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

MORTEN HEIDE ♦ klaver ♦

fejrer 150 året for den fynske komponist Carl Nielsens fødselsdag

Torsdag den 29. oktober 2015

kl. 12-13 i The Winter Garden Fri entré

Koncerten præsenteres

af:

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SDU Odense