Another Sunday

A little tired today after Halloween weekend and some late nights. There has been an Indie Band residency here at the Banff Centre for the past couple of weeks. So there have been some new faces and new noises around. The visual arts residency also ended this weekend, so there has been lots of parties going on. Personally I´ve really done some technical piano work this week. I´ve been playing Dohnanyi studies for hours and hours. And this seems to be really working! Things are opening up more and more and my muscles, especially in my left hand are in the process of understanding how I want them to work. I´ve also picked up singing this week! For those of you who know me from Trondheim, you know I´ve been a closet-singer for a while now. When you work so much with singers as I have for the past years, you pick up a lot of things related to technique. I remember accompanying my first big masterclass at Olavsfestdagene in 2006 with Susanna Eken. After 7 days or something with singing and technique I thought to myself: Damn, how difficult can it be! So I started trying on my own.

I´ve also realized that practicing meditation can have a tremendous impact on singing (and everything else as I`ve probably said a few times now). Physically speaking, meditation adds a lot of awareness to you. So you get aware of your body and the inside of the body. So what I realized this week was that my singing technique and voice has developed simply by internalizing technique from this years Eken masterclass (without actually trying it)+ practicing a combined physical and mental meditation technique. Suddenly I have access to chambers inside my system I haven´t had access to before. My inner space has simply expanded. So that´s pretty cool. I´ve also started a work-out routine in my studio. So things are coming along here.

I´ll actually go to LA for a few days on Wednesday! I´m attending 3 meditation programs at the Vedic temple in Montclair with the Indian spiritual teacher Paramahamsa Nithyananda. This is the same guy I saw in Phoenix in March. I think that will be amazing. I feel that expansion is happening pretty fast here in Banff, it´s a good place for it. So to do 3 intense programs over 4 days could potentially be a big energy boost.

I´ve also started working on US tours for 2010. I´ve sent hundred of proposals to the Mid-West and East-Coast and I´ve already got a few tentative bookings. So now it´s all about raising enough money to record a new CD here at the Banff Centre + getting established in Palm Springs somehow in April. And the dream of India summer of 2010 is still very much alive! I´m actually pretty sure that the April-May and early June tour will pay for that. The program in India is announced to start on June 20th, so the timing is perfect.

Monday in Banff

This is supposed to be a Sunday blog.. hehe.. well well. You know, it´s kinda hard to keep track of the days up here. Sunday, Monday, Friday.. doesn´t really make much of a difference. But that´s just a lame excuse for forgetting to write my blog. I guess I could say that there´s really not that much to say. I get up, meditate, practice, eat, practice, eat, practice, meditate.. or something like that. But today I went swimming! Oh yes. That was hard. Banff is pretty high up from what I´m used to so I was pretty much out of breath after 5 minutes. And when I swim, I swim pretty fast.. not because I´m necessarily so good at it, but that´s just the natural way to swim for me. So I swim across, then back again, and then I take a break to catch my breath. haha. Hopefully my stamina will improve pretty fast... But actually, I heard that the best way to exercise is short and hard. But I´m impressed though by some people, mostly women, mostly my moms age, that can stay in the pool for over an hour swimming without getting their hair wet! That´s just amazing to me.. I´m surprised they don´t sink. It must be like threading the water in a certain angel that produces a certain forward thrust. Vertical swimming.. Anyway..

I think I´ve figured out the next recital program now, "From Grieg to Gershwin." It will be Grieg op 6, the Humoresques, the Nocturne and a couple of pieces from op 71 lyric pieces ending with Summer Evenings (no 2). Then Ravel, Sonatine before the intermission. After intermission: Rachmaninov, 6 Moment Musicals and a selection of Gerswhin/Wild piano transcriptions of famous songs. It should be a fun and pretty likable program I think. I´m lining up some concerts in April and May in the US now, so I´m hoping for a long-term visa + a place to stay in Palm Springs! It would be nice to have a base in the US so I don´t have to go across the atlantic or living in a suitcase all the time.

I think that´s it for this time! I´m really enjoying Banff of course. You know, people always say that this is like escaping "reality." But I´d say that "reality" is wrong. We should bring "reality" to Banff instead. This is an international, creative environment where everybody is doing what they like doing. I think more people should be "filtered" through Banff and bring this life out to the so-called real world. Reality is psychological, and it´s fully possible to live in "heaven" anywhere on the planet.

First week

The first week is over in Banff and things are starting to settle down. It seems like fall lasts about a week or so here... They had high summer temperatures a week before I arrived, but now it really feels like winter. The first snow has fallen in the mountains, and it looks really beautiful. But I have to agree with one of my piano colleges here at the Banff Centre: there are too many trees here... The tree-line is high compared to Norway, so even if the altitude is pretty high, trees cover the valley and the lower mountains. But there are plenty of really rocky mountains if you raise your eyes a few degrees. Being a Banff resident is all about trying to get something done between meals. They have buffet 3 times a day in a panoramic restaurant - and we can swipe our artist cards and dig in. And they´ve placed the dessert selection first.. so this is the first thing you see as you go in. White/milk/dark/combo chocolate mousse, apfelstrudel, strawberry cheesecake and it goes on and on. My plan was to actually loose some weight while I was here. Well.. we´ll see about that.

I have a beautiful practice studio here. It´s quite spacious. When I was practicing the first day to try out the piano, which was a Boesendorfer, the head of the music program Barry Shiffman locked himself into my room. He then asked if everything was ok, and I said yes. Then he said.. oh no, you have the Boesendorfer piano, I hate that piano. It´s not good enough. Then he got hold of 4-5 movers to CARRY a C7 Yamaha from a different room into my studio. And it is much better.. but still. Well, we feel like we´re really taken care of to put it that way. Thanks Barry!! We had visitors this weekend, The Lawrence String Quartet and the composer John Adams. They did a concert on Saturday presenting Haydn, Ravel and Adams string quartet. The Adams piece was a Canada premiere and they´re recording it on CD at this very moment right down the hall here. The Lawrence Quartet was really spectacular. Quite an experience! Then we met John Adams in a conversation yesterday afternoon. He´s probably The most recognized contemporary composer in the US nowadays. The Banff Centre in general is a very vibrant and updated place. Creativity seems to be the first priority, and there´s a big emphasis on contemporary music.

I´m doing my first public appearance here on Friday. I´ll present a 20 minute excerpt of the Nordic Elegance program for the "Friday night concert out" series in Rolston Hall. Besides this I´m starting to get to know people. The atmosphere here is very open and supportive it seems and people are very passionate and aware of what they´re doing. I think art is a way of liberating people. Many artists seem to have a "global consciousness" without strong geographical or national attachments. Especially when they meet in Banff... People come from all over the world. And many of them have moved several times in their lives already. The bad thing about a strong relationship to language or a nation is that it creates boundaries. Actually, all attachments create boundaries. This is a very spiritual concept. So.. is it really that important to guard purity of language or national heritage? I´m just asking... Things evolve whether we want it or not, it´s the Law of Nature. Nothing is exactly the same for even a fraction of a second. The past is an illusion, it´s psychological. This is the dilemma of culture. Is it important to guard the heritage of lutefisk for instance? It´s an old way of preserving fish by drying it and then trying to bring it back to life by adding chemicals. Same thing with language. Language is all about communicating. But we make it into an important cultural factor. We identify with it and let it become part of our identity. This is actually the beauty of coming to an English speaking country for a long time without having English as a first language. This is also the beauty of traveling around for a while observing other people in various cultures within the US. It´s a big liberation because the identity I carry after having spent all my life in Trondheim area of Norway speaking a certain Norwegian dialect is much easier to drop. And identities like this are something we pick up from the culture we live in. They are not the real You. They are societal. Like masks or roles we play. I don´t agree that the identity of a person comes from all the engrams we pick up as we walk our path on planet earth - the morality, way of behaviour, fashion, language, name, memories from past, school, parents etc etc etc. (there are even deeper layers to this.) And I don´t accept that "that´s just the way it is." These are just external conditionings that have become part of our mental setup. Our true nature is beyond this. So breaking up from your "identity," detaching from all cultural factors and all that is NOT about losing touch with reality and following the ego. It´s the exact other way around. It´s about detaching from the ego and realizing what reality really is!

US tour and Banff

Hi! I´m writing this blog from lovely Banff in Alberta, Canada. This is one of the most scenic spots in Canada and it´s quite a tourist attraction in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I´m going to stay here for 2X3 months doing a long-term creative artist residency at the Banff Centre. I did a 4-week short term residency in February 2008, but this will be the real thing! Now I have a unique chance to update my technique, learn a lot of music and really do all the things that I´ve been thinking of doing but never got the chance to do. So there will be 5 months (2,5 + 2,5 actually) of intense and compressed work. But recreation is never a problem in these environments.. pool, jacuzzi, bar, panoramic restaurant, hotel room and of course wonderful scenery with plenty of hiking trails and skiing. So recovery and relaxation is also compressed here! 

I flew in from Seattle this morning after the Nordic Elegance tour part 2 to the north western USofA. I was on the road for 4 weeks doing 14 concerts. It was a lot of fun, great variety of audience (both in age and size), many different pianos to adapt to, quite a lot of driving and so forth. It´s a challenge to keep the energy and inspiration up when you do a concert program that many times. But it went well and it was a success everywhere. But my mind is very focused on Banff now and I really think this will be a wonderful period. I´ve done the Nordic Elegance program over 30 times this year and in between tours I finished my masters in Trondheim playing Scriabin + Grieg concerto in Moldova. I also "swallowed" a huge amount of music this summer accompanying singers. So now I feel very ready to start a new progressive circle of ideas, development and action. I´ll work on new pieces related to technical work now, early Beethoven, Scarlatti, Rachmaninov and some crazy difficult etudes. Then I´ll prepare new program(s) after Christmas! I think one of them will be called "From Grieg to Gershwin." I won´t go into details yet, but I think it has great potential. I´ll also pick up a whole lot of pieces I´ve played over the years and re-study them with updated technique and artistic insight. I´ll also do some physical and spiritual experiments concerning for instance yoga, meditation, exercise and diet. And this is a perfect place to do such things. Now I can have routines for the first time in a LONG time for instance. We also live in a "bubble" here where you don´t have to worry about anything from the so-called real world. So all these things are much easier to accomplish because you don´t have to adapt to anything at all. 

I´ll tell you more next Sunday! Because this blog will be updated every Sunday from now on. I have no idea what I´ll write, because I just start to write and I don´t know where I´ll end up... See ya!

USA tour

Hey!

How you doin´? I´m back in the USA now! The Nordic Elegance tour part2 is rockin´ and rollin´ again. I´ve done 2 concerts so far, one in Lynnwood and one in Bellingham, Washington. Right now I´m in Anacortes, a very charming little coastal town up in the north-western corner of the United States. I had the day off today, so I went for a 85 minutes ferry sight-seeing to Friday Harbor. That´s another charming little town located on the San Juan Island. It was sure nice to get some good breaths of fresh air, some sunshine and Norwegian summer temperatures. Very relaxing and nice day. 

Just to give you a brief summary of my travel so far... I came from Norway 10 days ago and landed in Phoenix, AZ where I visited my good friends from the Sons of Norway lodge in Scottsdale and had a meeting at the Steinway Store about a possible future performance. After that I went to Palm Springs (from hot to hot in other words...) and met with some other people that could be interested in a performance. But my main purpose for the trip to California was to visit professor Kevin Fitz-Gerald at the University of Southern California. I had 3 private lessons with him. It´s really nice to get some advise about how to work and develop. And as you might also know, I´ll be spending in total 6 months as a long term artist resident at the Banff Centre in Banff, AB, Canada. I´ll work hard there to try to really unleash my full potential as a human being and pianist. (First human, then musician. Quote: Edvard Grieg.) Then I´ll hopefully go to India for 3 months to get rid of any remaining ego and become God. Me? Ambitious? Hehe. 

Anyway, the tour has 12 remaining concerts, but I´ll have a 1 week break after tomorrows concert in Stanwood. The reason is Labor Day weekend. I´ll go to a retreat place at the Whidbey Island to have my vacation at the lovely Earth Sanctuary. I´ve been working pretty much constantly all year, so 7 days totally off will be just fine. I´m also realizing that my Nordic Elegance program is pretty hard. It takes a lot of physical and mental energy. That´s a challenge, but a very healthy challenge. What concerns me a bit is that the attendance is generally lower than it was in 2007. This is not because of bad advertisement. I think it´s because of the economy and the financial crisis. It´s not that people can´t afford to go to a concert, it´s just that they THINK they can´t afford to go to a concert. I think that people are reluctant to go out and do things. It´s the same story all over the place according to the people I talk to. It´s a real pity, and a bit disturbing for a freelance musician. Right now I rely on attendance to get my income. If this goes on I would have to do things differently... So I suggest you get your butt out of that chair and come to the concert. I´ll give you a good experience and interesting information about Norwegian music, and you´ll give me money so I can go to India. Sounds like a deal to me. Ok? Ok. 

Money is a real pain by the way. But I want it and I have to admit that. And the only reason why I want it is because I want to spend it. There´s so many things I want to do in life. That´s all! You can´t put a price tag on music, on experience.. but we´re left with no choice. Isn´t it funny? Most people agree that you can´t put a dollar mark on an experience, it could be music, arts, nature or anything else that has to do with love... life... meaning... sincerity... spirituality and so forth. But if there´s just a little disturbance in the stock market, this is the first thing we let go of. Isn´t it wierd? Do you see how f***** up it really is? Oohh, it feels good to be straight and potentially provocative :-) By the way, there´s a big difference between spirituality and organized religion. Organized religion is dogmatized, externalized spirituality based on fear and greed and it´s pretty dangerous. I see organized religion as a misunderstanding of spiritual ideas. Combine it with organized politics and you´re really screwing up Nature´s plan. I watched a stand up show by the late Bill Hicks the other day. He was a very straight, angry and obnoxious guy with the most noble and subtle ideas and intentions you can imagine. He said something about his political point of view (this was in the early 90s): ".. it´s not that I disagree with Bush´s economic policy or foreign policy. It´s just that I believe he´s the child of Satan here to destroy the planet Earth." Humand mind/Ego=fear and greed. Society=manifestation of the collective Mind/Ego=fear and greed. 

I think I´ll end this blog with another quote from Bill Hicks. A rather brilliant one. 

"Life is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go it you think it´s real because that´s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round, it has thrills and chills and it´s very brightly colored and it´s loud. And it´s fun... for a while. Some people has been on this ride for a long time, and they begin to question: is this real? Or is it just a ride? And other people have remembered and they come back to us and say: hey, don´t worry, don´t be afraid, ever, because... it´s just a ride. And we......... kill those people...."shut him up.. we have a lot invested in this ride.. SHUT HIM UP. Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account. And my family. This just HAS to be real." It´s just a ride.. But we always kill those people who try to tell us that. Do you ever notice that?.. And let the demons run amok. But it doesn´t matter because... it´s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It´s only a choice, no effort, no worry, no work, no savings of money, just a choice right now between fear and love. The eyes of fear wants you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns and close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as One. Here´s what we can do to change the world right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defense each year, and instead spend it feeding, clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over - not one single being excluded. And we can explore space together, both inner and outer. Forever. In peace."

Working working

Hi again. I hope you´re not too disappointed that I´m not updating the blog every Sunday. I intend to do so when the summer is over and I move to Banff. Because I got the confirmation now. I WILL go to Banff in Canada for 6 months and surround it with tours in the US. It´s certainly nice to know that for a fact now. In the meantime I´m working like crazy to earn some money. I´ve spend July playing a couple of gigs with the gypsy music orchestra Trio Troika. I also did a spanish concert with two sopranos at the Norwegian Opera (the new magnificent building you know..) and for the past days I´ve been working with the opera the Magic Flute in Stjørdal. I´m in the busiest period now with the singing master class right around the corner. There are 16 singers, and I have to be prepared to play with all of them. What a pile of music... And I´m going to play 10am-0615pm every day. But I kinda look forward to it. I think it will be nice. 

The good thing about doing so many things during a summer is that you are forced not to worry. What I mean is that the only thing you can do is let go when the project is finished and proceed to the next one. And then you have a pile of music in front of you. And you know that you HAVE to know this by a certain time (just a few days ahead maybe). The quickest and best way of doing that is just doing it without worrying about it. If you only have 1 big concert for a period of time, you start building up expectations, nerves, and potential problems for yourself. Trying too hard is actually a hindrance! And the concept of trying is an action of the mind/ego in itself. But if you´re in the Zone, meaning being in tune with your true Self (meditative state) the effort will be less, the comfort will be higher and the result will be better. You just trust, do it and let go afterwards. I keep saying that performing music is compressed spirituality. And I think that´s a truth in many levels. Because the same thing can be said about performing a piece. If you start thinking and judging during the performance, you´re doomed! Trusting, accepting and letting go is the way. If you think, you can´t be centered on your heart. And if you don´t play from your heart, there won´t be any art coming out of it. 

Another interesting thing about performers and the audience: you will attract what you project. Again, this is a universal truth applied to arts. For example, if you are a very intellectual musician playing with your head, you will attract people who are head-based intellectuals. If you play from your heart (by heart I mean Self/Soul/Zone...), you will touch something else in people. They will be attracted to the performance without knowing exactly why. Die-hard intellectuals will probably not understand what all the fuss is about and find things that should be different or bettered according to the score or tradition or something. I read a review from a concert the other day. It was a performance from a highly respected Norwegian pianist. It was a great great review. I´ve never been crazy about this artist to be honest because I think he´s too intellectual in his approach. But the guy who wrote the review was amazed by the performance. When I read it I noticed that one of the best compliments he gave was "amazing sound production in the middle register of the piano..." I expected something like "touched the souls and hearts etc etc." But no. Then it struck me: the guy who wrote the review must have been highly intellectual in his approach. So he was of course amazed about all the intellectual things the artist did with the instrument and music. 

Anyway.. Paramahamsa Nithyananda says that music will bring the listener to where it comes from. Which is the same thing as I tried to explain. So if the performer is deeply rooted in his Self, maybe even a spiritually enlightened being, the performances will rise people´s consciousness. This is why true art is much more important than people can imagine. Scriabin stated all his life that music (his music) could transform people and rise the consciousness towards Unity. In that case, music is directly related to spirituality and the essence of life on earth. By the way, the word Yoga means Unity. So I guess my quest then is to become enlightened myself. It would be the most important thing I would ever do for myself. And music would be my tool to channel it to whoever is listening. I think this is the true nature and purpose of music. The classical music from India is made on these premises. The old eastern philosophies are build around Enlightenment. To them, the only true meaning of life is to reach the ultimate state of consciousness, Enlightenment. And music is of course connected to this. 

Alright.. it´s time for me to sleep now! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Concerts and vacation

Hi there! It seems like every other week is a good time for a new blog! I haven´t decided it or anything, it just happens. :)

Since last time you heard from me, I´ve done 2 major things. The first one was a great outdoor opera concert. I guess you know that Norway has a new opera house in a place called Bjørvika in Oslo. There is another place in Norway called Bjørvika. That´s a small place on the small island Ytterøy outside Levanger. 10 years ago when the Norwegian government decided to build the new opera house in Bjørvika, a couple of farmers on this island though: hmm, ok! This is the place: http://www.ytteroy.no/pages/bygdetun/program.html. It´s in Norwegian only... So for the past 10 years they´ve had an opera show on this lawn between the buildings. This year we had 600 in the audience! That´s about 100 above sell-out! But everyone is welcome if they bring their own chair. It´s really a special thing. Since I joined as a pianist 4 years ago, the weather has been great every time. That´s close to a miracle in this part of the world. 

Usually we´re 2 pianist for this event, but I was on my own this year. So I had my plate full. But it was a lot of fun. Immediately after my return from this island, I had to start preparing for the non-piano activities this summer. Because I´ll do 4 performances with Trio Troika. You can visit their website for more information. But it is a gypsy trio consisting of violin, double bass and accordion. Soo... I´m digging out my accordion to perform with them this summer. I almost never play the accordion any more. But this is a really fun thing to do! A lot of energy and passion in the gypsy music. There will be 3 festivals this summer, Frosta, Frøya and Vanylven + a gig here in Trondheim. The first one, Frosta, is coming up this Saturday. 

As you understand, this summer is pretty much packed. And that´s really my own choice. I wanted to work like crazy this summer to earn some money. My trip to Banff, which still isn´t 100% confirmed, will stop income for 6 months. And I also have a dream of going to India for 3 months next summer. But I did have 3-4 days off at the end of last week. The weather has been exceptionally good for a period now. So I decided to take some time off and relax. I´ve done some sunbathing, had a massage and some other spa-like treatment, listened to music, watching several episodes of the old comedy classic Cheers etc. But now I´m back in business and have plenty of things to learn within this week. Next week I´ll actually perform in the lobby in the new opera house in Oslo! They have a summer daytime concert series there. I will do an all Spanish program with to great sopranos from the national opera school located in Oslo. That will be a blast! More on that next time!