Since the mid-eighties, it is almost exclusively as an
instrumental composer that Bent Sørensen has made his name, as one of the most
listenable Danish composers of his generation. His four string quartets now
feature centrally in his chamber music output but, more recently, there has
been a growing number of works for large orchestra including a violin concerto Sterbende Gärten (1992-93), a trombone
concerto Birds and Bells (1995), the
piano concerto La Notte (1996-98) and
a symphony (1995-96). Among the few
vocal works Sørensen has written are the opera Under the Sky (2003), the cantata The Echoing Garden (1990-92), In
Paradisum (1994-95, 2002) and a number of smaller songs.
Bent Sørensen is professor at the Royal Danish Academy of
Music www.dkdm.dk as well as a visiting
professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London www.ram.ac.uk .
It is said that Sørensen's mature works are dramatic and
evocative, half in shadow and full of swirling motion, like memories from a
remote, ruined past. It is music that often seems to make memory its theme, to
evoke memories or unconscious recollections. Sørensen achieves this by treating
major/minor tonalities with microtonal inflections and blurring the harmonies
with glissandi.
Dacapo www.dacapo-records.dk have released a new disc that makes an ideal introduction to the music of Bent Sørensen. Pianist Rolf Hind www.rolfhind.com , violinist David Alberman www.dacapo-records.dk/en/artist-david-alberman.aspx and the BBC Symphony Orchestra www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra conducted by Michael Schønwandt www.dacapo-records.dk/en/artist-michael-sch%C3%B8nwandt.aspx bring us Sørensen’s Sieben Sehnsüchte for Violin and Piano (1999), The Masque of the Red Death for Piano (1989/90) and La Notte Piano Concerto (1996-98).
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The piano opens the third movement in a florid melody,
wandering over the keyboard but now evidently in control. There are some lovely
rich sounds from Rolf Hind. The violin quietly joins, still keeping to its
slides until trying to match the piano in an anxious sound. There is an ebb and
flow as both players emerge then recede. The piano itself becomes more
intricate as the violin continues its sweep of sounds before ending suddenly. A
gently picked out motif on plucked piano strings is accompanied by a similar
violin theme as the fourth movement commences. A dialogue continues between the
instruments until the fifth movement, where the piano gently plays a little
tune, soon to be joined by the violin working over the theme. Rhythmically the
violin is faster than the piano until it catches up in a faster section. There
is a section for violin before the piano joins in this frantic music. Eventually
the music slows to a quiet coda with tapping from piano and long held violin
note.
The sixth movement is heralded by bold piano chords as the violin
quietly enters playing a longer breathed melody in the background. The piano
theme quietens and becomes more intricate with trills before it simply ends.
The final movement opens with the violin but is soon joined by the piano in a
meandering little motif, again those little slides on the violin are there, as
the piano gently accompanies. The music moves to an insistent motif before
ending.
‘The Masque of the
Red Death’ for Piano (1989/90) takes its title from a story by Edgar Allan
Poe concerning the plague, though Sørensen
uses it in a more symbolic way concerning the imbalance in any living system
and in the universe itself. Marked Presto-molto
maniaco ma con delicatezza it commences with a rapid motif on the upper
keyboard before filling out. There is some superb playing here from Rolf Hines.
This reduces to an insistent theme, repeated constantly as it descends and
grows faster. As it slows the theme varies but there is still a repeated motif
full of clusters of notes for the right hand giving quite a florid sound, in
this spectacular and quite individual music. Soon there is a subtle change as
the music becomes less insistent and develops the material. After a sudden
pause, there are repeated staccato notes that slowly and imperceptibly develop
into a new theme, becoming quite intoxicatingly intricate. The music slows and
the theme seems to slightly broaden before rising to a short climax. Another
pause precedes a loud outburst, descending to quite intricate sounds, slowly
descending. A lone note heralds another pause before the piano plays descending
scales to end quietly.
With ‘La Notte’ (Night)
Piano Concerto (1996-98) the piano represents the individual standing
against the collective in the form of the orchestra and is in two movements, opening
quietly with delicate piano notes and glissandi from the violins. Slowly the
piano theme opens out and develops against scurrying strings. The orchestra
develops into a distinctive, unsettled, scurrying theme as the piano plays its repeated
motif. There are effective percussion sounds as the scurrying theme continues,
the strings becoming more conventionally melodic for a short time. After an
outburst from the orchestra there are tubular bell chimes leading to a quiet
atmospheric section with falling, sighing sounds from the orchestra and some
atmospheric muted brass sounds. The piano continues to rapidly play its
intricate notes over this orchestral background. Soon there are orchestral outbursts
before the piano plays repeated low chords against an orchestra with brass and
percussion. Timpani add to the menace as the music develops, the piano
developing the theme in a slightly jazzy manner. After further repeated notes
from the piano and orchestra the piano plays some quite magical phrases with
outburst of percussion before ending quietly and atmospherically with a chime.
The second movement opens quietly with the piano playing a
gentle tune against sighing strings. The piano continues the theme against
dreamlike orchestral sounds that emerge then recede. The quiet is interrupted
by an orchestral outburst part way through but soon quietens to a stillness in
the orchestra, the piano still playing its somewhat tentative theme. There is
another small climax, with percussion but immediately the music quietens,
though the piano becomes more strident and insistent. Pizzicato strings appear against
a more complex piano part but the work ends with the pizzicato strings just fading
away.
The recordings from 2000 (La Notte) and 2011 (Sieben
Sehnsüchte and The Masque) are excellent. Whilst some of this music makes for a
difficult first listen, I would encourage perseverance, as repeated listening,
particularly of The Masque of the Red Death and La Notte will reward.
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