Matka

When hunger and predators make it too dangerous for the small Kven family to stay in their hometown, the only choice is to travel to find safety. The father is getting old, and the mother is pregnant, but they understand that they must leave the place where their people have lived since time immemorial. It will be a long arduous trip through changing seasons, not least for the 12-year-old son. He must tear up his roots and grow up fast. Many challenges await, but also new knowledge. He learns from his parents to cope with the capricious elements. Life in nature is hard but can also be rewarding. The family meets several animals on the road, some helpful, some dangerous.

Along the way, he hears about the northern lights, the reindeer and the wind. He gets to hear about the place they left, about their family and the importance of sticking together as a people. At the other end, spring awaits and perhaps a new place to settle down.

This concert consists of completely newly written songs inspired by Kven legends, poems and music. It is a tale from the Nordkalotten that is both generous and merciless, about challenges in growing up, about identity and belonging.

Lyricist and vocalist Frida Lydia Hansen has, together with composer Alexander Aarøen, delved into Kven culture and let it color both the music and the lyrics. Together with a group of musicians from the Nordnorsk Jazzensemble, the audience gets to experience moments from the small family's journey to the west. The music in the work describes breakup and flight, the snow that thickens, vanishing visibility, hunting scenes, the crossing of a strait river. But also, the calm around a fire with the starry sky above, and not the least feeling that you are part of something bigger.

Suitable for children ages 6 and up
Duration: approximately 60 minutes

On stage: Frida Lydia Hansen (song), Alexander Aarøen (piano), Martin Lien (percussion), Mariann Torset (Marja-Liisa organ, flutes), Svein Schultz (bass), Ivar Beddari (actor, narrator, author)