Arne Nordheim | |
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.jpg) Nordheim in 1968 | |
| Born | 20 June 1931 |
| Died | 5 June 2010 (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Composer |
Arne Nordheim (20 June 1931 – 5 June 2010) was aNorwegian composer. Nordheim received numerous awards for his compositions, and from 1982 lived in theNorwegian government's honorary residence,Grotten, next to the Royal Palace inOslo.[1] He was elected an honorary member of theInternational Society for Contemporary Music in 1997. On 18 August 2006, Arne Nordheim received adoctor honoris causa degree at theNorwegian Academy of Music. He died at the age of 78 and was given astate funeral.[2]
At the then Oslo Conservatory of Music (now theNorwegian Academy of Music), where Nordheim studied from 1948 to 1952, he started out as a theory andorgan student, but changed to composition, studying with Karl August Andersen (1903–1970),Bjarne Brustad, andConrad Baden. Then in 1955 he studied withVagn Holmboe inCopenhagen,[3] and studiedmusique concrète inParis[citation needed]. Later he studied electronic music inBilthoven (1959), and paid many visits to the Studio Eksperymentalne of Polish Radio (1967–1972), where many of his early electronic works were realised (includingPace,Solitaire, andLux et tenebrae (Poly-Poly)). In 2005, many lost and forgotten tapes of electronic compositions forradio drama for theNorwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) were rediscovered, reminding us that Nordheim also developed his electronic musical language in his home country.[4]
HisEssay for string quartet was first performed in Stockholm in 1954, but Nordheim always considered hisString Quartet of 1956 as his Opus 1. His musical output is focused around themes of 'solitude, death, love, and landscape';[5] these themes are already evident in his song cycleAftonland (Evening Land, 1959), a setting of poems by theSwedish poetPär Lagerkvist, which brought him national recognition. The 1961Canzonaper orchestra was his international breakthrough. Inspired byGiovanni Gabrieli'scanzone, the work showcases Nordheim's historical leanings, as well as his occupation with space as a parameter of music. Nordheim's spatial concerns, coupled with his focus on death and human suffering, are brought together in what is arguably his most famous work,Epitaffioper orchestra e nastro magnetico (1963). Written in memory of the Norwegian flautistAlf Andersen, who died that year at a very young age, the work incorporatedSalvatore Quasimodo's poemEd è sùbito sera. Originally conceived for orchestra and chorus, Nordheim realised that his wish to have the whole performance space 'singing' was better achieved with the use of electronic means. The result is a remarkable, almost imperceptible, blending of the orchestral sounds with the choral sounds of the tape, where the final line 'ed è sùbito sera' ('and suddenly it is evening') is the only part of the text that can be heard.[6]
His later compositions includeThe Tempest (1979),Klokkesong (1984),Magma (1988), the Violin Concerto (1996) andFonos for trombone and orchestra (2004). Arne Norheim was inspired by the neumes and the sound of the medieval bells inKaupanger stave church in composing the workKlokkesong, which was first performed in the church. InThe Tempest, a ballet based onShakespeare's play, electronics and orchestral sounds are again mixed, while the focus is more strongly on vocal music (e.g. the 'double voice' of Caliban), while Nordheim's continued use of historical elements is shown by the incorporation ofLeonardo da Vinci's musical rebus, which solved readsAmore sol la mi fa remirare, la sol mi fa sollecita.[7]
1968 saw Arne Nordheim being bestowed with theNordic Council Music Prize for hisEco for soprano, two choirs and orchestra. The work marks the start of a new development phase, in which Nordheim proved that he could create electrophonic-sounding timbres from conventional instruments.[8]
In 1970 he and sound engineerEugeniusz Rudnik made the piecePoly-Poly for the Scandinavian pavilion atExpo '70 in Osaka.[9] This sound installation consisted of six tapes of different lengths which are played in a loop, such that the piece will not repeat itself for 102 years. A 21-minute long concert version was released the year after, with the nameLux et Tenebrae.
Draumkvedet is a monumental stage work for orchestra, (acting) chamber choir, soloists and dancers, and was performed 40 times in 1994 with the Broadcasting Corporation Radio Orchestra andGrex Vocalis. A recording featuring these performing forces conducted by Ingar Bergby was made in 2001, and released in 2006 as a two-CD set on the Simax label (Simax PSC 1169). Based on a medieval Norwegian poem (Draumkvedet, The Dream Song), the work was composed in honor of the millennium of the city ofTrondheim in 1997.[10]
To commemorate Nordheim's 70th birthday in 2001, a celebratory concert was held, featuring theOslo Philharmonic Orchestra. TheNorwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs would also celebrate the composer, and established the Arne Nordheim Composer's Prize which is bestowed on an annual basis to a composer of Norwegian residence.[11]
In later years, Nordheim suffered from dementia, and expired early on Saturday 5 June 2010, following a prolonged bout of illness. The state funeral was held at the Oslo Cathedral on the 16th of June.
3457 Arnenordheim, a minor planet circling the Sun in the mainasteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter was named for the composer after its discovery in 1985.
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| Preceded by | Recipient of theNorsk kulturråds ærespris 1990 | Succeeded by |
