“This is the world. More beautiful than we like to know, and more fragile, more delicate than we can bear.”
The collaboration between Mansur Rajih and Liv Runesdatter spans over ten years, with Liv’s music for Mansur’s poetry being conveyed through more than 350 concerts in Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, and in collaboration with musicians from Azerbaijan, Syria, Iran, Baluchistan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Norway.
In Likevel synger de (Nevertheless, They Sing), a musical universe is created where rhythmic and harmonic structures, and ornamentation from the Ottoman Empire, meet related harmonic structures from the folk music tradition of the Haugean movement in Vestfold.
It´s quite an exceptional ensemble performing in this concert!
- Mansur Rajih – recitation
- Liv Runesdatter – vocals
- Ahmad Al-Khatib – oud
- Torben Snekkestad – saxophone and clarinet (NO)
- Youssuf Hbeish – percussionist
- Harpreet Bansal – violin
- Svante Henryson – cello
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Liv Runesdatter’s embracing and critically acclaimed career as a singer, composer and artist spans over 25 years. She tours extensively worldwide and has collaborated with artists from over 30 different countries.
Mansur Rajih came to Norway from Yemen almost 25 years ago as Norway’s first «city of refuge» writer. He was a political prisoner for 15 years, while also being referred to as Yemen’s national poet in modern times. After his release, he has worked as both a poet and human rights activist, and he has published four critically acclaimed poetry collections in Norwegian. His most recent collection, «Der trærne sto» (Where the Trees Stood), was released in the autumn of 2021.
Ahmad Al Khatib is considered one of the world’s top three oud players. He is Palestinian, born and raised in a refugee camp in Jordan, where his family has been settled since being forced to flee in the 1960s. He began learning the oud early and, after completing his studies, moved to Ramallah to teach. In 2002, the political situation forced him to leave Palestine, and in 2004, he settled in Sweden, where he currently works as a teacher and lecturer at the University of Gothenburg. He has collaborated with many of the leading figures in Arabic music, released several albums, and toured in the Middle East, India, the USA, Europe, and Brazil.
Swedish Svante Henryson is a unique musician. He is a virtuoso on three instruments, an orchestra composer, and an outstanding improviser across musical genres and languages. Whether it’s jazz ensembles, world music, rock bands (including collaborations with Yngwie Malmsteen), or symphony orchestras, the expression of Svante Henryson’s cello is immediately recognizable. As a double bassist, he has been the principal bassist for both the Oslo Philharmonic and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. He has composed music for smaller ensembles, concertos for cello and electric bass guitar, symphonic music, church music, chamber music, and jazz. Among the performers he has composed for are Anne-Sofie von Otter, Elvis Costello, Martin Fröst, and Roland Pöntinen. As an improviser, he has collaborated with Steve Gadd, Jon Balke, Terje Rypdal, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Wayne Krantz, and Arve Henriksen, among others. He has received numerous awards, including Chamber Music Piece of the Year in 2010 for Sonata for Solo Violin (Swedish Music Publishers’ Association), Jazz Musician of the Year («Jazzkatten») from Swedish Radio in 2014, and the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2015.
Harpreet Bansal has established herself in recent years as one of Norway’s most fascinating musicians. Her unique approach to the deep-rooted Indian raga tradition draws inspiration from jazz, folk music and contemporary classical music. She is one of Norway’s most sought-after performers, regularly appearing at prestigious festivals at home and abroad. She has performed her music as soloist with such distinguished ensembles as The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and The Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
Harpreet has released three albums on the Jazzland Recordings label with her group Harpreet Bansal Band, for which she has garnered a Norwegian Grammy Nomination (2019) and the prestigious NOPA Awards (2021). Her latest album Parvat, where she appears with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, was nominated in six categories for the OPUS Klassik awards in 2022.
Harpreet plays a violin made by Giovanni Batista Rogeri in 1690, generously provided by the Dextra Musica Foundation.
Over the years, Torben Snekkestad has explored vast areas of music in a reflected and open-minded way. From free improvisation and jazz playing as a leader and sideman, to classical chamber music playing and as a soloist with symphony orchestras/sinfonietta. With a distinct poetic ear, extremely extended playing techniques, intuitive improvisations, evocative compositional use of structure and textures, he has been one of the inspiring Scandinavian saxophonists around. Performed and worked with: Barry Guy, Nate Wooley, Maja S.K. Ratkje, Koichi Makigami, Thomas Strønen, Arve Henriksen, Søren Kjærgaard, Raymond Strid, Peter Evans, Augusti Fernandez, Paal Nilssen-Love, Andrew Cyrille, Jon Balke and Cikada String Quartet, among others.
Youssef Hbeisch is an Arab percussionist of Palestinian origin, who developed contemporary ways of playing and combining complex Arabic rhythms. He plays along some of the most prominent musicians in the Arab region and beyond: Simon Shaheen (Ud player), Süleyman Erguner (Ottoman and Sufi music), Aka Moon (modern jazz), Ibrahim Maalouf (world fusion), Bratsch (gypsy , balkan), the Oriental Music Ensemble (classical Middle Eastern) and Trio Joubran. He gives university seminars and master classes in various countries. Animating percussion workshops in a perspective of therapy by art, for battered women, children with disabilities and prisoners, is close to his heart.
