The new Poing Album “Almost Classic” out now
On the album Almost Classic, POING pays a visit to the classical repertoire: music of Mahler and Tchaikovsky is arranged by the musicians, or recomposed by the contemporary composers Olav Anton Thommessen and Eivind Buene. In Eivind Buene's Mahler Mixtapes, Mahler's songs are sung by the musicians in the trio, with their ordinary voices far from the classical ideal.
The Life of Poing
POING is Rolf-Erik Nystrøm on saxophones, Frode Haltli on accordion and Håkon Thelin on double bass. The trio started playing together in 1999, and has been one of the leading ensembles for contemporary music in Scandinavia since.
POING has been presenting contemporary music at unconventional venues, played in clubs and concert halls in most European countries, the US as well as touring in China and Japan. They have played more than 100 first performances and worked in close collaboration with composers such as Bent Sørensen, Terry Riley, Rolf Wallin, Michael Finnissy, Volker Heyn and Helmut Oehring.
The three musicians are each among the world's top performers on their instruments, both as interpreters of notated music and improvisation. Their unique flexibility results in many untraditional commissions that go beyond the usual interpretation, interaction and dissemination of contemporary music. For their work with contemporary music, POING were in 2009 awarded "Performer of the Year" by the Norwegian Society of Composers.
In 2003 POING released their first CD Giants of Jazz on their own label The Legendary Royal Records, with works by Norwegian composers from their own generation. Planet POING was released on Jazzaway Records in 2006, and sur POING, with music specially written for them by Richard Barrett and Helmut Oehring and an improvisation with legendary drummer Paul Lovens, was released on Grappa Musikkforlag in 2016. POING share a longstanding collaboration with composer and singer Maja S. K. Ratkje. As part of their concert series Wach auf! and Kapital & Moral they have performed songs associated with the labor movement and socialism and collaborated with socialist choirs from around the world.
The trio regularly works with musicians from around the world - amongst them Swedish, Swiss, Nepali, Brazilian, American, Azerbaijani, Mongolian, Egyptian, Danish, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Iranian, Mauritanian, Ivorian, Tanzanian, Irish, Faroese, French, Icelandic, Finnish, German, Peruvian, Brazilian, Baltic, Sami, Russian, Bulgarian and Spanish musicians - with roots in different musical styles: folk and traditional or popular music to more experimental expressions.In 2011, POING were artistic directors of the Ultima Festival in Oslo, Scandinavias largest festival for contemporary music.
The Musicians
POING was founded in 1999 by Frode Haltli (accordion), Håkon Thelin (double bass) and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (saxophones).
For POING, the most important has always been to make a difference. Either by realizing a composer's "impossible" dreams, surprise a blased audience by showing that contemporary music is entertaining, and that within entertainment and madness there might exist a strong political commitment and existential depth.
Frode Haltli, Accordion
Frode Haltli, a prodigy on the accordion since age seven, gained acclaim through
national
competitions and global performances. His debut album, "Looking on Darkness," on
ECM,
revealed
his virtuosity and influenced Scandinavian composers. With a repertoire ranging from
contemporary classics to transcultural projects, he showcases versatility both as a
performer
and composer. Now residing in Svartskog, Norway, he focuses on freelance music and
composition.
More about Frode Haltli
Hakon Thelin, Double Bass
Håkon Thelin, a leading figure in contemporary double bass performance, has pioneered
new
techniques and played with top ensembles worldwide. His solo albums, including
"Light,"
earned
critical acclaim, with "Light" winning a Norwegian Grammy. In 2023, he founded
Peninsula
Audio
Records, releasing his innovative compositions. Thelin's influence extends to
teaching
at
the
Norwegian Academy of Music, where he imparts his expertise in double bass and
contemporary
music.
More about Hakon Thelin
Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, Saxophon
Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, a prominent Norwegian saxophonist and composer in contemporary
music,
has
performed globally and contributed to numerous recordings. His debut solo album,
"Concepts
of
Sorrow & Dangers," garnered critical acclaim, earning a nomination for the
Spellemannprisen
award. Nystrøm also composes for stage, documentaries, and chamber ensembles, and
notably
collaborated on the score for the 1911 film "L'Inferno" at the Tysvær horror film
festival
in
2013.
More about Rolf-Erik Nystrøm
The Discography
You can find POINGs Music on Spotify, Soundcloud and other Streaming Services
The Repertoire
Music written for, premiered by and dedicated to POING
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Ásgeirsson, Áki(IS)329with video20098'
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Ballangen, Åge(NO)Ode til en lavstatus Elitestreber20055’
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Balke, Jon(NO)arrangement of "If I Were A Bell"with vocal20025’
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Bartulis, Vidmantas(LT)I Like Souvenirs20127’
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Bratlie, David(DK)Outbursts and embracements200014’
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Chernowin, Chaya(ISR/US)Die Kreuzung19957'
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Gjertsen, Ruben Sverre(NO)New work20??
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Grande, Jono El(NO)The Choco King2004
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Grande, Jono El(NO)Evas Horse Dance2005
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Grande, Jono El(NO)Türbø Meuz Overture2006
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Grande, Jono El(NO)A Really Nice Song2009
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Groven, Gunleik(NO)47.565part 2 also in version POING with sinfonietta200110'
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Groven, Gunleik(NO)Blod!Blod!music for theatre200045'
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Hagen, Lars Petter(NO)Concept of Sorrows & Dangers200312'
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Hagerup, Bendik(NO)Stykke for POING nr. 220095'
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Hegdal, Magne(NO)Mariasjoner og Paradiswith vocal20018'
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Hing-Yan, Chan(CN)When the Wind ReturnsFor POING and Chinese Music Virtuosi200515’
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Hodkinson, Juliana(UK)Passwith various objects and lights201830'
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Holmboe, Torolf A.(NO)Min versjon Selve Amicke og Bryllupsmarsj1999 - 20016'
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Holopainen, Risto(SE)Aufbau/Sediment1999 - 200015'
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Ikeda, Takmi(JP)WYSINWYCSWCS2003 - 200510'
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Ingólfsson, Atli(JP)Compositionincluding the solopieces Radioflakes/2004, Cono di fede/2004, Brain Trill/2006200640'
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Joner, Sverre Indris(NO)Tangere Humanum Est!with obo and piano200213'
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Kõrvits, Tõnu(EST)The Pipe tell it’s time to gowith violin, violoncello and piano200310'
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Kozukara, Hideki(JP)LAPPIS2003
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Krunglevicius, Ignas(LT/NO)Movie/Entry level nr.420025'
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Krunglevicius, Ignas(LT/NO)Death Tape200920'
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Krunglevicius, Ignas(LT/NO)Possessionwith video, electronics201015'
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Lindborg, PerMagnus(SE)RGB-mix 3 - PUGNUS20046’-8’
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Lopez, Jimmy(FI)INCUBUS200820’
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Newski, Sergei(RU)Channel Surfingwith symphony orchestra201015'
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Nikoladze, Koka
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Oehring, Helmut(DE)Sur POINGwith 3 ghettoblasters & movie2006/200760’
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Oh, Seung-Ah(KOR)So-Ri III200210’
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Paus, Marcus(NO)Trio199910’
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Ratkje, Maja Solveig Kjelstrup(NO)Passing Images, waltz2003-2006
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Rohloff, Steingrimur(ISL/DE/DK)Archetyp II20079’
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Skar, Julian(NO)Muldvarpen som ville vite hvem som hadde bæsjet på hodet hanswith Actor
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Steen-Andersen, Simon(DK)Next to besides besides #220052'-10'
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Sunde, Helge(NO)Snøhestenwith vocal20028'
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Sørlie, Stine(NO)In absentia201811'
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Torvund, Øyvind(NO)For he is quite allright (lyrics: Jon Flink)with vocal20025'
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Tsurumi, Sachiyo(JP)SEXTETwith film, shamisen & vocals2003 - 200520'
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Tøsse, Eilert(NO)
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Vogt, Herman(NO)Escher Triptych2009/201212'
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Yamamoto, Hiroyuki(JP)Fareflat20035'
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Yamamoto, Hiroyuki(JP)Scherzo20055'
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Zimmermann, Walter(DE)20 Figurtanze1979/748'
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Aagaard-Nilsen, Torstein(NO)Juleparafrase nr.1 og 2with vocal20019'