Post on 27-May-2018
Lunchtime Concert in The Winter Garden, University of Southern Denmark at Odense
12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m. Thursday, October 29, 2015. Admission is free.
MORTEN HEIDE piano
PROGRAM Carl Nielsen(1865-1931)
PROGRAM NOTES
Thegoalofthisprogramistogiveyou–thelistener–achronologicallisteningexperienceofthecompositionaldevelopmentintheworksforpianobythe
DanishnationalcomposerCarlNielsen,whose150thanniversaryiswidelycelebratedin2015.
CarlNielsen(1865-1931)wasborninSortelunginthecountrysidesouthofOdense.Hisfatherwasawell-knownfolkmusician.EarlyonCarlwentalong
withhisdadtoplayatweddingsandothercelebrations.Improvisationandcounterpointwereimportantinthefolkmusicofthetime,andlittleCarl's
talentinimprovisingandperformingincounterpointtotheplayingofthemusicianswasaskillhemadegooduseoflateronasaprofessionalcomposer.
ThefiveshortcharacterpiecesofNielsen'sop.3areuncomplicatedinmelodic,harmonicandtonalstructure,andaremarkedbyaclarityof linear
movementwithin homophonic textures. InFive Piano Pieces, op. 3 the first piece,Folk Melody, stands as amelancholic remembranceofNielsen's
childhoodspentplayingfolkmusiconFunen.Thethirdpiece,Arabesque,wastheoneofthefivethatNielsenwasmostproudof,mainlyduetoitsoriginality.
Itstandsinnotablecontrasttothegeneralsong-without-wordsandlyriccharacteroftheotherpieces.Arabesquewascomposedwiththepoemofthat
namebyJensPeterJacobseninmind.Thepoem'stitlereferstoitsfreeversificationratherthantothecontent.Jacobsen'slines“Haveyougotlostinthe
darkforest?/DoyouknowPan?”appearasamottointhepublishedscore.Thepiececontainsthesuddensforzandi(i.e.accents)andthemelisma-like
figurations,withfivetonesencirclingasinglenote,whichlaterbecameprominentinNielsen'scompositions.Nielsen'smanipulationoftonalambiguityto
createdramaticeffects,typicalinhislatercompositions,isforeshadowedintheArabesquebyadelayuntilthefinalcalmingmeasureinstatingthepiece's
tonicDMajorchord.TheFivePianoPiecesdonotonlycontainanumberofstylisticcharacteristicswhichweretoappearmorefrequentlyinlaterworks,
butalsoprovideevidenceofsomeofthewaysinwhichNielsenwasinfluencedbythemusicalandintellectualclimateoflatenineteenth-centuryDenmark.
Nielsenhadthreechildren,anditisgenerallyassumedthatthesixHumoresque Bagatelles, op. 11werewrittenasadedicationtotheyoungmembers
ofhisfamily.Thepiecesarelightandhumorouslyinnocentincharacter;muchofthishumorisachievedthroughfigurationsandarticulationsimitating
childrens'subjects.Thejumpingjackisdepicted,forexample,throughaloud,rapidfive-notefigureintherighthand,whichseemstoleapunexpectedly
fromadeceleratinganddynamicallyrecedingphrase.Theelementofsurpriseisheightenedbythesforzando[i.e.accentuated)articulationateachentrance
ofthefive-notefigure.Figurationscallingforasimilarfive-notehandposition,withoutfingerpassing,occurelsewhereintheHumoresqueBagatelles,and
arefrequentlyusedbyNielseninhislaterpianoworks,oftenwithsforzandifordramaticorhumorousemphasis.
TheshortandstatelyFestival Preludewasdedicatedtohisfriend,thefamouspainterJensFerdinandWillumsen,andwasfirstpublishedonthefront
pageofDenmark'smaindailynewspaper,Politiken,onNewYear'sDay1901.Thework,whichNielsencomposedtomarkthebeginningofthenewcentury,
ischaracterizedbymassivechordaltexturesanditssustainedfortedynamiclevels.
A Dream on “Silent Night”isadelicatelypoeticparaphraseofthefamousFranzGrubercarol.Thecomposition,whichcanbeheardasaparodyon
“SilentNight”, chromaticallyembellishesasettingof themelody in the tenorandbassvoices.Characteristic inNielsen's compositional technic is the
harmonicallydualisticambiguitybetweenminorandmajor.Thisisclearlyheardinthispiece.
On22March1917NielsenwrotetohisdaughterIrmelin:“Ihavehadalottodo,andI'vealsobegunanewpianowork,aThemeandVariations,which
interestsmeenormously.ThethemebeginsinBminorandendsinGminor.Itfollowsthateverytimeanewvariationbeginswearerefreshedagainbythe
new[tonality].I'veoftenthoughtthatvariationworkscanbetonallymonotonous,andthisisawayroundtheproblem.”TheTheme and Variations, op.
40ismodeledafterthenineteenth-centurycharactervariationformandcontainsanoriginalthemefollowedbyfifteenvariations.Thecompositionshowed
anewpathinNielsen'sdevelopmentgoingastrayfromtonality.Thepiecewasatoughnuttocrackbythecriticsatthetime,butNielsenhimselfdrew
attentiontothe'psycho-physical'aspectofthedesignaswellasitstechnicalconstruction.Inalettertohisfriend,theDutchcomposerJuliusRontgen,
Nielsendefendedhimselffromasympatheticcriticismoftheending:“Itwouldhavebeeneasyenoughtomakeawild,effectiveconclusion;butIcameto
theresultyouseebecausethearchitectonicplanofthewholeworkisbestservedbyanordinaryending.Lookingbackforamomentoverthewholepiece
andrecallingthethemeanditssimplestructure,thenitmustbeasitis;orifweconsiderVariation15[withsharpdottedrhythmsandstarklyopposed
registers]asawilddefenceofamanwhoisfightingwithhisbacktoamountainoficeandwhofinally,asifdrunkanddeafenedbythebattle,stumbles
away,thenit'srightthattheentireconclusionshouldbe'uninteresting'[i.e.undemonstrative],justlikeacharacterinaplaywho,havingfoughttotheend
andgonehisway,nolongerhastoattractthemaininteresttohimselfandhasnowishtodoso.”
CarlNielsenwasborninthelate-RomanticerabutduringhislifetimethestylistictrendsinartandmusicchangeddrasticallyandNielsenpartlyfollowed
someofthesetrends.FreetonalityandevenserialismhadmanifestedstronglyamongcomposerstowardstheendofCarlNielsen'slifewhichyou'llhear
inhislastmajorpianowork:Three Piano Pieces, op. posth. 59.ThisopusisthemostprogressiveofNielsen'spianoworksinitstreatmentoftonality;
thecompositioncombinesimpressionistic,polytonalandatonaltechniqueswithineachofthepieces,andcontainstheonlyinstancesinNielsen'skeyboard
writingoftwelve-tonecompositionandpitchindeterminacysuchasthatheardinthethirdpiece'sfirstsection,whereclusterharmoniesinthelefthand
atthebottomoftheinstrumentimitatesabassdrum.Allthesevaryingtwentieth-centurytechniquesaresetincontrastwiththemoretraditionaltonal
andmodalstructuresemployedineachpiece.–compiledbyMortenHeidefromtextwrittenbyMina F. Miller and David Fanning,October2015
Fem klaverstykker / Five Piano Pieces, op. 3(1890)
1. Folketone/FolkMelody.Andante
2. Humoreske/Humoresque.Allegrettogiocoso
3. Arabeske/Arabesque.Moderato
4. Mignon.Moderatograzioso
5. Alfedans/ElfDance.Tempodivalse
6.
Humoreske-Bagateller / Humoresque Bagatelles, op. 11(1894-97)
1. Goddag!Goddag!/GoodMorning!GoodMorning!Allegretto
2. Snurretoppen/TheSpinningTop.Presto
3. Enlillelangsomvals/ALittleSlowWaltz.Valselento
4. Sprællemanden/TheJumpingJack.Pocoallegretto
5. Dukke-Marsch/Doll'sMarch.Allegromoderato
6. Spilleværket/TheMusicalClock.AllegrettoScherzando
Festpræludium / Festival Prelude (1900)Tempogiusto
Drømmen om ”Glade Jul” / The Dream of ”Silent Night”(1905)
Pocoadagio
Tema med Variationer / Theme and Variations, op. 40(1917)
Andante
Tre Klaverstykker / Three Piano Pieces op. Posth. 59 (1927-28)
1. Impromptu.Allegrofluente
2. Moltoadagio
3. Allegronontroppo
Morten HeideisaprofessionalDanishchoralconductor,concertpianistandpianoteacherlivinginStockholm,Sweden,whereherecentlygraduated(June
2015)withaMasterinChoralConductingfromtheRoyalCollegeofMusicwithprof.FredrikMalmbergashisprincipalteacher.
MortenHeidecompletedhisbachelorandmaster’sstudiesinpianoattheCarlNielsenAcademyofMusicinOdense,Denmark,undertheguidanceof
ChristinaBjørkøe,RosalindBevan,ErikKaltoftandJohnDamgaard.Heoftenperformedassoloist,e.g.inSimonHolt’sEraMadrugadaandinGyorgyLigeti’s
ChamberConcertoasappointedpianistintheannualMusicHarvestFestivalSinfoniettainOdense.Hehasperformedassoloistandensemblemusician
underthebatonofe.g.StefanAsbury,PaulHoskins,ChristopherAustinandMei-AnnChen.MortenHeidestudiedpianoforoneyearattheHochschulefur
MusikundTheaterinHamburgwithVolkerBanfieldandMirianMigdalwithwhomhepreparedforhisfinalmaster’sexamfromtheCarlNielsenAcademy
ofMusicin2006.In2010MortenHeidefinishedhispostgraduateperformancestudies(SoloistClass)inpianoattheAcademyofMusicandDramaticArts
inOdense, focusingon the interpretationof contemporarymusic.Hisdebut concertswherehighlypraised in thepressandbroadcastby theDanish
BroadcastingCorporationonradiochannelP2.
Inthespringof2011MortenHeidecompletedhisfirstmaster’sinchoralconductingattheAcademyofMusicandDramaticArtsinOdense,studying
withAliceGranum.InthesameperiodMortenHeidetouredLatviatogetherwithKoldingChamberChoir,leadingthechoirinwell-receivedchurchconcerts.
HeidewasconductorandmusicaldirectorofKoldingChamberChoirfromSeptember2007untilmovingtoSweden.InadditiontoleadingKoldingChamber
Choir,hewasalsotheconductorofVestsjællandsChamberChoirfromaugust2011,andJyskAkademiskKorfrom2012.MortenHeidehasfurthermore
conductedsuchprominentprofessionalchoirsasTheDanishNationalVocalEnsemble,TheSwedishRadioChoirandEricEricsonChamberChoir.
ManygrantshavegivenMortenHeidetheopportunitytoparticipateinmasterclasseswith,amongothers,thepianistsMirtaHerrera,AlanSternfeld,
RogerMuraro,Pierre-LaurentAimardandYvonneLoriod-Messiaen.HisworktogetherwithMuraro,AimardandLoriod-Messiaenfocusedmainlyonthe
interpretationofcontemporarypianomusic,especiallythatoftheFrenchcomposerOlivierMessiaen.MortenHeidehasalsoparticipatedinaseriesof
masterclassesaschoralconductorwiththerenownedFinnishchoralconductorTimoNouranne,theSwedishconductorCeciliaRydingerAlinandthe
BritishconductorPaulHillier.
MortenHeidehasperformedassoloist,chambermusicianandvocalaccompanist inconcerts inDenmark,Norway,Sweden,Germany,France, Italy,
IcelandandMexico.HispianisticfocusisonforgottengemsofthegreatmasterssuchasBach’sItalianVariations,themusicofAlkan,aswellasonthe
musicofthe20thand21stcenturies.InAugust2006MortenHeideperformedtheDanishpremiereofManuelPonce’sConciertoRománticoforpianoand
orchestrawithOdenseSymphonyOrchestraunderthebatonofMei-AnnChen.In2008MortenHeideparticipatedinthecelebrationofthecentenaryof
FrenchcomposerOlivierMessiaenperformingamongotherpiecesMessiaen'sQuartetfortheendoftimeandthevastpianocycleVingtRegardssurl’Enfant-
Jésusinseveralconcerts.MortenHeidewasthefirstDanishpianisttorecordthecompleteVingtRegardssurl’Enfant-Jésusinthespringof2011.
MortenHeideisinterestedinexploringthewaysinwhichtheprocessofpreparingandinterpretingamusicalworkforperformancemaybecompared
andcontrastedwithmoretraditionallyrecognizedformsofacademicresearch.HeisamemberofNNIMIPA:NordicNetworkfortheIntegrationofMusic
Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics http://www.nnimipa.org in order to pursue this area of inquiry together with other researchers from
conservatories and universities in the five Nordic countries. He is also affiliated with the University of Southern Denmark research program The
PerformancesofEverydayLiving-TheAestheticsofMusicandSoundhttp://www.soundmusicresearch.org.
Formoreinformationpleasevisitwww.mortenheide.dk.
Itisapleasurefor
• theresearchprogramThePerformancesofEverydayLiving-TheAestheticsofMusicandSoundattheInstitutefortheStudyofCulture(IKV)at
SDUhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAestheticsofMusicandSound/andwww.soundmusicresearch.org
• M*U*S*I*C–MusicUnionforStudentInteractionandCreativityhttp://www.facebook.com/groups/sdu.musicandhttp://music.sdu.dk/
• ResQ-TekniskService-SDU’sServiceDepartment
topresentthisLunchtimeConcertwithMortenHeide.Today’sLunchtimeConcertisthe47thLunchtimeConcertsincetheseriesbeganinApril2010.Itis
justoneofthemanyactivitiesrelatedtomusicresearchinvolvingpracticingmusiciansfromOdense,Esbjerg,AarhusandCopenhagen-aswellasfrom
abroad-andresearchersandstudentsfromSDU,whichhavebeenunderthesponsorshipofNTSMB:NetværkforTværvidenskabeligeStudierafMusikog
Betydning/Network for Cross-Disciplinary Studies of Music and Meaning www.ntsmb.dk or NNIMIPA: Nordic Network for the Integration of Music
Informatics,PerformanceandAesthetics www.nnimipa.org ortheSDU-IKVresearchinitiativeTheAestheticsofMusicandSound-currentlythroughits
researchprogramThePerformancesofEverydayLiving.
Wehopethatyouenjoytoday’sconcertandthatyouwillwatchhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAestheticsofMusicandSound/fornews,
detailsandupdatesregardingupcomingconcertsandseminarsduringtherestof2015.
CynthiaM.GrundonbehalfofThePerformancesofEverydayLivingandTheAestheticsofMusicandSound
MarielouiseKloseonbehalfofM*U*S*I*C–MusicUnionforStudentInteractionandCreativity.
LeifJensenonbehalfofResQ-TekniskService
ALL ARE
WELCOME!
Audience participation in
the seminar via Adobe
Connect is also welcome.
Today -October29,2015 -youarealsoverywelcome toattenda seminargivenbyMortenHeideentitledA New Approach to
Performing Carl Nielsen’s Three Motets.ThisseminarwilltakeplaceinU67andispartoftheseriesTopics in the Aesthetics of
Music and Sound.Pleaseseehttp://soundmusicresearch.org/Topics_in_the_Aesthetics_of_Music_and_Sound_Fall_2015.pdf.
Mortenwrites:.. .InspiredbytheimpendingcelebrationsofNielsen'sanniversary,IdecidedtoprogramhisrarelyperformedThreeMotetsduringthe
secondofthetwoexaminationconcertsrequiredformymaster’sdegreeinchoralconductingfromStockholm’sRoyalCollegeofMusic.
I soonrealizedthat therewereissues,questionsandchallenges thatneededtobedealtwithbeyondthemusicalonesbefore Icouldembarkupon
interpreting themusic.My interest in thesematters sprang from a commentmade by theDanish composer and conductor BoHolten regarding the
discrepanciesbetweenNielsen'sinkfaircopyoftheThreeMotetsandthetwoeditionsnowavailable.BoHolten'sobjectionwasthatthechangeswhich
appearintheavailableeditionsarehelpfulneithertothemusicnortothedisseminationofNielsen'sonlysacredchoralsettingofLatintexts.Idecidedto
investigatetheextentoftheseallegeddiscrepancies.Itbecameclearthattherewasmorethanenoughsubjectmattertowarrantdevotingasignificantpart
ofmythesistothisinvestigation.
As partmy first examinationconcert, Imoreoverdecided toprogram threeRenaissancemotets byClemensnonPapa,Orlandodi Lasso andLuca
Marenzio.CarlNielsenhadcopiedallthreefromfacsimilesin1928ashepainstakinglybegantostudythepolyphonyofe.g.Palestrinaandseveralold
DutchmasterspriortowritinghisownThreeMotetsthefollowingyear.WishingtoinvestigatethesimilaritiesbetweentheseoldermotetsandNielsen's-
butalsotoreflectuponwhatapproachIshouldtakewhenconductingNielsen'sThreeMotets-Iwondered:
• shoulditbeaninterpretationbasedonwhatweknowtodayabouthowto“authentically”interpretthesacredpolyphonicchoralmusicofthe
Renaissance,
• shoulditbealate-RomanticinterpretationbasedontheknowledgeofhowchoirssangaroundthetimeNielsenwrotehisThreeMotets,or
• shouldIconsideranewthirdapproach?
Thegoalofmythesis–andofthisseminarpresentation–isthusthatofsheddinglightupontheseissuesandtoencouragechoralconductorstoprogram
Nielsen'swonderfulThreeMotetsmoreoftenthanhasbeenthecase.
Seminar Series
Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound