Banshee

Motvind Records continues to collaborate with musician and composer Signe Emmeluth in an attempt to present art music that emphasizes deep listening, reflection and expressive emotions.

Vossajazz is a really cool jazz festival, it has a rich program history and are still holding the line. They’ve commissioned many works from composing jazz musicians, and one of the more unpredictable and surprising pieces that has come in recent years was BANSHEE by the alto saxophonist and composer Signe Krunderup Emmeluth, which was premiered there in 2021. A remarkable group of 7 uncompromising musicians performed in Gamlekinoen in Voss. For those of us who were present, it gave a feeling of witnessing something to which one could not act indifferently, but what was this work really about?

It is fascinating that ancient traditions keep reappearing in contemporary works of art. Emmeluth has based this piece on Irish mysticism, specifically the figure of the Banshee, who, through the use of a loud voice, comes with a warning of death and grief. At first glance, this may seem somewhat frightening and disturbing, but death must not be taboo, because death reminds us of life. Memento mori and Carpe diem is the true face of Janus. Emmeluth herself asks the questions, what do we want to experience while we exist? What did we leave behind? Are we actually present?

So it becomes clear to us. The work, which has now been revised and produced into a vinyl record and, by extension, is therefore for sale as a work of art, is about time. Time, isn't that all we’ve got? Not easy to say that, because our perception of time is to the greatest extent influenced by our physical experience of time. So, without using goal-line technology, we here and now grant the act of being present a shared first place with time in the competition for what is all we’ve got. This is actually relevant, because the piece BANSHEE works concretely with the physical aspects of music through an examination of the power of the harmony of voices. All the musicians sing and scream. The physicality also manifests itself in the use of interference, the broad frequency spectrum (which is highlighted throughout this well-produced record) as well as the volume and intensity of the expression - these are powerful matters.