Ligg & Lytt is a collaboration between Sentralen, Dextra Musica, Interpuls - festival for minimalist music and art, FRAM concert series, Slagverkløfte and Nordic Wind Festival.

Dextra Musica is a subsidiary of Sparebankstiftelsen Dnb, such as Sentralen, and it is always fun to produce the event together with its own sibling.

You can read about Dextra Musica here.

Friday, September 13, 2024 was the third time we hosted Lie & Listen during Culture Night.

The evening resulted in an audience record with over 2000 people going in and out of the three rooms, roof terrace and cafe used for Lie & Listen concerts.

Over the course of three hours, the audience was able to experience some of the country's foremost classical musicians playing non-stop relaxing and mood-creating music in the unique surroundings of the Centre.

Visitors even wandered between the concert venues, from the rooftop terrace at the top of the building, to Studio A on the lower floor.

Classic, but down

The concept of Lie & Listen gives the audience the opportunity to experience classical music, and Norway's foremost classical musicians, in a new and downbeat way.

The doors to the concert rooms are left open, and chairs in tight lines have been replaced with yoga mats, pillows, hammocks, field beds and deckchairs.

During Lie & Listen you can come and go as you like, and stay at the concert as long or as short as you want.

In addition, it is allowed to bring both food and drinks from the bars and cafes of the Central District.

Five Unique Lie & Listen Concerts

From the doors opening at 8pm, until they were closed at 11pm there was a steady stream of publicans in and out of all the rooms, and in every staircase.

At the top of the Marble Stairs, Gullbaren was open for those who wanted a break, or to buy drinks with them to the other premises.

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On the roof terrace, a world of percussion was created under light links and open sky. Audiences could recline or sit on sheepskin and beach mattresses in the amphitheater on the rooftop terrace, listening to spellbinding and meditative music.

In Produktionsrom 3, the audience could be close to nature and Norway in the middle of central Oslo, on the most intimate stage of the evening. Lying on artificial turf, with walls illuminated in green, one could enjoy some of the country's foremost folk musicians playing both traditional tunes and self-composed music.

In the Hall of Trustees, the audience got a rare experience. Central's most revered space was transformed by the video artists Bitterfoyn. Video art was projected both on the ceiling and on canvas on three of the walls. Here, the audience lay on yoga mats and pillows, listening to the world's most beautiful chamber music surrounded by video art. In addition, to mark Oslo's 400th anniversary, Anders Kjellberg Nilsson's work for the film “Oslo bybilder” was performed. The film “Oslo bybilder” was made by Norway's first cinematographer, Hans Berge.

For the first time, Sentralen Kafe was used as a concert venue during Lig & Lytt. This is usually a busy café during the day, but during Lie & Listen the cafe was transformed into a place where the public could relax and breathe out in hammocks, deckchairs and on field beds. The performers played both new and old music by exclusively female composers.

In Studio A in the basement, the audience was engrossed in seven-metre ceilings, magical lighting design and out-of-the-ordinary sound experiences. In addition, the floor was covered by a sea of inflatable mattresses.

Activity in almost the whole house

Just this Friday night showed how varied, unique and full of activity an evening at Sentralen can be.

In addition to the Lie & Listen concerts, Tekslab organized a concert with Anitra Beatrice Odine Meyer in the Vault as part of Kulturnatta, and Ultima Festival had a concert in the Marmorsale and a book launch in Vinterhagen as part of its festival

Both Tekslab and Ultima Festival sit in office space at Sentralen.

You can read more about Tekslab here.

You can read more about Ultima Festival here.

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Photo: Marius Dale