top of page
I GAVEN (In the Gift) is a composition by Wei Ting Tseng, written in the spring of 2025 and set to be released as an album in 2026.
The participated musicians include Oscar Andreas Haug (trumpet), Fride Nøstdahl Hjelle (piano), Erlend Albertsen (bass), Patrycja Wybrańczyk (drums).
The work explores identity, gratitude, and the emotional and social dynamics of giving, receiving, and reciprocating. Through a collaborative and interdisciplinary compositional process, the project invites musicians into a shared journey of vulnerability and generosity.
Film made by Åsmund Erichsen
I GAVEN is structured in three stages:
Stage One: A Letter & Workshop
Musicians begin by receiving a handwritten letter from the composer by post, sharing a personal story of a quiet act of kindness experienced shortly after moving to Norway. Accompanying the letter is a set of instructions: each musician is asked to reflect on their own improvisational practice by identifying five techniques or expressions they frequently use: Naming, describing, and contextualizing each.
The first rehearsal unfolds as a workshop. Each musician plays one of their expressions for 30 seconds. The ensemble responds with a 3-minute improvised piece based on that gesture. This process is designed not only to share techniques but to cultivate attentive listening and communal expression. The workshop becomes a space of open dialogue about improvisation, identity, insecurity, and how we evolve as players and people. It is a moment of collective receiving: of each other’s musical languages and personal stories.
Stage Two: Composing the Songs
Inspired by the material collected in Stage One, the composer writes three ensemble works: To Receive, To Give, and To Reciprocate. Each piece embodies different dimensions of the central theme.
To Receive opens with a poem that explores the unease and vulnerability of being offered a gift. In the music, instrumental roles mimic a conversation: the cello and double bass act as conversationalists, the piano as a silenced observer making sharp interjections, and the drummer performs the poem through their instrument, uninterrupted.
To Give draws inspiration from Taiwanese indigenous music, Georgian choir traditions, and Baroque music. It begins with monologues. Bold and confident like voices calling into an alley. A drum solo follows, leading into stretched Baroque harmonies that delay resolution, embodying the tension between wanting to speak and holding back.
To Reciprocate brings the musicians back to their own contributions—now transformed. Each performer receives a box containing 30–40 cards with both original and reimagined improvisational expressions. Guided by a score made of maps and instructions, this piece turns individual gifts into shared material, emphasizing reinterpretation, negotiation, and balance. The work explores the societal weight of reciprocity: the interplay of competitive generosity, hierarchy, and solidarity.
Stage Three: Gift Giving
The final stage centers on a simple but profound gesture: gift-giving. Each musician receives a beautifully wrapped box filled with the 30–40 expression cards developed from their original submissions. This physical gift is the composer’s return offering—a tangible symbol of gratitude and recognition. The cards might be used in future performances, offering the musicians a new set of gifts to share with others. This gesture reflects the deeper theme of reciprocity, not just as a return of a gift, but as an ongoing exchange that continues to shape relationships and collaborations in the future.
I Gaven is an act of gift—not just objects or music, but attention, care, and presence. It asks what it means to offer something, to accept it with openness, and to give back in ways that continue the conversation. The ultimate theme of this piece, is about gratitude. The most profound feeling the composer feels in music, is the sense of gratefulness.
bottom of page