Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Martin Lodge and Bjørn Arntsen began composing together in August 2024. Martin’s health was in decline at this point, and he would pass away just five months later. While he struggled to write, move, and speak, it was clear that Martin had strong ideas for his final composition. They composed ‘The Rest is Silence’ together, with Martin singing humming pitch sets and Bjørn writing at the harpsichord. On the work, Bjørn says:
“The piece begins with the first violin playing the five notes in the set, one by one, slowly and delicately, like the soul of a person floating around a room. The pitches then take flight, first with deliberation, then in new and jagged shapes, bouncing with alacrity before finally settling into a canon. The piece finds its final resting place with all four players joined on a high E. Martin loved musical-cryptograms, and in this piece, you may discover his own name in musical notation, but also those of his family, friends and collaborators.”
Performed by the Jade String Quartet: Miranda Adams (violin), Kathryn Taylor (guest violin), Robert Ashworth (viola) and James Yoo (cello) as part of Aeon - a concert dedicated to the memory of Martin Lodge, at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, 26 April 2025.
Purchase Aeon, an album of RATTLE, at rattle.co.nz/catalogue/releases/aeon.
Audio recorded by Bjørn Arntsen. Filmed and edited for SOUNZ by Chris Watson. Film funded by NZ On Air.
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Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
Martin Lodge and Bjørn Arntsen began composing together in August 2024. Martin’s health was in decline at this point, and he would pass away just five months later. While he struggled to write, move, and speak, it was clear that Martin had strong ideas for his final composition. They composed ‘The Rest is Silence’ together, with Martin singing humming pitch sets and Bjørn writing at the harpsichord. On the work, Bjørn says:
“The piece begins with the first violin playing the five notes in the set, one by one, slowly and delicately, like the soul of a person floating around a room. The pitches then take flight, first with deliberation, then in new and jagged shapes, bouncing with alacrity before finally settling into a canon. The piece finds its final resting place with all four players joined on a high E. Martin loved musical-cryptograms, and in this piece, you may discover his own name in musical notation, but also those of his family, friends and collaborators.”
Performed by the Jade String Quartet: Miranda Adams (violin), Kathryn Taylor (guest violin), Robert Ashworth (viola) and James Yoo (cello) as part of Aeon - a concert dedicated to the memory of Martin Lodge, at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, 26 April 2025.
Purchase Aeon, an album of RATTLE, at rattle.co.nz/catalogue/releases/aeon.
Audio recorded by Bjørn Arntsen. Filmed and edited for SOUNZ by Chris Watson. Film funded by NZ On Air.
--
Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
