Lone Hørslev - Nikolaj Heyman - Bjørn Svin - Christian Windfeld  - Carsten Kær -  Laila Skovmand - Robert Karlsson - Nanna Bech - Moran Le Bars - Ludvig Bøjle Kastberg

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A writer and nine musicians from genres as diverse as classical, rock, avant-garde, jazz, electronic and singer/songwriter have set out to create a 28-hour-long musical piece as a manifesto for our pressured nature - and as a tribute to our important biodiversity.

During the Red List concert, they each enter as species in a musical ecosystem, where they push themselves to the limit with an ambition to expand their own – and the audience's – view of what is really at stake when our biodiversity is endangered.
 

Endangered species of the Red List

The framework of the concert is the Danish so called Redlist - the list of our more than 4.000 Danish endangered species of animals, plants, and fungi. During the 28 hours, the musicians will improvise while the list is recited alphabetically - each hour is dedicated to each letter of the Danish alphabet. Biodiversity is the central theme of the entire concert, both in terms of content as well as artistically.

Nature's likeness to music

Nature is, with us humans as an inextricable part of it, a large and connected ecosystem where the various species are mutually dependent on each other. Biodiversity is a necessity to keep balance. If one species disappears, another takes over, creating a new dynamic. But an imbalance occurs if one species becomes too dominant. And even more so if species become extinct and with them, the role they play. When living conditions change dramatically due to severe climate change, species must adapt drastically and quickly if they are not to become extinct. This applies to plants, animals, and humans alike.

The same applies in music. Not least during improvisation.

Music between dominance and loss

For the Redlist concert, all 10 artists must participate in such an interaction across their very different musical expressions and styles. During the concert's 28 hours, they create their own mini ecosystem, where the artists alternately withdraw and dominate the concert. The concert will be an experiment where they musically explore the survival of the species in the gap between dominance, interaction, and loss. The interaction dies out if the balance is not kept.

 

No one knows in advance how the 28 hours will unfold. Will there be periods when the forces are so worn out that individual instruments must take over and eventually become too worn out themselves? Will the musicians and the writer succeed in continuing to play, listen to each other, give space, take space and, not least, support each other when they must play their way into the second day?

Artistic director Laila Skovmand states:

"It's easy to have the best intentions, but can we really keep faith in the joint project when we are so exhausted that the music might at times fall apart? I really hope that, because we know the energy via the music and the community with the audience can make us much stronger together. Because one thing is certain: being able to create and keep community across individual needs, when crises push us to the extremes, will be paramount for the future.”

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Symbol of man's ability to adapt

The entire work with audience participation becomes a picture of people's ability to cooperate and adapt, not only under controlled conditions, but also when we are pushed into situations where resources are scarce, and the survival instinct must take over. When the slowdown sets in, people are often inclined to be able to focus only on their own needs here and now. With the music as a symbol of life itself, the experiment also becomes a physical examination of the shared survival instinct, when we can both see, hear, and feel that the alternative is for the music to stop.
 

The audience creates important energy

The audience plays an important role! Regardless of what time of day you show up, physically or virtually, it will affect the musicians' energy enormously. And it is up to you whether you want to dance, rest, experience a single hour or more or simply watch the finale, where we hope to end with joint music that involves the audience.

 

If anyone wants to take the whole journey with the musicians, donated works of art will be waiting after the concert.

 

The concert is also live streamed so that an international audience can follow along. When it is night in Denmark and the audience is half asleep in the hall, we can gather energy by knowing that there is an awake audience in, for example, the USA or Brazil, where the company has many Facebook followers.

Who?

The Redlist concert has been developed by the Aarhus international company Between Music, in collaboration with author Lone Hørslev and the musicians Nikolaj Heyman, Bjørn Svin, Carsten Kær and Christian Windfeld.

 

Practical information

Be part of the audience at all times of the day! Come for an hour, come more - or join us for the whole journey. There is room for both dancing and rest.

Pillows can be borrowed on site. Feel free to bring blankets, sleeping mats and something to eat if you feel like it.

Beverages can be purchased at all times at the venue.

Sunday the 10th at 21 a.m. there will be an opportunity to sing for those who may wish to.

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