Article from the Norwegian publication “Programbladet”,
Nr. 22, 1967, TELEVISION - SUNDAY 9:50pm
The Painter Rolf Aamot has for a long time been working with an art form he is labeling “visual-music”, compositions where musical tools like color tones relationships, harmony and disharmony, darkness and light, dynamics, contrasts etc. is created for the eye. Rolf Aamot has had “concerts” with such compositions in which color also is a significant part. Rolf Aamot has, as an experiment, made a special composition called “Evolution” for television, of course based on black and white. The translation of his technique from screen to television was an interesting attempt, and the resources of television seem to be well suited for this purpose.
Collaboration with composer Arne Nordheim is new in this television version of Rolf Aamot’s “visual music”. Arne Nordheim has used the visual music as a source and composed electronic music, independent and parallel to Aamot’s composition, neither part is supposed to be secondary as an accompaniment to the other.
The two composers will give a short explanation in conversation with Ole Henrik Moe before the composition is shown.
Magne Malmanger wrote in Dagbladet (Norwegian newspaper) a year ago in relation to a performance of Aamot’s “Constellations I” – a visual concert without sound at the Munch Museum: “It seems like Aamot finds the pure painting to be of less power in our time. He wishes to face his audience in a more direct and inescapable way. One has to admit that his visual music in a certain way is active and demands ones attention in a way a painting is hardly capable of doing. Even so, it seems to me that Aamot on an artistic level can seem quite abstract and intellectual, sometimes even a bit cool and distanced. These compositions will likely not appeal to the majority in its current form. We are looking at visual chamber music for specially invited. It is pointless to judge a performance such as this one at the current time. It is also probably by principle impossible to try to give it a meaningful description, simply because it is so far in a category all by itself. The visual music’s expression must also for the same reason be rather general, at this early stage. Such a concert cannot yet be met with expectations that will be confirmed or invalidated. Aamot, with his intellectual standing, would likely be the first one to admit that an absolute visual expression hardly exists. But one can investigate new possibilities and effects. One can start building a new language, a new way of communicating. Aamot is still standing at the beginning. We wish him the best with his continued work.”
Nr. 22, 1967, TELEVISION - SUNDAY 9:50pm
The Painter Rolf Aamot has for a long time been working with an art form he is labeling “visual-music”, compositions where musical tools like color tones relationships, harmony and disharmony, darkness and light, dynamics, contrasts etc. is created for the eye. Rolf Aamot has had “concerts” with such compositions in which color also is a significant part. Rolf Aamot has, as an experiment, made a special composition called “Evolution” for television, of course based on black and white. The translation of his technique from screen to television was an interesting attempt, and the resources of television seem to be well suited for this purpose.
Collaboration with composer Arne Nordheim is new in this television version of Rolf Aamot’s “visual music”. Arne Nordheim has used the visual music as a source and composed electronic music, independent and parallel to Aamot’s composition, neither part is supposed to be secondary as an accompaniment to the other.
The two composers will give a short explanation in conversation with Ole Henrik Moe before the composition is shown.
Magne Malmanger wrote in Dagbladet (Norwegian newspaper) a year ago in relation to a performance of Aamot’s “Constellations I” – a visual concert without sound at the Munch Museum: “It seems like Aamot finds the pure painting to be of less power in our time. He wishes to face his audience in a more direct and inescapable way. One has to admit that his visual music in a certain way is active and demands ones attention in a way a painting is hardly capable of doing. Even so, it seems to me that Aamot on an artistic level can seem quite abstract and intellectual, sometimes even a bit cool and distanced. These compositions will likely not appeal to the majority in its current form. We are looking at visual chamber music for specially invited. It is pointless to judge a performance such as this one at the current time. It is also probably by principle impossible to try to give it a meaningful description, simply because it is so far in a category all by itself. The visual music’s expression must also for the same reason be rather general, at this early stage. Such a concert cannot yet be met with expectations that will be confirmed or invalidated. Aamot, with his intellectual standing, would likely be the first one to admit that an absolute visual expression hardly exists. But one can investigate new possibilities and effects. One can start building a new language, a new way of communicating. Aamot is still standing at the beginning. We wish him the best with his continued work.”