Ludvig Irgens-Jensen
Paul Ludvig Irgens-Jensen (13 April 1894 – 11 April 1969) was a Norwegian twentieth-century composer.
Biography
Irgens-Jensen studied piano with Nils Larsen while a philology student at the University of Oslo. He began composing in 1920 and the radical nature of his work attracted some interest. In 1928, Irgens-Jensen submitted his Passacaglia for Orchestra to the International Schubert Competition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Franz Schubert's death. The competition was eventually won by Kurt Atterberg's Symphony No. 6. Although Irgens-Jensen's work only received second prize in the Scandinavian Composers Division, the work was performed all over the world and helped Irgens-Jensen gain international fame.
In 1930, the composer achieved another great success with his choral symphonic work Heimferd, written to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the death of St.
During the
Musical Language
Ludvig Irgens-Jensen was an educated man who traveled and spoke multiple languages. He was aware of the latest European music trends. Initially, he was heavily influenced by French
Irgens-Jensen is one of the most important Norwegian composers of the interwar period. He had a strong influence on the younger generation, especially as a mediator of Central European musical culture. However, he resisted the post-war musical avant-garde, which caused his work to become outdated and forgotten. Since the 1970s, his works have been performed more often. His song cycle Japanischer Frühling (Japanese Spring) is regularly programmed in Scandinavia.
Works
Stage music
- Driftekaren, Opera (1938)
- Le Retour, Opera (1947)
- Kong Baldevins Armring, Comic opera (1935)
- Robin Hood: spectacle lyrique, Incidental music (1945)
Choral music
- Cantates profanes, Oratorio (before 1930)
- Le Retour, Oratorio (1930)
- Heimferd, Oratorio (1930)
- Der Gott und die Bajadere, Oratorio (1932)
Orchestral Music
- Tema con variazioni (1925)
- Passacaglia (1927)
- Symphony No. 1 (1930)
- Kong Baldvines Arming, Suite (1935)
- Partita Sinfonica (1938)
- Pastorale religioso (1939)
- Symphony No. 2 in D minor (1942)
- Canto d'omaggio (1950)
- Japanischer Frühling (1957)
- Air (1959)
Chamber music
- Violin Sonata in B-flat (1923)
- Piano Quintet (1927)
Discography (selected releases)
- Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in d minor ; Air ; Passacaglia (2011)
- Solveig Kringlebotn, To a Friend (2003)
- Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ragnhild Heiland Sørensen, Eivind Aadland, Japanischer Frühling (2002)
- Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Heimferd (1994)
- Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ludvig Irgens-Jensen, Tema con Variazioni - Sinfonia in Re - Japanischer Frühling (1993)
- Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ludvig Irgens-Jensen, Passacaglia & Partita Sinfonica · Sonata for Violin and piano (1988)
References
External links
- List of works supplied by the National Library of Norway