SONaR – is a sound signal sent out to create an echo from whatever it may encounter and thus reveal the unknown. I think we all send our symbolic sonars into physical and spiritual space, in a constant search for meaning. At least I do. And my life and music represent both this child’s sonars and the universe’s ever-unfolding answer. In my music I try to appeal to all aspects of listening, including perception of direction. The music must therefore not only respond to the question of what the sound is and when it occurs, but also the question of where it comes from. Sound is like a heavenly body moving through time and space. Concert halls, however, are constructed to concentrate sound in front of the listener, at best spreading out in stereo, and surround-sound systems at best present sound on a single plane around the listener. Nonetheless I often write for a three-dimensional space placing sound both above and below the audience, pending the arrival of concert halls and sound systems designed to produce three-dimensional sound. Through my work with electroacoustic installations I am aware that the spatial element contains a potential for powerful experiences which cannot be realized by means of a single surface of sound. The difference would be like seeing a character step out of the cinema screen and become a physical body. The music changes from being a phenomenon which appeals primarily to the mind and imagination to something which evokes a physical experience to a much greater degree. Music matters, as it brings to matter what is of no matter. — Magnar Åm
Magnar Åm's music was a powerful experience. It made a deep impression through the unique way in which the harp with its sonorous, fragile, naïve, gentle and dramatic qualities is used, providing a dimension that I had always looked for. The electric harp with all its effects carries on a dialogue with its acoustic counterpart, as if the new and the ancient world were melting together. Four years of intense collaboration has resulted in these three solo works for the harp. — Ellen Sejersted Bødtker