__NOTOC__ Lasse Thoresen (born 18 October 1949) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

composer whose works concentrate on a contemporary transformation of the

folk-music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

traditions of many peoples, especially those of

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

Biography

Thoresen was born in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

in 1949 and studied with

Finn Mortensen Finn Mortensen (January 6, 1922 – May 23, 1983) was a Norwegian composer, critic and educator. Finn Einar Mortensen was born in Oslo. His parents were publisher Ernst Gustav Mortensen (1887–1966) and Anna Marie Damnæs (1886–1 ...

at the

Norwegian Academy of Music The Norwegian Academy of Music (Norwegian: ''Norges musikkhøgskole'', NMH) is a university-level music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the co ...

, graduating in 1972. He studied

electroacoustic music Electroacoustic music is a genre of popular and Western art music in which composers use technology to manipulate the timbres of acoustic sounds, sometimes by using audio signal processing, such as reverb or harmonizing, on acoustical instrumen ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, and ''

musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic, ...

'' and

spectral music Spectral music uses the acoustic properties of sound – or sound spectra – as a basis for composition. Definition Defined in technical language, spectral music is an acoustic musical practice where compositional decisions are often informe ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He has been professor of composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music since 1988. Thoresen has received many commissions for works which have been performed across Scandinavia, including commissions from all the major Norwegian Philharmonic Orchestras and the French National Radio. An important source of inspiration for Thoresen has been the Baháʼí religion whose texts he has set in many works. His

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

''Terraces of Light'' (2000) was performed at the inauguration of the 19 terraces of the Baháʼí holy place on

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/Elijah), is a c ...

, by forces from Canada, Austria, Israel and Transylvania. Thoresen was winner of the 2010

Nordic Council Music Prize The Nordic Council Music Prize is awarded annually by NOMUS, the Nordic Music Committee. Every two years it is awarded for a work by a living composer. In the intervening years it is awarded to a performing musician or ensemble. The Nordic ...

for his work ''Opus 42'', which consists of four pieces written for the vocal group ''Nordic Voices''.

Selected works

* ''Bird of the Heart'', piano trio (1982) * Symphonic Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1984) * ''Illuminations'', double concerto for two celli and orchestra (1985) * ''AbUno'' (1992) * The symphonic poem ''Emergence'' (1997) * ''Traces of Light'' (2000) * ''Løp, Lokk og Linjar'' for folk singer and sinfonietta (2002) * ''Transfigurations'', triple concerto (2003) * ''The Descent of Luminous Waters'', piano trio (2003) * ''To the Brother Peoples'', double concerto for

hardingfele A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than fo ...

nyckelharpa A nyckelharpa (, "keyed fiddle", or literally "key harp", plural ) is the national musical instrument of Sweden. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to cha ...

(2005) * ''Tidehverv'' (At a Juncture), 3 Pieces for viola and cello (2007) * ''Opus 42'', four vocal works

Discography

*Nordic Voices, ''Himmelkvad'' (2012) *Ragnhild Hemsing, ''Yr'' (2011) *

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra based in Bergen. Its principal concert venue is the Grieg Hall. History Established in 1765 under the name ''Det Musicalske Selskab'' (The Musical Society), it later changed its name t ...

, ''Lasse Thoresen - To The Brother Peoples'' (2009) *Grieg Trio, ''Beethoven - Thoresen'' (2007) *Aage Kvalbein, Ten Norwegian Short Stories (2005) *Oslo Strykekvartett, ''The Silver Chord'' (2002) *Oslo Sinfonietta, ''Norges Musikkhistore Bind 5'' (2001) *Haifa Symfoniorkester, ''The Mount Carmel Terraces - Official Opening'' (2001) *Saxofon Concentus, ''Second Tale'' (2000) *Christian Eggen, Norges Musikkhøgskole Symfoniorkester & Kor, Lasse Thoresen - som Bølger på Ett Hav (2000) *The Norwegian Soloists' Choir, ''Hear'' (1999) *''The Sonic Mind'' (1998) *The Norwegian Soloists' Choir, ''From the Sweet-scented Streams of Eternity / Lasse Thoresen'' (1998) *''Lasse Thoresen'' (1998)

References

Sources

* * * Notes to Aurora ACD 5058

External links

Lasse Thoresen Homepage

Lasse Thoresen at the Music Information Centre Norway
1949 births Living people Musicians from Oslo Norwegian composers Norwegian male composers Norwegian contemporary classical composers Norwegian Academy of Music alumni Academic staff of the Norwegian Academy of Music {{Norway-composer-stub