At the then Oslo Conservatory of Music (now the
Norwegian Academy of Music), where Nordheim studied from 1948 to 1952, he started out as a theory and
organ student, but changed to composition, studying with Karl August Andersen (1903–1970),
Bjarne Brustad, and
Conrad Baden. Then in 1955 he studied with
Vagn Holmboe in
Copenhagen,[3] and studied musique concrète in
Paris[citation needed]. Later he studied electronic music in
Bilthoven (1959), and paid many visits to the Studio Eksperymentalne of Polish Radio (1967–1972), where many of his early electronic works were realised (including Pace, Solitaire, and Lux et tenebrae (Poly-Poly)). In 2005, many lost and forgotten tapes of electronic compositions for
radio drama for the
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) were rediscovered, reminding us that Nordheim also developed his electronic musical language in his home country.[4]
Career
His Essay for string quartet was first performed in Stockholm in 1954, but Nordheim always considered his String 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 cycle Aftonland (Evening Land, 1959), a setting of poems by the
Swedish poet
Pär Lagerkvist, which brought him national recognition. The 1961 Canzonaper orchestra was his international breakthrough. Inspired by
Giovanni Gabrieli's canzone, 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 flautist
Alf Andersen, who died that year at a very young age, the work incorporated
Salvatore Quasimodo's poem Ed 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 include The Tempest (1979), Klokkesong (1984), Magma (1988), the Violin Concerto (1996) and Fonos for trombone and orchestra (2004). Arne Norheim was inspired by the neumes and the sound of the medieval bells in
Kaupanger stave church in composing the work Klokkesong, which was first performed in the church. In The Tempest, a ballet based on
Shakespeare'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 of
Leonardo da Vinci's musical rebus, which solved reads Amore sol la mi fa remirare, la sol mi fa sollecita.[7]
1968 saw Arne Nordheim being bestowed with the
Nordic Council Music Prize for his Eco 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 engineer
Eugeniusz Rudnik made the piece Poly-Poly for the Scandinavian pavilion at
Expo '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 name Lux 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 and
Grex 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 of
Trondheim in 1997.[10]
To commemorate Nordheim's 70th birthday in 2001, a celebratory concert was held, featuring the
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. The
Norwegian 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.
Prizes and awards
1975: Member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music
3457 Arnenordheim, a minor planet circling the Sun in the main
asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter was named for the composer after its discovery in 1985.
Cultural references
Arne Nordheim's popularity grew enormously when
Frank Zappa arrived in
Copenhagen in 1973, and told journalists he wanted to meet Arne Nordheim. Later, Zappa performed in Norway with Nordheim as a VIP guest. A lifelong friendship developed between the two, and Nordheim was invited to the US, while Zappa always visited Nordheim when performing in Norway.[13]
Norwegian painter Håkon Bleken produced a series of large charcoal drawings inspired by Nordheim's quote that "music lives in the span between poetry and catastrophe".[14]
"A Study Dedicated to Arne Nordheim" is the title of a track on
Hemmelig Tempo's album Who Put John Cage on the Guestlist? (2010).
Production
Selected works
Music for stage productions
Katharsis (ballet), orchestra and tape (1962)
Favola (music drama for TV), 2 singers, 10 dancers, orchestra, and tape (1963)
Ariadne (ballet based on cantata Tempora Noctis), (1977)
Ketil Hvoslef, Soon-Mi Chung, Stephan Barratt-Due, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Duodu - Duoer for fiolin og Bratsj / Soon-Mi Chung og Stephan Barratt-Due (1994)
The Norwegian String Quartet, Terje Tønnesen, Nordheim; Hallgrimsson (1990)
The Norwegian String Quartet, Arne Nordheim -
Antonio Bibalo - String Quartets (1987)