Ola Kvernberg is nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize 2026 for the work Flåklypa – From Paris to the Pyramids!

The nomination is justified as follows: The music for Flåklypa – From Paris to the Pyramids by Ola Kvernberg (b. 1981) is an ambitious and cohesive work that unites orchestral film music, jazz, and genre-crossing expression in a clearly personal compositional style. Written for one of Norway's most iconic cultural narratives and performed with, among others, the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the score represents an artistic reinterpretation of the Flåklypa universe – where respect for tradition is combined with an independent and renewing musical language.

Taking the film's narrative as his starting point, Kvernberg creates a rich and coherent sound universe in which characters, places, and moods emerge through clear musical identities. The music functions not merely as accompaniment but as a load-bearing part of the dramaturgy, built up through recurring leitmotifs that develop and change character throughout the course of the film. The result is a musical narrative that encompasses energy, humor, and vulnerability alike, lending depth to the familiar universe. The score is marked by a great tonal range and a thoroughly worked-out orchestration in which symphonic textures meet rhythmic drive and improvisational nerve.

Despite the film's digital aesthetic, the sound world is acoustic and organic, with an emphasis on live instruments and craftsmanship. In the meeting between Kvernberg's background in jazz and improvisation and the form and precision of classical film music, an expression emerges that is at once vital, flexible, and immediately communicative.

The music for From Paris to the Pyramids demonstrates how film music can function as an independent artistic work with its own identity and staying power. With its tonal inventiveness, its dramaturgical strength, and its ability to renew a central part of Norway's cultural heritage, the score stands out as a significant contribution to contemporary Norwegian music – a work that both honors tradition and carries it forward.

The Nordic Council Music Prize, awarded since 1965, honors creative and performing musical work of a high artistic standard. Every other year the prize goes to a work by a living composer, and every other year it goes to individual musicians or groups. This year the prize goes to a work. The winner will be announced on October 20.