Other Minds presents Norwegian composer Øyvind Torvund's Exotica, performed by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players on Monday, June 6, 2022 at the 490-seat Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. OM will additionally send out an advance pdf copy of the program to its 8,500 email list subscribers.
Torvund's Exotica re-imagines in collage form the chunky edifice of those Fifties and Sixties popular styles categorized variously as ‘exotica’ or ‘lounge,’ together with a wealth of historical reference points, from early electronic composition to cartoon music. But rather than the flip pastiche or cracking-a-nut-with-a sledgehammer cynicism that often characterizes high culture or avant-garde encounters with popular forms, Torvund’s attitude to his sources appears genuinely knowledgeable and affectionate.
The performance will be followed by a discussion between the composer and Other Minds Artistic & Executive Director Charles Amirkhanian.
Reservations and artwork are due May 3rd. Artwork should be emailed to Other Minds Creative Director, Mark Abramson, at mark@otherminds.org. Artwork should be sent as a 300 dpi pdf in CMYK color.