Per Norgard, the influential Danish composer celebrated for his innovative explorations in sound, form, and tonality, passed away on May 28 in Copenhagen at the age of 92.
His passing, which occurred at a retirement facility, was confirmed by his publisher, Edition Wilhelm Hansen.
Over his prolific career, Norgard created eight symphonies, ten string quartets, six operas, numerous chamber and concertante pieces, and composed extensively for film and television, earning him recognition as a foundational figure in Danish contemporary music.
His musical journey traversed prominent mid-20th century styles including Neo-Classicism, expressionism, and his own distinctive serialism. He incorporated an eclectic array of influences, from Javanese gamelan rhythms and Indian philosophical concepts to astrology and the visionary art of Swiss outsider Adolf Wölfli.
Despite these diverse inspirations, Norgard considered himself deeply rooted in Nordic tradition, shaped significantly by Finnish symphonist Jean Sibelius. This Nordic influence is often the entry point for listeners new to his music.
Echoes of Sibelius’s expansive, contemplative landscapes, along with the intensifying repetitions reminiscent of Danish composer Carl Nielsen and the focused motifs of Norwegian Edvard Grieg, resonate throughout Norgard’s fragmented and innovative soundscapes.
Works such as the vibrant percussion-driven “Terrains Vagues” (2000), the delicate interplay of pianos and metronomes in “Unendlicher Empfang” (1997), and the expansive, episodic structure of his Eighth Symphony (2011) evoke the stark northern vistas and dramatic contrasts characteristic of Sibelius’s music.
During his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in the early 1950s, Norgard was captivated by Sibelius’s music, even initiating correspondence with the elder composer, who encouraged him. Norgard expressed a deep desire to connect with Sibelius, affirming that he did not view the older composer’s work as outdated.
Although the two never met before Sibelius’s death in 1957, the Finnish composer remained a lifelong source of inspiration and mentorship for Norgard.
In a 2012 interview, Norgard emphasized his strong affinity for Sibelius’s music over that of his Danish contemporaries, highlighting the sense of vast horizons and a nostalgic atmosphere present in the Finnish composer’s works.
Norgard developed a unique compositional method he termed the “infinity series,” which involves subtly repeated yet continuously evolving sequences of notes. This approach creates interwoven layers of melodies moving at different tempos, crafting a complex and textured musical fabric.
This technique draws parallels to Sibelius’s concept of “symmetric turning around,” embodying Norgard’s ambition to create music emerging from a singular note, akin to a cosmic big bang.
Both composers are credited with revitalizing and extending the symphonic tradition during periods when it faced challenges.
Critics have noted Norgard’s Fifth Symphony (1990) as a landmark reassessment of symphonic form in recent decades, mirroring the historical significance attributed to Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony from 1919. Norgard admired Sibelius’s ability to unify diverse motifs into a cohesive, grand vision.
Norgard briefly entered popular awareness with his evocative score for the 1987 film “Babette’s Feast,” adapted from Karen Blixen’s 1958 story.
Although widely respected and frequently recorded in Europe, including performances by major ensembles like the Vienna Philharmonic, Norgard’s reception in the United States remained modest. In 2014, he was honored with the Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music by the New York Philharmonic, despite the orchestra never having performed his compositions at that time.
A 2016 concert series titled “Norgard in New York” helped address this oversight, showcasing his music’s organic intensity and intricate layering inspired by natural and mathematical patterns.
Norgard himself described the New York award as “quite mysterious,” reflecting his modest and introspective nature.
Born on July 13, 1932, in Gentofte, Denmark, just north of Copenhagen, Norgard was the younger son of Erhardt Norgard, a tailor and wedding dress shop owner, and Emmely Johanne Nicoline Christensen Norgard.
Showing early musical promise, he composed piano sonatas by age ten and began studies with prominent Danish composer Vagn Holmboe at seventeen. In 1952, he enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, later studying in Paris under Nadia Boulanger, whose tutelage influenced his early Neo-Classical works.
While under Boulanger’s guidance, Norgard challenged her predominantly French Neo-Classical style, advocating for engagement with what he termed “the universe of the Nordic mind.”
His career included teaching positions at conservatories in Odense, Copenhagen, and Aarhus, alongside work as a music critic for the Danish newspaper Politiken. By the early 1960s, he had formulated his “infinity series” technique, initially experimenting with simple piano compositions.
His oeuvre continued to expand with ambitious choral, symphonic, and chamber works, culminating in the Eighth Symphony, which has been compared to Mahler’s vision of the symphony as an all-encompassing reflection of the universe.
Norgard was predeceased by his wife, Helle Rahbek, in 2022. He is survived by two children, a daughter Ditte and a son Jeppe, from a previous marriage to Anelise Brix Thomsen.
Reflecting on his compositional approach in a 2014 interview, Norgard described the “infinity series” as “a kind of homage to the mystery of life,” which has consistently guided his musical vision.
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