BRUSTAD'S Ylg, hof, Udjat!

Karsten Brustad’s latest release, Ylg, hof, Udjat!, is a striking collection of three concertos for soloists and orchestra that fuse mythic imagination with contemporary sonic exploration. The album features the Norwegian Radio Orchestra conducted by Ingar Bergby, with soloists Anne Karine Hauge, Vivian Ellefsen, Linn Cecilie Aasvik, Rune Halvorsen, and Geir Davidsen.

The title work, Ylg, draws inspiration from Norse mythology and the Younger Edda, referencing the primordial river Ylg flowing from the well Kvergjelme in Nivlheim. This concerto for two flutes, piccolo, and orchestra was commissioned by flutist Anne Karine Hauge and supported by the Norwegian Culture Fund. The music is rhythmically vibrant, eruptive, and spatially expansive, using instrumental groups in dynamic interplay to create a vivid stereo effect.

hof and Udjat continue the journey through symbolic landscapes. hof, a concerto for timpani and orchestra, evokes ritualistic power and percussive drama, while Udjat, for euphonium and orchestra, reflects on the Egyptian Eye of Horus—its music shifting between meditative calm and eruptive intensity.

Brustad, formerly known as a classical guitarist, has devoted the past two decades to composition, developing a voice that blends physicality, myth, and modern orchestral color. This release showcases his unique ability to channel ancient symbolism into contemporary concert form.