By Inger Gretasdatter published 19.10.2018 for Rana Blad
ENGLISH VERSION
RANA: Karl Espegard has worked with both KammeRana and NordlandTeater. Now he is performing at Smeltedigelen with the band El Muro Tango.
El Muro Tango is a Norwegian-Argentine tango band and has been touring the world since 2016.
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Karl Espegard, the violinist of the band, received his musical training from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Six months after graduation, Espegard traveled to Rana to fulfil a one-year contract as a county musician in Rana municipality.
– This was completely by chance, since I have no connection to Northern Norway other than the fact that my mother lived in Finnsnes as a child, says Espegard.
He says that the year in Mo i Rana was a very positive experience, and he worked partly as a performing musician and partly as a music teacher at Rana Kulturskole.
– I worked a great deal with KammeRana and had a nice collaboration with Nordland Theater, and not least, I got to see the northern lights for the first time, he says.
– I had a lot of freedom to work creatively with different projects, and it was nice to travel around the county with KammeRana, says Espegard.
Since the age of 12-13 he has been a good friend of Alexander Rybak. They studied together at Barratt Due Institute of Music.
– I had a visit from Alexander when I lived at Mo, back then he was still quite unknown although he had won the Kjempesjansen competition at NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) a year earlier. A few months after his visit to Mo, everything exploded and his career took off with a lightning speed, says Espegard.
To Smeltedigelen
He does not only play tango these days. Espegard is currently also playing in the musical Book of Mormon, and works with other artists such as Herborg Kråkevik and Ylvis.
– In November, El Muro Tango launches its first album, which we recorded for a German label last year, he says.
Now the band will embark on their first tour in Norway, and they will also appear in this year’s edition of Smeltedigelen Music Festival.
– El Muro Tango is a full-blooded tango band with both Norwegian and Argentine musicians, and neither of us lives in the same city. It becomes a bit project-based, but we have activity all year round, he says.
To Smeltedigelen, Espegard and the rest of the band are joined by Cyrena Drusine & Steinar Refsdal, with whom they performed in the finale of Norway’s Got Talent 2018.
Caption:
– EL MURO TANGO: (FLTR) Juan Pablo de Lucca, Åsbjørg Ryeng,
Karl Espegard, Benjamin Groisman and Juan Villarreal will be serving
full-blooded tango at Smeltedigelen Musikkfestival. Photo: David Dollmann.
SPANISH VERSION
Volviendo a Rana con Tango.
RANA: Karl Espegard ha estado trabajando con KammeRana y NordlandTeater. Ahora se presentará en Smeltedegilen con su banda El Muro Tango.
El Muro Tango es un ensamble noruego-argentino que ha estado de gira por el mundo desde el 2016.
Karl Espegard, violinista de la banda, recibió su educación musical en la Academia de Música de Noruega, Oslo. Seis meses después de haber finalizado sus estudios, se mudó a Rana para trabajar durante un año como músico del condado en la municipalidad.
-Esto fue completamente aleatorio. Aparte de que mi madre haya vivido en Finnsnes de niña, no tengo ninguna conexión con el norte de Noruega, dice Karl Espegard.
Comenta que su año en Mo i Rana ha sido una experiencia positiva y que trabajó en parte como músico y en parte como docente en Rana Kulturshole.
-Trabajé mayormente con la KammeRana y colaboré con el Nordland Theater. Y finalmente, pude ver las auroras boreales por primera vez, agrega.
-Tenía mucha libertad para trabajar creativemente en varios proyectos, y fue muy lindo poder viajar y conocer la zona con la KammeRana.
Desde los 12 años, Karl Espegard es amigo con Alexander Rybak. Juntos han estudiado en Barratt Due Institute of Music.
-Recibí una visita de Alexander mientras yo vivía en Mo. En ese entonces aún no era conocido, aunque ya hacía un año había ganado la competición de Kjempesjansen en NRK. Unos meses después de esta visita su carrera despegó a una velocidad impresionante, agrega Espegard.
A Smeltedigelen
Actualmente, no toca solamente tango. Espegard es parte del elenco del musical Book of Mormon y trabaja junto a otros artistas como Herborg Kråkevik and Ylvis.
– En Noviembre, El Muro Tango presenta su primer disco, grabado durante el año pasado para un sello alemán, nos comenta.
Ahora la banda se lanza en su primer gira por Noruega y aparecerán en la edición de este año del Smeltedigelen Music Festival.
– El Muro Tango es un ensamble de tango compuesto por músicos argentinos y noruegos. Vivimos todos en ciudades diferentes. El trabajo se basa en proyectos puntuales, pero tenemos actividad todo el año, dice.
En Smeltedigelen, Espegard y el resto de la banda serán acompañados por Cyrena Drusine & Steinar Refsdal, junto a quiénes se han presentado en la final de Norway’s Got Talent 2018.