The Individual and the Entire Tissue

The Individual and the Entire Tissue was commissioned by Figura Ensemble for Figura Festspiele 2024 and is based on poems from Third-Millennium Heart by the Danish poet Ursula Andkjær Olsen. The seven-movement work explores interconnectedness: the relationship between the individual and the surrounding world, the distant, and the infinite universe. At the same time, it reflects on the individual as a self-contained universe, connected both inwardly and outwardly. The composition is structured with two expansive outer movements framing five shorter central movements. Each of the middle movements draws inspiration from a composer, a specific work, or a musical genre, while the outer movements are shaped directly by the poetry itself. Through this architecture, the work creates musical connections that mirror its central themes of inner and outer relationships. The music inhabits a space between composition and improvisation. Alongside soprano Signe Asmussen, the performers are drawn from Figura Ensemble, DR Big Band, New Jungle Orchestra, and Jakob Davidsens Kammerat Orkester, creating a distinctive and richly varied sound world. Founded in 2010 by pianist and composer Jakob Davidsen, Jakob Davidsens Kammerat Orkester is one of Denmark’s leading ensembles exploring the borderland between improvisation and composition. Known for its innovative approach to crossover music, the orchestra has performed widely in Denmark and abroad, received a Danish Music Award Jazz for Special Release of the Year in 2012, and was honored by the Danish Arts Foundation for the interdisciplinary project Lend Art Your Ear. The ensemble has collaborated with numerous international artists and has developed a particularly close artistic partnership with Figura Ensemble in recent years.

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Signe Asmussen - Soprano Ursula Andkjær Olsen - Lyrics Anders Banke - Saxophone & clarinet Gunnar Halle - Trumpet Thommy Andersson - Bass Frans Kordelin Hansen - Percussion Jacob Davidsen - Piano / composer Cæcilie Balling - Violin Tobias van der Pals - Cello