Magnus Gustaf Adolf Lindberg (born 27 June 1958) is a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
composer and pianist. He was the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
's
composer-in-residence
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
from 2009 to 2012 and has been the
London Philharmonic Orchestra's
composer-in-residence
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
since the beginning of the 2014–15 season.
Early life
Lindberg was born in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, where he studied at the
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It al ...
under
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara (; 9 October 1928 – 27 July 2016) was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. ...
and
Paavo Heininen
Paavo Johannes Heininen (13 January 1938 – 18 January 2022) was a Finnish composer and pianist.
Biography
He was born in Helsinki, where he studied at the Sibelius Academy and was taught composition by Aarre Merikanto, Einojuhani Rautavaara, E ...
, beginning with piano. He attended summer courses in
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
(with
Franco Donatoni
Franco Donatoni (9 June 1927 – 17 August 2000) was an Italian composer.
Biography
Born in Verona, Donatoni started studying violin at the age of seven, and frequented the local music academy. Later, he studied at the Milan Conservatory ...
) and
Darmstadt (with
Brian Ferneyhough). After graduating in 1981, he traveled widely in Europe, attending private studies with
Vinko Globokar
Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French-Slovenian avant-garde composer and trombonist.
Globokar's music uses unconventional and extended techniques, places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often relies on improvisation. Hi ...
and
Gérard Grisey
Gérard Henri Grisey (; ; 17 June 1946 – 11 November 1998) was a twentieth-century French composer of contemporary classical music. His work is often associated with the Spectralist Movement in music, of which he was a major pioneer.
Biograp ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
, and observing Japanese drumming and
punk rock in Berlin.
Compositions and style
Lindberg's
juvenilia include the large orchestral work ''Donor'', composed at age 16. ''Quintetto dell’Estate'' (1979) is generally held to be Lindberg's first opus. His first piece performed by a professional orchestra was ''Sculpture II'' in 1982, the second part of a trilogy whose first and third sections were long unwritten. His first great success came with "Action-Situation-Signification" (1982), the first work in which he explored ''
musique concrète''. This piece was written for and premiered by the new-music ensemble
Toimii ("It Works" in
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
), which Lindberg founded in the summer of 1980. Around the same period, Lindberg founded an informal grouping known as the ''Ears Open Society'' including Lindberg and his contemporaries Eero Hämeenniemi,
Jouni Kaipainen
Jouni Ilari Kaipainen (24 November 1956 – 23 November 2015) was a Finnish composer.
Kaipainen was born in Helsinki to the physician and politician Osmo Kaipainen, and his wife, the author Anu Mustonen. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in He ...
,
Kaija Saariaho
Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; born 14 October 1952) is a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Inte ...
,
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...
and
Herman Rechberger
Herman Rechberger (14 February 1947 – 11 January 2022) was an Austria-born Finnish composer, conductor and musician.
Life and career
Born in Linz, Allied-occupied Austria, Rechberger studied classical guitar at the Bruckner-Konservatorium ...
. He is a trained pianist and has performed several of his works as part of Toimii.
''
Kraft'' (1983–85), another piece written for Toimii, is Lindberg's largest work to date, with harmonies of over 70 notes and a meter-high score. It uses traditional instrumentation as well as percussion on scrap metal and spoken word. After finishing it Lindberg found it hard to compose, and with the exception of 1986's ''Ur'', which he called "''Kraft'' in chamber form", he entered a creative hiatus that lasted over two years. During this time he was not only rethinking his style but also recovering from a tropical disease contracted during travel in Indonesia.
''Kraft'' made use of a
chaconne
A chaconne (; ; es, chacona, links=no; it, ciaccona, links=no, ; earlier English: ''chacony'') is a type of musical composition often used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short rep ...
-type structure where the progression of the piece is based on a repeated chain of chords. It was this idea that served as the basis for Lindberg's next style. He returned with an orchestral trilogy consisting of ''Kinetics'' (1988), ''Marea'' (1989–90), and ''Joy'' (1990). Though Lindberg became less interested in electronic manipulation of sound, he continued to explore the possibilities of compositional software, and ''Engine'' displays complex computer-generated counterpoint. Since ''Joy'', Lindberg has gradually refined his style, orchestrations and harmonies. This showed itself first in ''Corrente'' for chamber ensemble (1992) and its subsequent orchestral version, ''Corrente II'', and in Duo Concertante (1992). In these works Lindberg showed influences ranging from
Pierre Boulez and
Tristan Murail
Tristan Murail (born 11 March 1947) is a French composer associated with the "spectral" technique of composition. Among his compositions is the large orchestral work ''Gondwana''.
Early life and studies
Murail was born in Le Havre, France. His fa ...
to
Igor Stravinsky and
minimalism. His symphonic work ''Aura'' (1994) reflects a newer, more eclectic style.
Lindberg has since built upon these developments, further refining his style, which now leans toward a type of new tonality hinted at in works such as ''Joy'' and ''Aura''. This development has culminated in one of his most popular scores to date, his Clarinet Concerto (2002), which has a folk-like melody and rich orchestration. His recent work, ''Two Episodes'', was premiered at the
BBC Proms
The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
on 24 July 2016. It is a companion piece to
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musi ...
, containing allusions to both the symphony and
other works by the composer, rather in the same way that
I.M. Pei
Ieoh Ming Pei
– website of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners ( ; ; April 26, 1917 – May 16, 2019) was ...
's
Louvre Pyramid
The Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal structure designed by the Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. The pyramid is in the main courtyard ( Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace in Paris, surrounded by three small ...
complements the
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, f ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
.
Awards and honors
Lindberg has received a number of composition prizes, including the
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...
(1986), the UNESCO
International Rostrum of Composers The International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) is an annual forum organized by the International Music Council that offers broadcasting representatives the opportunity to exchange and publicize pieces of contemporary classical music. It is funded by c ...
(1986), the
Nordic Council Music Prize (1988) for ''Kraft'', and the Royal Philharmonic Society Prize for large-scale composition (1992).
Lindberg became the new composer-in-residence at the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
for the 2009–2010 season at the invitation of the incoming music director
Alan Gilbert. The Philharmonic's September 2009 opening night gala, which was Gilbert's debut as music director, featured a well-received new work by Lindberg, ''
EXPO
An expo is a trade exposition. It may also refer to:
Events and venues
* World's fair, a large international public exposition
* Singapore Expo, convention and exposition venue
** Expo Axis, one of the world's largest membrane roofs, constructe ...
''. Lindberg's fourth and final commission as composer-in-residence was the
Piano Concerto No. 2, which was premiered on 3 May 2012.
Works
Orchestral
*''Sculpture II'' (1981)
*''
Kraft'' for small solo ensemble and orchestra (1983–85)
*''Kinetics'' (1988–89)
*''Marea'' (1989–90)
*''Corrente II'' (1992)
*''
Aura (In memoriam Witold Lutosławski)'' (1994)
*''Arena'' (1995)
*''
Feria
In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday.
In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''.
If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...
'' (1997)
*''
Cantigas'' (1998–99)
*''
Fresco'' (1997)
*''
Parada'' (2001)
*''Bright Cecilia: Variations on a Theme by Purcell'' (2002)
*''Chorale'' (2002)
*
Concerto for Orchestra (2003)
*''Tribute'' (2004)
*''
Sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
'' (2005)
*''Seht die Sonne'' (2007)
*''
EXPO
An expo is a trade exposition. It may also refer to:
Events and venues
* World's fair, a large international public exposition
* Singapore Expo, convention and exposition venue
** Expo Axis, one of the world's largest membrane roofs, constructe ...
'' (2009)
*''
Al largo'' (2010)
*''Era'' (2013)
*''Vivo'' (2015)
*''
Two Episodes'' (2016)
*''
Tempus fugit
''Tempus fugit'' is a Latin phrase, usually translated into English as "time flies". The expression comes from line 284 of book 3 of Virgil's ''Georgics'', Vergilius Maro, Publius. ''Georgicon'', III. c. 29 BC. Hosted at Wikisource. ...
'' (2016–17)
*''Agile'' (2017–18)
*''Absence'' (2020)
*''Serenades'' (2020)
*''Encore'' (2021)
Chamber orchestra or ensemble
*''Ritratto'' (1979–83)
*''Tendenza'' (1982)
*''Joy'' (1989–90)
*''Corrente'' (1992)
*''Coyote Blues'' (1996)
*''Engine'' (1996)
*''Corrente – China Version'' (2000)
*''Bubo bubo'' (2002)
*''Jubilees'' (2002)
*''Counter Phrases'' (2002–03)
*''
Souvenir
A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
'' (2010)
* ''Red House ''(2013)
* ''Aventures'' (2013)
* ''Shadow of the Future'' (2019)
Soloist(s) and orchestra
*''Away'' for solo clarinet, string orchestra, piano and percussion (1994)
*
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1991/94)
*''Campana In Aria'' for horn and orchestra (1998)
*
Cello Concerto No. 1 (1999)
*
Clarinet Concerto
A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...
(2002)
*
Violin Concerto No. 1 (2006)
*
Piano Concerto No. 2 (2011–12)
*
Cello Concerto No. 2 (2013)
*
Violin Concerto No. 2 (2015)
*
Piano Concerto No. 3 (2022)
Wind orchestra
*''Zungenstimmen'' for wind orchestra (1994)
*''Gran Duo'' for wind orchestra (1999–2000)
*''Ottoni'' for brass ensemble (2005)
Small ensemble
*''Musik för två pianon'' (Music for Two Pianos) (1976)
*''Arabesques'' for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn (1978)
*''Play I'' for two pianos (1979)
*''Quintetto dell' estate'' for
flute,
clarinet,
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
,
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...
and
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
(1979)
*''Linea d'ombra'' for small ensemble (1981)
*"...de Tartuffe, je crois..." for piano quintet (1981)
*''Action-Situation-Signification'' for small ensemble and electronics (1982)
*''Ablauf'' for clarinet and percussion (1983)
*''Zona'' for cello solo and seven instruments (1983)
*''Metal Work'' for accordion and percussion (1984)
*''UR'' for small ensemble (1986)
*''Moto'' for cello and piano (1990)
*''Steamboat Bill Jr.'' for clarinet and cello (1990)
*Clarinet Quintet (1992)
*''Duo Concertante'' for solo clarinet, solo cello and ensemble (1992)
*''Decorrente'' for small ensemble (1992)
*''Kiri'' for clarinet, cello, percussion and electronics (1993)
*''Related Rocks'' for two pianos, percussion and electronics (1997)
*''Dos Coyotes'' for cello and piano (2002)
*''Konzertstück'' for cello and piano (2006)
*Trio for clarinet, cello and piano (2008) (also arranged for violin, cello and piano (2011–12))
*''Acequia Madre'' for clarinet and piano (2012) (also arranged for viola and piano)
*''Maguey de tlalcoyote'' for string trio (2018)
*''Deux Études pour trois clarinettes'' for three clarinets (2020)
Solo instrument
*''Klavierstück'' for piano (1977)
*''Tre Pianostycke'' (Three Piano Pieces, or Three Short Pieces) for piano (1978)
*''Ground'' for
harpsichord (1983)
*''Stroke'' for cello (1984)
*''Twine'' for solo piano (1988)
*''Jeux d'anches'' for solo
accordion (1990)
*''Jubilees'' for piano (2000)
*''Partia'' for cello solo (2001)
*''Etude I'' for piano (2001)
*''Mano a mano'' for
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
(2004)
*''Etude II'' for piano (2004)
*''Duello'' for cello (2010)
*''Fanfar för Victoria'' for trumpet (2015)
*''Fratello'' for piano (2016)
*''Promenade'' for piano (2017)
*''Caprice'' for violin (2022)
Vocal
*''Jag vill breda vingar ut'' for
mezzo-soprano and piano (1977–78)
*''Untitled'' for chamber chorus
a cappella (1978)
*''Songs from North and South'' for children's chorus
a cappella (1993–2008)
*''Graffiti'' for chamber chorus and orchestra (2008–09)
*''Accused'' for soprano and orchestra (2014)
*''Triumf att finnas till'' (''Triumph to Exist'') for chorus and orchestra (2018)
References
Further reading
*Howell, Tim. 2006. ''After Sibelius: Studies in Finnish Music''
Chapter 9 pp. 231–262. Aldershot and Vermont: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
*Nieminen, Risto. 1993. ''Magnus Lindberg''. Paris: Ircam, Centre Georges-Pompidou. (in French)
*
*Stenius, Caterina. 2006. ''Chaconne: En bok om Magnus Lindberg och den nya musiken''. Med verkförteckning av Risto Nieminen. Helsinki: Söderströms.
External links
Magnus Lindberg at Boosey & HawkesEntry at the Finnish Music Information CentreMagnus Lindberg page at Ondine Recordsconducted by Kirk Noreen and Joshua Cody in 1999.
Magnus Lindberg biographyat ''Biografiskt lexikon för Finland''.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindberg, Magnus
1958 births
Living people
20th-century classical composers
21st-century classical composers
Finnish classical composers
Musicians from Helsinki
Swedish-speaking Finns
Sibelius Academy alumni
Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music
International Rostrum of Composers prize-winners
Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
Pupils of Gérard Grisey
Finnish male classical composers
20th-century male musicians
21st-century male musicians
20th-century Finnish composers
21st-century Finnish composers