"The Height Of The Reeds" started as a commissioned work to the city of Hull, Great Britain´s cultural capital 2017. Composed by Arve Henriksen, Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang, the work celebrates the longstanding seafaring relationship between Hull and Scandinavia. It was originally the musical companion to a sound walk that took place in April, May and June 2017. Those who took part could listen to the music on headphones while crossing the Humber Bridge. Initially intended for April only, the arrangement proved so popular it ended up with selling out three months, a total of 15.000 tickets.
Whether it will be repeated in the future remains to be seen, but at least the evocative music can now be experienced on this release. Only minor adjustments have been done to justify the transition from sound walk to album.
Other than Henriksen, Aarset and Bang, the work includes important contributions from Hull sound artist Jez Riley French, providing field recordings from the bridge itself: the river below, the noise of engines, the creaking of steel wires, wheels against asphalt and the song of the reeds in the wind. Opera North´s choir and orchestra provides the necessary musical space for the soloists, and two actors and a child are reading from translated poems by Norwegian poet Nils Christian Moe-Repstad.
This is a beautiful addition to Arve Henriksen´s large and fast growing discography, and sits well with his very popular Jan Bang collaborations "Chiaroscuro" (2004) and "Places Of Worship" (2013).
