Amalie Stalheim - Knut Vaage: Relieff, Refleks, Rite (2024) Hi-Res

Knut Vaage is a Norwegian composer and performer of improvisational and contemporary music. He is particularly interested in the meeting between conservative forms and modern aesthetics.

Vaage is a trained pianist and composer at the Bergen Conservatory of Music from 1985 to 1990 and has since lived in Bergen.

Central to his work is the exploration of the borderland between free improvisation and composition. The results of this research are presented, among other things, on the record JKL: 8.–10. December (1998) with the trio JKL (Jørgen Træen, Knut Vaage and Lars-Erik ter Jung).

Another important part of the work is the score-based compositions, which make up the majority of his output. Many of the compositions are based on various contrasts between conservative forms and more radical expressions. The dialogic is a central tool in Vaage's work. In Orkesterdialogar it becomes part of form and instrumentation. In the multiMORF series, the dialogue reflects the relationship between acoustic sound and electronics. In Relief and Rite, dialogue is the basis for the relationship between soloist and orchestra.

Among important score-based works are Movements (1996/98) for sinfonietta, the opera Nokon kjem til å komme (2000), based on Jon Fosse's skodespel of the same name, Hokkaidos hagar (2004) for piano and orchestra and Tjat (2005) for orchestra . Vaage has also set texts by Erling Indreeide, Hanne Bramness, Ove Røsbak and Ragnvald Vaage to music.

Vaage has been leader of Ny Musikk Bergen, Autunnale (1994–1997) and Avgarde (2006–2008).