haugesund, September 26th
(From YouTube video by Iwona Magdzinska)

Morten was back in Sweden last week, working on new music with Peter Kvint.

“I’m back in the studio with Peter and we’re trying out some stuff. I can’t say that much about it now, but it will be out at some point”, Morten told Radio 102 ahead of his concert in Haugesund.

Peter Kvint also joined Morten at the concerts in Norway this weekend, filling in for Vicky Singh on guitar, while Rickard Nilsson filled in for Christer Karlsson on keyboard.

In the Radio 102 interview, Morten also mentioned that he’s keen on more touring:

“I’m proud of my band, they are excellent musicians. And they have chosen to go on tour with me, even though they could have played with anyone they wanted. They really want to do this, so I would have liked to play even more together with them. I would actually have preferred to do a more extensive tour than we’ve done so far”.

The studio session was also mentioned in an interview with Fædrelandsvennen (subscribers only), in connection with his concert in Kristiansand.

Recent Norwegian concerts – media links:

Bergen, 19 September:
YouTube videos   Bergensavisen review   Hissig.no review
Musikknyheter.no review   Gaffa.no review

Stavanger, 20 September:
YouTube videos   Rogalands Avis article

Haugesund, 26 September:
“Spanish Steps” live   Morten arriving at the airport
Haugesunds Avis interview

Kristiansand, 27 September:
“Los Angeles” live

Additional concerts in September

Four additional Morten Harket concerts in Norway in September were announced by the official site today. The dates are:

19 September: USF Verftet, Bergen
20 September: Stavanger Konserthus, Stavanger
26 September: Maritim Hall, Haugesund
27 September: Kilden, Kristiansand

Articles:
Bergensavisen    Rogalands Avis

Successfull exhibition opening in Stavanger

Magne at the opening, January 25th (Photo by Kunstgalleriet)

Magne at the opening, January 25th
(Photo by Kunstgalleriet)

Magne’s new Beatles-inspired exhibition “Norwegian Wood Remix” opened at Kunstgalleriet in Stavanger yesterday, with 250 people in attendance. There’s a selection of photos from the event on the gallery’s Facebook page.

According to Stavanger Aftenblad the opening was hugely successfull, with all the artworks – 11 oil paintings, 2 monotypes and 2 lithos – being sold during Friday’s private view and Saturday’s official opening.

Which means that Magne sold art for around one million kroner this weekend.

“We’re sold out! That’s a new record. This almost never happens. It’s exceptional”, gallery manager Elin Halvorsen told the newspaper.

“This was a great reception, and not something you take for granted as an artist. I had my very first exhibition [“Maleri”] here in Stavanger. That was at Galleri Sølvberget way back in 1989. The last time I exhibited here was in 1995, so it was about time that we made this happen“, Magne told Rogalands Avis.

Magne is still busy working on the music for the upcoming Beatles movie, some of which he’ll record at Abbey Road in London in March:

“Beatles were the greatest when I was growing up. They were the inspiration when Paul and I started writing songs. Without Beatles there wouldn’t have been an a-ha. And now I’m currently composing music around what I heard as a kid. So this is a journey back in time for me, which ends up at Abbey Road Studios in March, where I’ll record my own music using the original Beatles equipment”, he said in a radio interview with NRK Rogaland on Friday.

Beatles is set to premiere on August 29th, but test screenings of a 2-hour raw cut of the movie will be held in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and Tromsø tomorrow.

“Norwegian Wood Remix” is open until February 16th, and the artworks can be seen on the gallery’s website.

Morten performs “Brother” at Spellemann

Morten on stage in Stavanger Konserthus

Morten on stage in Stavanger Konserthus

Morten performed “Brother” live for the first time last night, at the Spellemann Awards 2013 in Stavanger (although much of it seemed to be playback). If you missed it, it’s been uploaded to YouTube.

He was joined on stage by two very familiar Swedes on keyboard and drums; Christer Karlsson and Per Lindvall, plus two other Swedes on guitar and bass; Peter Kvint and Jerker Odelholm.

On the red carpet before the show

“I’ve brought along a really good band. It’s good to get started”, Morten told VG on the red carpet

“Brother emerged when we did a 5-day session at a cabin in Southern Norway, and the identity of that song set the tone for the whole album. I can recognize myself again as an artist now, and things are completely different than on the last album. The collaboration with Peter Kvint has opened new channels within me”, Morten told Aftenposten in an interview before the show.

The song was released yesterday in Norway, where it quickly went to number 1 on the iTunes chart. It’s also available on WiMP and Spotify, and will be released in other countries soon.

VG’s reviewer Thomas Talseth gives the song 5/6 and calls it “a triumph”:

“Brother, a serious yet uplifting song, has melodic hooks that pushes the right buttons. Empathic and moving. (…) This could – and should – be his biggest solo-hit in years”, Talseth writes.

Video clips from the red carpet at Spellemann:
Dagbladet    Se og Hør    VGTV    NRK

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.

Stavanger, Tromsø and Trondheim

Stavanger, 2 September (Picture by Jakob)

Stavanger, 2 September
(Picture by Jakob)

The band had a busy few days this past weekend, with three concerts in three days in different parts of Norway.

Stavanger, 2 September (Picture by Jakob)

Stavanger, 2 September
(Picture by Jakob)

In Stavanger they played at the first annual Rått og Råde Festival in front of 10.000 people. The setlist (18 songs) was a bit shorter than the stadium concerts, leaving out the acoustic set. The local newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad gives the concert 5 out of 6.

I will be uploading some of my video clips from Stavanger on YouTube – here is the first one:
Stay On These Roads.

In Tromsø, 13.000 people saw the band at the Døgnvill Festival – where a-ha also played in 2007. Anneli Drecker, who was a-ha’s backing vocalist from 2000 – 2002, came on stage for a duet with Morten on Crying In The Rain. Many of the other songs can also be seen on YouTube here. The concert gets an outstanding review from iTromso.no (6 out of 6) and a more moderate review from nordlys.no (4 out of 6).

At Lerkendal Stadium in Trondheim on Saturday they were back on their own Butterfly-shaped stage, with an audience of 15.000 people. The concert included the full 21-song set for an appreciative crowd, despite a chilly temperature. Some reviews can be found at adressa.no and NRK.no. NRK also has a picture gallery here.

 
Apparatjik have announced their third concert, which will take place in London on 23 September at the Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park. More info on apparatjik.com.

 
And happy birthday to Paul, who turns 49 today!

Trondheim, 4 September (Picture by Jakob)

Trondheim, 4 September
(Picture by Jakob)

Sundfør wins a-ha talent grant

Stavanger, June 30th

Stavanger, June 30th

Morten was at VG and NRK’s summer show in Stavanger tonight, to hand out another 1 million kroner to the second winner of the a-ha talent grant.

The first finalist tonight was the band The Pink Robots, which has recently had a hit with the song “Curly”. The other finalist was Susanne Sundfør, who released her second and critically acclaimed album The Brothel earlier this year.

Morten announced that the winner was Susanne Sundfør, who came on stage and received a big cheque.

I’m a bit shaky, but very happy. I had no idea this would happen. Now I’ll hopefully get a chance to promote my music abroad and travel a lot“, Sundfør told VG afterwards.

She has all that it takes to make it big, and has every opportunity to succeed“, Morten said of the winner.

Listen to “The Brothel”, the haunting title track from Susanne Sundfør’s latest album, on YouTube here.

Susanne Sundfør receives the cheque from Morten

Susanne Sundfør receives the cheque from Morten

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