The cooperation with Maja S. K. Ratkje started with me approaching her about a commission for the P.h.d. project with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.
This is what I wrote to her in an email 25/5-2023:
«At the moment I am doing an artistic research project where I look critically upon the conductor's role. I guess I have a frustration over a limited creative space as a performer in the symphonic world. Therefore I have started to expand my movements towards dance and performance. And to work a bit with improvisation, both through physical movement, graphical scores and projects based on artistic cooperations.
These have been experimental projects apart from my conducting profession, but now I have the possibility to include some of this work in a symphonic setting. By using the traditional concert hall and the orchestra in these explorations I will probably push some boundaries for both myself and them.
I just got confirmation from SSO that they will give me some days in August 2025 for my PhD concert.
It would be cool if there could be some element of co-composition so that the research can be integrated into the piece.
I picture myself doing something performative in the piece or/also that I’ll be using conducting in another/dancing way.»
Then she called me.
It appeared that Maja already had a commission from the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and she got the idea that perhaps we could combine the two. She contacted her editor and they approached the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra to clarify the details with them. This took about a year, I really had to trust the process and wait, and luckily it worked out.
Important to note here since I refer to the email I wrote, is that the piece did not become a co-composition, my intention with writing it was to indicate that I wanted some kind of cooperation around the topics of my research project. Maja S K. Ratkje decided to composed a piece with parts that are very free for the conductor and musicians to create together. She also created those freer parts in a way that the conductor has to find new ways of conducting in order to fulfill the desired musical intentions.
I think this is a stroke of genius because this piece will forever challenge conductors to expand their physical language creatively in interaction with the orchestra. Based on Torrence’s model I had an advising role in this collaboration.
(How) To Play The Ocean
by Maja S. K. Ratkje 2025
Commissioned by Stavanger Symphony Orchestra as part of the project "Essence of Stavanger" in connection to the city's 900 anniversary.