Ultima / Ilan Volkov

When wolves take over a Wagner opera, a Bavarian mythical creature is transformed into sound, and Stravinsky's nightingale sings in a symphonic poem, the stage is set for an extraordinary concert. We open the Ultima Festival with two Norwegian premieres: Øyvind Torvund's dreamlike electronic universe and Kristine Tjøgersen's Wolpertinger, inspired by German taxidermists and the strange creatures of the Alpine forest.

In this concert, we encounter three composers who each explore the orchestral sound in new ways. Common to all three works is that they challenge what an orchestra can be: not merely an ensemble of acoustic instruments, but also a source of dreamlike soundscapes, electronic experiments, and imaginative transformations.