On Oct.17, 2021, more than 150 young musicians premiered Nils Henrik Asheim's "Se Skogen" (See the Forest). The 18 minutes piece is scored for orchestra with extra groups of oboes, bassoons, harps, double basses and two organists. Se Skogen was commissioned as a recruitment project for these so-called endangered instruments. The number of players in the "focus groups" is flexible, only limited by space in the hall, and on the premiere both beginners and experienced players joined forces. Torodd Wigum conducted the NUSO - Norwegian Youth Symphony Orchestra.

lwc1221 nynorsk messingkvintett nils henrik asheim hornflowers cover

I really like this album. Lawo has compiled five works of Nils Henrik Asheim (f. 1960) involving brass instruments [...] and what a lively and varied programme they make up.
https://www.klassiskmusikk.com/cd-anmeldelser/hornflowers/

Nils Henrik Asheim develops a lively and varied language [...] he shapes his music in a narratively poetic way.
https://www.pizzicato.lu/die-untersuchung-der-schonheit/

The ease in Asheim's handling of musical ideas, often tied to a construction of interesting tensions, are felt from the first note [...] presented with skill and assurance.
https://www.morgenbladet.no/kultur/musikk/2021/09/17/blomster-i-messing/

On this recording, NyNorsk Messingkvintett are presenting some new and some slightly older pieces that really enrich the repertoire. [...] a musical result that is both descriptive and fascinating to listen to.
https://klassiskcd.blogspot.com/2021/08/messingens-vide-klang.html

Here Asheims shows his individuality as a composer. He makes this seeming chaos sound beautiful. Wild outbursts without tonality alternate with recognizable chords, arpeggi and melodic fragments. The balance between the unsettling and the soothing is wonderful.
https://www.ballade.no/kunstmusikk/heftige-primalskrik-og-pastellfarget-musikkbotanikk/

Nils Henrik Asheim fikk tildelt Musikkforleggerprisen 2021 som "Årets opphaver" i klassen klassisk/samtid. I samme klasse gikk prisen for Årets verk til Helge Iberg for «Songs from the Planet of Life» og Årets gjennombrudd til Kjetil Djønne.

jazzknappleik sluttfotoNils Henrik Asheim var kurator for Jazzknappleik 2021 på Tou Scene i Stavanger. Konsert 1 onsdag 16.juni var på Scene 2, det rommet hvor Tou Scenes første konserter fant sted nøyaktig 20 år tidligere.  Konsert 2 torsdag 17.juni var i Maskinhallen, rommet som ble innviet for nøyaktig 10 år siden.  Jazzinorge sendte Filip Roshauw som skrev to svært grundige og interessante anmeldelser:

https://jazzinorge.no/anmeldelse/friimpro-pa-samleband/

https://jazzinorge.no/.../tjue-musikere-med-papirposer.../

Jazzknappleiken ble til på initiativ av Paal Nilssen-Love og Jens Borge, og involverte dessuten musikerne Agnes Hvizdalek, Dorothea Økland, Gro Austgulen, Bjørnar Habbestad, Simen Kiil Halvorsen, Heidi Kvelvane, Elisabeth Lid Trøen, Aksel Ø. Røed, Kristoffer Alberts, Per Zanussi, Øyvind Skarbø, Kristian Enkerud Lien, Sigbjørn Apeland, Isach Skeidsvoll, Pål Asle Pettersen, Adrian Tvedten og John Hegre.

 

New disc out on Hudson Records. "Angrusori", a collaboration between Slovak Roma musicians and Kitchen Orchestra, led by Iva Bittová and Nils Henrik Asheim.  Full release May 7 2021. Already acclaimed by critics:

"The result is a mesmerizing and moving glimpse of the soul of a secluded society, told through a musical fusion that foregrounds tradition: timeless songs of heartbreak, illness and poverty take centre stage, augmented by the subtlest of improvisatory gambits". (The Wire Magazine)

"I would say that within the framework of Angrusori a new, multi-layered aesthetics got life, [...] All in all, an amazing project that I sincerely recommend to all lovers of non-standard music." (Jazzquad, Russia)

"The result is a spontaneous and fascinating work. Lyrics and popular narratives blend with melancholy and unbridled rhythms. Significant." 5/5 (Il Manifesto, Italia)

"Brilliant musicianship, vocalists with soul, inventiveness, guts, courage, perfect balance between past and present." 6/6 (Stavanger Aftenblad, Norway)

 

Grader av hvitt (Degrees of white), a monodrama for speaking voice and orchestra, by Johan Harstad (text) and Nils Henrik Asheim (music). Laila Goody / Petronella Barker, The Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra / Christian Eggen.  Electronic sounds by Lasse Marhaug. Double CD (Norwegian & English version). LAWO classics LWC 1206.

Listen here

Buy physical CD

lwc1206 asheim grader av hvitt degrees of white cover

Pelikanen forlag har utgitt boka "Lydkilder - tekster omkring Nils Henrik Asheims musikalske praksis". 

Den kan bestilles her: https://pelikanen.no/boker/lydkilder

Hild Borchgrevink har redigert boka, hvor et knippe kunstnere og teoretikere skriver om temaer som knytter seg til Nils Henrik Asheims mangfoldige virke. I tillegg skriver Asheim om sitt eget arbeid og tar oss med inn i musikalske prøver, plateinnspillinger, skriveprosesser og planlegging av konserter.

 

lydkilder cover liten

The critics are praising the new album LAMENT by Det Norske Solistkor, featuring Nils Henrik Asheim's Muohta.

"Asheim manages to make his responses obvious, lucid and evocative [...] it’s a remarkable achievement on many levels, not least that of the bigger picture formed from these small mosaics."

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/lament-works-by-hagen-asheim-and-nordheim

"...dette verket er så vesentlig at det burde stå i platehyllen til enhver musikkelsker."
"...this is such an important piece of music that it should be found in every music lover's shelf"

https://www.musikkritikk.no/solistkoret-lament/

"...det skal godt gjøres å sette sammen en mer levende representativ trio for å vise frem det beste i norsk kor-komposisjon."
"...it's hard to put together a more representative trio of composers to display the best in Norwegian choral music"

https://www.klassiskmusikk.com/cd-anmeldelser/lament/

"Muohta er eit vellukka verk, underfundig og skifterikt".
"Muohta succeeds completely as a musical work, subtle and rich on transformations"

https://www.dagogtid.no/musikk/-truger-i-skare-6.3.16968.3ad199685e

"Noen ganger sitter man igjen med en følelse av å ha tilbrakt en time som et senter for en uimotståelig formidling av den absolutte velklang"
"There are times when you are left with the impression of having spent an hour in a hotspot for irresistible sonic beauty"

https://klassiskcd.blogspot.com/2020/08/den-magiske-stemmen.html