Per Norgard, daring symphonic composer, dies at 92
Mr. Norgard's musical evolution encompassed the mid-20th century's leading styles, including neoclassicism, expressionism ,and his own brand of serialism, and it incorporated a wide range of influences, including Javanese gamelan music, Indian philosophy, astrology, and the works of schizophrenic Swiss artist Adolf Wölfli.
Advertisement
But he considered himself a distinctively Nordic composer, influenced by Finnish symphonist Jean Sibelius, and that was how newcomers to his music often approached him. The infinite, brooding landscapes of Sibelius -- along with the intensifying repetitions in the work of Mr. Norgard's Danish compatriot Carl Nielsen and the obsessive, short-phrase focus of Norwegian Edvard Grieg -- have echoes in Mr. Norgard's fragmented sound world.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
The delirious percussive expressions of his composition 'Terrains Vagues' (2000), the plinking raindrops of the two-piano, four-metronome 'Unendlicher Empfang' (1997), and the vast, discontinuous fresco of the Eighth Symphony (2011) all evoke the black-and-white northern vistas of Sibelius, with their intense play of light and shadow.
As a young student at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in the early 1950s, he was immersed in the music of Sibelius, writing to the older composer and receiving encouragement in return. 'When I discovered there was a kind of unity in his music, I was obsessed with the idea of meeting him,' he said in an interview. 'And to let him know that I didn't consider him out of date.'
Advertisement
The two never did manage to meet. But Sibelius, who died in 1957, was a lifelong inspiration and mentor from afar.
'From the moment I discovered the music of Sibelius, I felt in much more of a relationship with his music' than with that of fellow Danish composers, Mr. Norgard said in a 2012 interview.
'There are the long horizons. And a feeling, maybe, of a kind of nostalgia,' he added.
Mr. Norgard developed a unique compositional technique he called the 'infinity series,' a slightly repeated, but constantly shifting, sequence of notes, which the British critic Richard Whitehouse described as 'a way of creating layers of melodies that move simultaneously at different speeds across the texture.'
That technique recalls what Mr. Norgard called the 'symmetric turning around' of Sibelius. Mr. Norgard himself aspired to a music in which 'everything came out of a single note,' he said, 'like the big bang.'
Both composers are credited with renewing, and prolonging the life of, the imperiled symphony.
Whitehouse called Mr. Norgard's Fifth Symphony (1990) 'arguably the most significant reappraisal of symphonic form in the past half-century.' Sibelius' own Fifth Symphony, composed in 1919, had been characterized the same way in its day; Mr. Norgard was inspired by what he called its 'growth, where different motifs are more and more connected, to a great vision of unity.'
Advertisement
Mr. Norgard had a brief brush with popular consciousness with his hauntingly simple music for the film 'Babette's Feast' (1987), an adaptation of the 1958 story by Karen Blixen, writing under the pen name Isak Dinesen.
Despite his stature in Europe -- there were frequent recordings, some with major orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic -- Mr. Norgard found a muted reception in the United States. In 2014, he was awarded the Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music by the New York Philharmonic, although the orchestra had 'never played a note of his music,' New York Times critic Alan Kozinn observed at the time.
A 2016 concert series, 'Norgard in New York,' went some ways toward remedying the neglect. David Allen wrote in The New York Times that 'at its strongest, Mr. Norgard's music has an unbridled organic power, bursting with overlapping lines inspired by mathematical patterns like the golden ratio or natural forces like the rush of an ocean or the dwindling bounce of a ball.'
Mr. Norgard, for his part, described his award from the New York orchestra, two years earlier, as 'quite mysterious.'
Per Norgard was born July 13, 1932, in Gentofte, Denmark, north of Copenhagen, the younger son of Erhardt Norgard, a tailor who owned a wedding-dress shop, and Emmely Johanne Nicoline (Christensen) Norgard.
He was composing piano sonatas by the age of 10. At 17, he began studying with the leading Danish composer Vagn Holmboe, and in 1952, he entered the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he continued his composition studies. From 1956 to 1957, he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, who taught many of the 20th century's leading composers, a period that led him to write at least one Neo-Classical work in the Stravinsky mold.
Advertisement
Under the tutelage of Boulanger, he rebelled somewhat against her hyper-French, Neo-Classical universe, advocating, in an article, engagement with 'the universe of the Nordic mind.'
Teaching at Danish conservatories in Odense, Copenhagen, and Aarhus followed, along with music criticism for the daily Politiken newspaper. By the early 1960s, Mr. Norgard had developed the 'infinity series' concept, which began with experiments with simple piano pieces.
A steady stream of large-scale choral, symphonic, and chamber works resulted, culminating in his last major composition, the Eighth Symphony, which Mellor likened to the works of Mahler, the 'idea that the symphony strives absolutely to contain the world -- that the composer is offering us a glimpse of the universe.'
Mr. Norgard's wife, Helle Rahbek, died in 2022. He leaves a daughter, Ditte, and a son, Jeppe, from an earlier marriage, to Anelise Brix Thomsen, that ended in divorce.
In an interview with the New York Philharmonic in 2014, after being awarded the Kravis prize, Mr. Norgard described his compositional technique, and discussed the 'infinity series.'
It was 'a kind of homage to the mystery of life,' he said, 'which has always been a guiding line for my music.'
This article originally appeared in
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
7 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Henrik Vibskov Reimagines Verner Panton's Panthella Lamp in Immersive 3daysofdesign Light Installation
Summary At the 2025 edition of Copenhagen's3daysofdesignfestival,Louis Poulsenunveiled 'Circle Dome Square' — a vibrant, contemplative light installation by Danish designer and artistHenrik Vibskov. Placed just outside the brand's showroom, the immersive structure pays homage toVerner Panton's iconic Panthella lamp. The lamp was first introduced in 1971 and is celebrated for its timeless silhouette and luminous presence. Known for his avant-garde approach to fashion and multidisciplinary art, Vibskov reimagines Panton's legacy through a textile-based pavilion. Vibskov reinterprets Panton's legacy through a textile-based installation that invites visitors to pause, reflect, and engage with light in a new way. He describes 'Circle Dome Square' as a playful and somewhat visionary installation with a touch of surrealism. 'The concept was to combine shapes and colors into a larger structure using my chosen material – textiles – to create a design reminiscent of old-school cameras, focusing on a single unit,' said Vibskov, in which he adds, ' This is a space you can enter, where you can hopefully relax, take a breath and enjoy your surroundings without too much disturbance from the outside world.' 'We're thrilled to collaborate with Henrik Vibskov, one of Denmark's most innovative fashion designers and artists,' said Zorayda Perez Pedersen, Louis Poulsen's SMO. She added that Vibskov has created a captivating installation that fuses designer lighting and art, paying tribute to Verner Panton and his most iconic lamp design, the Panthella.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bally Expected to Stay the Course With Design Team
STEADY AT BALLY: Fashion's revolving door continues to swing, but don't expect a new creative director to join Bally any time soon. The Swiss brand has been going through major changes since the acquisition last August by an affiliate of Regent, the owner of Club Monaco and Escada, from JAB. More from WWD Ellen Hodakova Larsson Tipped as Potential Successor to Francesco Risso at Marni EXCLUSIVE: New Bally 'Heritage' Campaign Puts Focus on Shoes Jil Sander Steps Into Venetian Glass With Formafantasma and Venini to Fete New Venice Store Two months later, CEO Nicolas Girotto exited the brand, succeeded by former Dsquared2 and Roberto Cavalli executive Ennio Fontana, who joined as general manager. In March, creative director Simone Bellotti left Bally to join Jil Sander. He brought rigorous designs, sleek tailoring and understated chicness, while at the same time adding irreverent and whimsical twists to sober and tailored suits and trenches, like the tiny cowbells referencing the Swiss heritage of the brand. Bellotti had been named to that post in May 2023, succeeding Rhuigi Villaseñor. The latter, who is also the founder of luxury streetwear brand Rhude, held the top design role for only one year. Bally did not present a menswear collection in Milan, but staged a presentation on Sunday of a capsule inspired by an archival tennis shoe, and a spokeswoman said the aim is now to focus on the immediate future with collections designed by the brand's team for consistency, after all the changes. Michael Reinstein is the founder and chairman of investment firm Regent. In April, as reported, seasoned fashion and retail executive Mario Grauso joined Regent as operating partner of its fashion and luxury group, a new role. Grauso is the former president of Holt Renfrew, Vera Wang, Joe Fresh and Puig Fashion, parent of Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne. Regent's wider portfolio also includes the retailer Intermix plus a clutch of hosiery and innerwear players: Dim, Intermix, Playtex, Wonderbra, Bellinda and La Senza. Based in Beverly Hills, Regent invests across sectors including retail, luxury, media, technology, automotive and industrial. Best of WWD Kate Middleton's Looks at Trooping the Colour Through the Years [PHOTOS] Young Brooke Shields' Style Evolution, Archive Photos: From Runway Modeling & Red Carpets to Meeting Princess Diana The Most Memorable French Open Tennis Outfits With Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka & More [PHOTOS]
Vogue
19 hours ago
- Vogue
Bally Spring 2026 Menswear Collection
Bally has been linked to sports since the beginning of the Swiss brand, in 1851. Technical footwear has long played a role, too, including Bally's first tennis shoe in 1937, along with various shoes made for horse riding and golf, and the hiking boots used in the 1950s for the first ascent of Mount Everest. Today's Tennis collection for spring 2026 nodded to that history with a mixture of tradition and reinterpretation. Its starting point was the Competition sneaker, originally launched in 1983, now reissued to become more contemporary and sleek, as a celebration of a shoe worn by the Swiss 1992 French Open champions. This Tennis collection—designed by the internal creative team—was not conceived for playing, but instead as an homage to the aesthetics of the sport, which were also evoked through the clothes. The preppy proposals were presented in a white, red, and blue palette that explored late 1930s silhouettes with ample white pants, blue blazers, and spongy polos. The sweatshirts were more ironic, with tennis-related patches and vintage-inspired logos. Knitwear was an off-duty reinterpretation of braided twin-sets. An archival print of small tennis balls was widely used—also in a bright green accent—for short-sleeved shirts and lightweight scarves; the white and burgundy Bally ribbon was reprised, especially for accessories. Retro travel bags, themed canvas totes, and shoulder strap bags in perforated leather—the Bally signature Beckett model—were among the main accessories, together with more playful ones such as the cylindrical (and unconventional) clutch, the racket holder and a micro-tennis-ball-shaped keychain.
