Kristian Blak (born 31 March 1947), originally from

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, lives in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

where he is a composer, musician, and record executive. He is the founder of the Nordic musical ensemble

Yggdrasil Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional s ...

(named after the

World tree The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereb ...

). He has worked with sounds in the Faroese nature in several compositions. These include concerts in caves and other natural "concert halls" in the Faroe Islands. He has composed solo instrumental works, chamber music, choral works and symphonic music, for example the ballad ''Harra Pætur og Elinborg''. In 2010 Queen Margrethe of Denmark visited the Faroe Islands, and one of the events she visited was a grotto concert in Klæmintsgjógv (Gorge of Klæmint) by Kristian Blak and other musicians. The cave is 50 meter high and the sea in the cave is around 400 meter deep. There are some places inside the cave where the musicians can stand with their instruments and give a concert to the audience in the boats. He is the chief executive officer of

Tutl TUTL Records is a record label of the Faroe Islands that was founded in 1977 by Kristian Blak. The label is credited with giving many Faroese musicians their first break and "has played a major role in giving musicians a chance to record and pub ...

, which is the leading record label in the Faroe Islands. In 2002 he received the

Faroese Literature Prize The Faroese Literature Prize, also known as the Mentanarvirðisløn M. A. Jacobsens (M. A. Jacobsen's Cultural Award), is a prize for Faroese literature that was begun by the Tórshavnar kommuna (Tórshavn City Council) in 1958. Its winners includ ...

for his work with music in the Faroe Islands. In 2011 he received the Heiðursgáva Landsins, which is handed at the same time as the

, given by the Faroese government.

Musical Works

* 2001 ''PINIARTUT'' with ''Tellu Virkkala'', ''Rasmus Lyberth'' and ''Ville Kangas'' * 1999 ''24 PRÉLUDES'' * 1998 ''KLÆMINT'' * 1997 ''SHALDER GEO'' * 1991 ''RAVNATING'' * 1990 ''FIRRA'' * 1989 ''ADDEQ'' * 1988 ''ANTIFONALE'' * 1987 ''FJAND'' with Svend Bjerg * 1984 ''KINGOLØG'' * 1983 ''SJÓMANSRÍMUR'' * 1979 ''SNJÓUGLAN''

Albums

Solo albums

* 2005 ''Úr Holminum'', 8 tracks,

* 2005 Snjóuglan, 10 Tracks, Tutl * 1999 ''Klæmint'' Tutl * 1992 ''Harra Pætur og Elinborg'' * 1991 ''Ravnating'', 8 tracks, Tutl

Yggdrasil

* 2004 ''LIVE AT RUDOLSTADT'' * 2002 ''YGGDRASIL'' * 1984/1995/2000 ''CONCERTO GROTTO'' & ''DRANGAR'' * 1988 ''BRØYTINGAR'' Koncept: Ole Wich * 1983/85 ''THE FOUR TOWERS'' & ''HEYGAR OG DREYGAR'' * 1982 ''RAVNATING'' * 1981 ''DEN YDERSTE Ø''

Spælimenninir

* 2003 ''Malargrót'' * 1996 ''Flóð Og Fjøra'' * 1986 ''Hinvegin'' * 1984 ''Rekaviður'' * 1980 ''Burturav''

Spælimenninir í Hoydølum

''Spælimenninir í Hoydølum'' is the name of a former musical ensemble, they took name after a place name in Tórshavn called Hoydalar, the High School is located there. * 1984 ''Á ferð'' * 1987 ''Umaftur'' * 1977 ''Spælimenninir í Hoydølum''

Music for children

* 2003 ''Sóljudansir'' * 1997 ''Øll hava veingir'' * 1985 ''Syng bara við'' * 1983 ''Nósi'' * 1977 ''Nu ska' vi u å sejle'' við Kræklingum og øðrum.

Prizes

*2011 Heiðursgáva Landsins (Prize of Honor from the Faroese Ministry of Culture) – DKK 75 000Kringvarp.fo
The National Faroese Radio and Television (''in Faroese'') *2002

– DKK 150,000

Private life

Kristian Blak was married to Sharon Weiss in November 1977, she is also a musician and comes from

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

. Together they have three children: Mikael, Sámal and Rebekka.

Literature

* Kirsten Brix, Erhard Jacobsen, Ole Wich (ed.): ''Très bien. Kristian Blak 60 år''. Tórshavn: Plátufelagið Tutl, 2007 (126 s., incl. CD)

References

External links

Kristian Blak personal site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blak, Kristian 1947 births Living people Danish composers Male composers Faroese composers Danish emigrants to the Faroe Islands Faroese Literature Prize recipients People from Fredericia