Places of Worship on the Road in New Opera North Commission

Press Release

16 February 2016

PLACES OF WORSHIP ON THE ROAD IN NEW OPERA NORTH COMMISSION

Norwegian jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen takes his hugely acclaimed album Places of Worship to some appropriate locations this May with multimedia concerts in three historic English buildings commissioned by Opera North.

Taking inspiration from sacred sites and ruins, Henriksen’s 2013 recording Places of Worship is largely improvised, his trumpet often sounding more like a flute or a human voice, his playing rooted both in the glorious geography of his native country and in the contemporary built environment. On its release, critics underscored the album’s striking originality by reaching for wildly diverse comparisons including Miles Davis, Norwegian folk music and ancient choral works.

For these live dates, two of his collaborators on the album, Jan Bang (samples) and Eivind Aarset (guitar) will join him to create a sound-world that is mesmeric and all-encompassing, founded on incredibly intuitive communication and improvisation. Video artist and stage designer Anastasia Isachsen will provide visuals, responding to the music as it unfolds with projections and lighting especially designed for each venue to create an intense, unique audio-visual experience.

This year’s tour follows on from Henriksen’s concert at the Howard Assembly Room, Leeds in 2015, for which Opera North commissioned original visuals from Isachsen.

Jo Nockels, Projects Manager, Opera North, commented:

“Arve’s concert in Leeds was an unforgettable event, and we immediately saw the potential for taking the music out into the kinds of architecturally interesting, responsive spaces that inspired it. We felt that Anastasia’s work provided the perfect counterpoint to Arve’s sonics: her reactions to the shifting structures of the music reinforce the strong sense of atmosphere and make for an incredibly powerful experience”.

Performances take place at Europe’s oldest purpose built concert hall, the Holywell Music Room, Oxford on Wednesday 11 May, the spectacular Greek Revival St George's, Bristol (Thursday 12 May), and on Friday 13 May at the oldest of the venues on the tour, LSO St Luke’s in Old Street, London, which was designed in part by the great Nicholas Hawksmoor. Tickets are available from the venues (please see below for listings)

/ENDS

For further information, images or artist interviews, please contact:

Rowland Thomas, Press Officer

0113 233 3522 |

Julia O’Sullivan, Head of Communications

0113 223 3526 | julia.o’

LISTINGS

Arve Henriksen – Places of Worship

Wednesday 11 May, 7.30pm

OCM Holywell Music Room, Oxford

Commissioned by Opera North, this landmark sound and vision project features Norwegian trumpeter/soundscaper Arve Henriksen and his long-term musical collaborators Eivind Aarset (guitar) and Jan Bang (electronics), augmented by live projection and lighting by video artist Anastasia Isachsen.

Tickets; £17 / concessions £12

Box Office: 01865 305 305

ocmevents.org

Arve Henriksen – Places of Worship

Thursday 12 May, 8pm

St George's, Great George Street (off Park Street) Bristol, BS1 5RR

Tickets: £20 / £5 students (limited availability)

Box Office: 0845 40 24 001

stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Arve Henriksen – Places of Worship

Friday 13 May, 7.30pm

LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old St, London EC1V 9NG

Tickets: £20-£25

Box Office: 020 7638 8891

barbican.org.uk

Notes to editors:

Opera North and Opera North Projects

Opera North is England’s national opera company in the North and one of Europe’s leading arts organisations. Opera North is a vibrant, lively organisation which actively challenges conventional perceptions of opera. Breathing new life into the classics, the Company is also a strong advocate of lesser-known works and a champion of musical theatre.

The work of Opera North Projects crosses conventional boundaries, bringing classical and contemporary arts together in an eclectic year-round programme of performance, visual arts commissions, literary events and artistic development. Projects take apart the elements of opera: words, music, visual arts and theatre, and put them back together in new ways.

Opera North Projects produces small-scale touring shows, site specific performance and commissions, together with a rolling programme of artistic residencies. ‘Home’ is the beautifully restored Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, a captivating and flexible performance space whose public programme is curated by the Projects Department.

Work often has an emphasis on collaboration, with recent partners including The Royal Shakespeare Company, the Manchester International Festival, Kneehigh Theatre, The Opera Group and The Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

operanorth.co.uk