Pehr Henrik Nordgren (19 January 1944 – 25 August 2008) was 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 A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Life

Pehr Henrik Nordgren was born in

Saltvik Saltvik is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland. The total area is 1 161,8 km2, of which 150,7 km2 is land, 4,7 km2 lakes and 1006,4 km2 sea. The archipelago north of Saltvik is perhaps the most beauti ...

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

. received composition lessons starting from 1958 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and studied musicology at the university from 1962 to 1967, as well as receiving private tuition from

Joonas Kokkonen Joonas Kokkonen (; 13 November 1921 – 2 October 1996) was a Finnish composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius; his opera ''The Last Temptations'' has received over 500 performance ...

from 1965 to 1969. At the

Tokyo University of the Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

, he supplemented his composition studies from 1970 to 1973 with Yoshio Hasegawa and became acquainted with traditional

Japanese music In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the world ...

, which soon became an influence in his works. In 1973, he married Shinobu Suzuki in Tokyo, and returned to Finland where he established himself in

Kaustinen Kaustinen ( sv, Kaustby) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is part of the Central Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a population about 4300 and covers an area of of which is water. The popula ...

, a small place in Ostrobothnia, as a freelance composer. Kaustinen is the center of

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 b ...

in Finland; folk music festivals take place all summer long with travellers coming from around the world. Thus Nordgren concerned himself now with the music of his country. On the other hand, he intensively began co-operation with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and its leader Juha Kangas, which led to an abundance of orchestral works. Nordgren's style stems from the

twelve tone technique The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law o ...

, as well as the use of tone clusters by

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" ...

, while also utilising many other elements of contemporary composition instead of following any single designated tradition. Nordgren's music also features elements of traditional Japanese music (e.g. in the ''Kwaidan Ballads'' for

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 keyboa ...

), sometimes combining elements and instruments of Japanese music with those of Finnish folk music, particularly the

kantele A kantele () or kannel () is a traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the south east Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery along with Estonian kannel, Latvian kokles, Lithuanian ...

. Central to Nordgren's œuvre are works for strings, whether in concertos, pieces for string orchestra (e.g. ''Portraits of Country Fiddlers'', one of his most often performed orchestral works), string quartets or sonatas. He died in

Veteli Veteli ( sv, Vetil) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality had a population of almost 3200 in 2019. and covers an area of of which is water. ...

, aged 64.

Works

Opera

* ''Den svarte munken'' (The Black Monk), Chamber Opera in 8 scenes, Op. 52 (1981, 2005) * ''Alex'', Television Opera, Op. 56 (1982–1983)

Orchestra

* ''Euphonie I '', Op. 1 (1966) * ''Épiphrase'', Op. 4 (1967) * ''Euphonie II'', Op. 5 (1967) * ''Minore'', Op. 6 (1968) * ''Koko maailma valittanee'' (The Whole World Will Lament) for strings orchestra, Op. 26b (1966, revised 1974) * ''The Turning Point'', Op. 16 (1972) * Symphony No. 1, Op. 20 (1974) * ''Euphonie III'', Op. 24 (1975) * ''Pelimannimuotokuvia'' (Portraits of Country Fiddlers) for string orchestra, Op. 26 (1976) * ''Summer Music '', Op. 34 (1977) * ''Häjyt'' (The Evil Braggarts), Music for the television play, Op. 38 (1977) * ''Tuolla mun heilani asuskeloo'' (Yonder Lives My Sweet Love) for string orchestra, Op. 40 (1977) * ''Symphony for Strings'', Op. 43 (1978) * ''Concerto for Strings'', Op. 54 (1982) * ''Jumala on kauneus'' (God Is Beauty), Music for the television play, Op. 64 (1984) * ''Elegia Vilho Lammelle'' (Elegie for Vilho Lampi), Op. 65 (1984) * ''Transe-Choral'' for 15 strings, Op. 67 (1985) * Symphony No. 2, Op. 74 (1989) * ''Cronaca'' for string orchestra, Op. 79 (1991) * ''Streams'' for chamber orchestra, Op. 80 (1991) * Symphony No. 3, Op. 88 (1993) * ''Equilibrium'' for 19 strings, Op. 94 (1995) * ''Chamber Symphony'', Op. 97 (1996) * Symphony No. 4, Op. 98 (1997) * ''Yamagata Rhapsody'', Op. 99 (1997) * ''Kallioon piirretty'' (Rock Score) for string orchestra, Op. 100 (1997) * Symphony No. 5, Op. 103 (1998) * Symphony No. 6 '' Interdependence '' for soprano, tenor, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 107 (1999–2000) * ''Solemnity-Euphony'' for 19 strings, Op. 118 (2002) * Symphony No. 7, Op. 124 (2003) * ''Kuvia maaseudun menneisyydestä'' (Pictures of the Country's Past; Pictures of Rural Past), Free Adaptations of Finnish Folk Tunes for string orchestra and harp, Op. 139 (2006) * Symphony No. 8, Op. 140 (2006)

Large chamber ensemble

* ''Nachtwache'' (Night Watch), Suite for the Music to a Radio Play for 3 clarinets, horn, percussion (5 players), piano, harp, violin, viola and cello, Op. 3 (1967) * ''Neljä kuolemankuvaa'' (Four Pictures of Death) for chamber ensemble, Op. 8 (1968) * ''Euphonie IV'' for

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

, Op. 51 (1981) * ''Fate-Nostalgia'' for clarinet, violin, piano and 12 cellos, Op. 72 (1989) * ''Programme Music'' for flute (piccolo and alto flute), oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass, Op. 76 (1990)

Concertante

* Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 10 (1969) * Viola Concerto No. 1, Op. 12 (1970) * Concerto for clarinet, folk instruments and small orchestra, Op. 14 (1970) * ''Autumnal Concerto'' for traditional Japanese instruments (

shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

jūshichi-gen The is a variant of the with 17 strings instead of the typical 13. The instrument is also known as , "17 stringed ", or "bass " (although with a greater number of strings also exist). The was invented in 1921 by Michio Miyagi, a musician who ...

) and orchestra, Op. 18 (1974) * Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23 (1975) * Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 33 (1977) * Viola Concerto No. 2, Op. 48 (1979) * Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 50 (1980) * Violin Concerto No. 3, Op. 53 (1981) * Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 62 (1984) *

Kantele A kantele () or kannel () is a traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the south east Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery along with Estonian kannel, Latvian kokles, Lithuanian ...

Concerto No. 1, Op. 66 (1985) * Viola Concerto No. 3, Op. 68 (1986) * ''Hate-Love'' for cello and string orchestra, Op. 71 (1987) * ''Phantasme'' for alto saxophone and orchestra, Op. 81 (1992) * Cello Concerto No. 3, Op. 82 (1992) * Concerto for viola, double bass and chamber orchestra, Op. 87 (1993) * Cello Concerto No. 4, Op. 89 (1994) * Violin Concerto No. 4, Op. 90 (1994) * Alto Saxophone Concerto, Op. 92 (1995) * Trumpet Concerto, Op. 93 (1995) * Horn Concerto, Op. 95 (1996) * Trombone Concerto, Op. 102 (1998) * Kantele Concerto No. 2, Op. 106 (1999) * Concerto for saxophone quartet and string orchestra with gong, Op. 108 (2000) * Oboe Concerto, Op. 116 (2001) * Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 112 (2001) * Guitar Concerto, Op. 126 (2003–2005) * Piano Concerto No. 3 for piano left hand, Op. 129 (2004) * Accordion Concerto, Op. 133 (2005) * Cello Concerto No. 5, Op. 135 (2005) * Organ Concerto, Op. 143 (2007)

Chamber and instrumental music

* String Quartet No. 1, Op. 2 (1967) * String Quartet No. 2, Op. 7 (1968) * ''Sonatina per sestetto'' for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion, Op. 9 (1969) * ''Kolme maanitusta'' (Three Enticements), Woodwind Quintet No. 1, Op. 11 (1970) * ''Ritornello'' for violin and piano, Op. 13 (1970) * ''Quartet No. 1 for Traditional Japanese Instruments'' for shakuhachi, shamisen, koto and jūshichi-gen, Op. 19 (1974) * ''As in a Dream'' for cello and piano, Op. 21 (1974) * Woodwind Quintet No. 2, Op. 22 (1975) * String Quartet No. 3, Op. 27 (1976) * ''Butterflies'' for guitar solo, Op. 39 (1977) * ''In Patches'' for accordion solo, Op. 41 (1978) * ''Quartet No. 2 for Traditional Japanese Instruments "Seita"'' for shakuhachi, 2 kotos and jūshichi-gen, Op. 42 (1978) * Piano Quintet, Op. 44 (1978) * ''A Late Pastorale'' for horn and string quintet (2 violins, viola, cello and double bass), Op. 47 (1979) * Piano Trio, Op. 49 (1980) * ''Equivocations'' for

and string trio, Op. 55 (1981) * String Quartet No. 4, Op. 60 (1983) * ''Epilogue'' for cello and piano, Op. 61 (1983) * String Quartet No. 5, Op. 69 (1986) * String Quartet No. 6, Op. 73 (1989) * ''Going On'' for double bass and percussion, Op. 77 (1991) * Sonata for solo cello, Op. 83 (1992) * ''Sculpture-Fanfare'' for 3 trumpets and 3 trombones, Op. 84 (1992) * String Quartet No. 7, Op. 85 (1992) * Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 86 (1992) * ''Distance-Dream'' for cello and accordion, Op. 101 (1997) * ''Pieni mollipolska'' (Little Polka in a Minor Key) for 2 violins and accompaniment (1997) * Sonata for solo violin, Op. 104 (1999) * String Quartet No. 8, Op. 105 (1999) * ''Zest'' for saxophone, cello and piano, Op. 109 (1999) * String Quintet for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos, Op. 110 (2000) * ''Tuulimyllyfantasia'' (Wind Mill Fantasy) for 3 accordions, Op. 113 (2001) * Quintet for guitar and string quartet, Op. 119 (2003) * Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, Op. 121 (2003) * ''Come da lontano'' for guitar solo, Op. 122 (2003) * String Quartet No. 9, Op. 125 (2004) * ''Klippgrund'' (Reefs) for cello and guitar, Op. 128 (2004) * ''A Viking in Kaustinen'', Polka for 2 violins and double bass, Op. 131 (2004) * ''Spellbound Tones'' for horn, guitar and cello (all playing additional percussion instruments), Op. 132 (2005) * String Quartet No. 10, Op. 142 (2007) * String Quartet No. 11, Op. 144 (2008)

Piano

* ''Kymmenen ballaadia japanilaisiin kauhutarinoihin (Kwaidan-balladit)'' (10 Ballads after Japanese Ghost Stories or "Kwaidan" by

Lafcadio Hearn , born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (; el, Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χέρν, Patríkios Lefkádios Chérn, Irish language, Irish: Pádraig Lafcadio O'hEarain), was an Irish people, Irish-Greeks, Greek-Japanese people, Japanese writer, t ...

; 小泉八雲の怪談によるバラード) (1972–1977) # ''Miminashi-Hōichi'' (耳なし芳一; Hōichi the Earless), Op. 17 (1972) # ''Mugen-kane'' (無間鐘), Op. 28 (1976) # ''Mujina'' (むじな), Op. 30 (1976) # ''O-tei'' (お貞), Op. 29 (1976) # ''Oshidori'' (おしどり), Op. 25 (1976) # ''Rokuro-kubi'' (ろくろ首), Op. 32 (1976) # ''Yuki-onna'' (雪女), Op. 31 (1976) # ''Akinosuke-no-yume'' (安芸之助の夢; The Dream of Akinosuke), Op. 35 (1977) # ''Jyūroku-zakura'' (十六ざくら), Op. 36 (1977) # ''Jikininki'' (食人鬼), Op. 37 (1977) * ''Kwaidan II'', Three Ballads after Japanese Ghost Stories for piano left hand, Op. 127 (2004)

Vocal

* ''Lávllaráidu Nils-Aslak Valkeapää divttai'e'' (Song Cycle to Poems by

Nils-Aslak Valkeapää Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, known as ''Áillohaš'' in the Northern Sami language (23 March 1943 – 26 November 2001), was a Finnish Sami writer, musician and artist. He was born in Enontekiö in Lapland province, Finland. He lived most of his ...

) for baritone (originally alto), cello and piano, Op. 45 (1978) * ''Fyra sånger till dikter av Edith Södergran'' (Four Songs to Poems by

Edith Södergran Edith Irene Södergran (4 April 1892 – 24 June 1923) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish poet. One of the first modernists within Swedish-language literature, her influences came from French Symbolism, German expressionism, and Russian fu ...

) for soprano and piano, Op. 58 (1982) * ''Nacht der Nächte'' (Night of Nights) for 2 sopranos, violin, cello and piano, Op. 114 (2000) * ''Ei ne kaikki kuollehia'' (Not Everyone Dead) for soprano and piano, Op. 115 (2001) * ''Sångcykel till dikter av Edith Södergran'' (Song Cycle to Poems by Edith Södergran) for mezzo-soprano, string orchestra and harp, Op. 123 (2003) * ''Kuun lapset'' (Children of the Moon) for baritone, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (2005) * ''Seven Poems from the Collection Ogura

Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese ''waka'' by one hundred poets. ''Hyakunin isshu'' can be translated to "one hundred people, one poem ach; it can also refer to the card game of ''uta-garuta'', which uses a deck compos ...

'' for mezzo-soprano and guitar, Op. 137 (2006)

Choral

* ''Agnus Dei'' for soprano, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 15 (1971) * ''Maan alistaminen'' (The Subjection of Earth) for mixed choir (1973) * ''Väinämöisen rukous'' (Väinämöinen's Prayer) for mixed choir (1973) * ''Kuninkaan kämmenellä'' (In the Palm of the King's Hand), Cantata for soprano, baritone, male choir, children's choir and orchestra, Op. 46 (1979) * ''Taivaanvalot'' (The Lights of Heaven) for soprano, tenor, mixed choir, children's choir, folk instruments and string orchestra, Op. 63 (1985) * ''Perpetuum mobile'' for male choir, Op. 75 (1989) * ''Beaivi, áhčážan'' (The Sun, My Father) for 3 mezzo-sopranos, tenor, bass, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 70 (1990) * ''Odotus'' (Awaiting) for male choir, Op. 78 (1991) * ''Laulu köyhyydestä'' (Dialogue on Poverty) for mixed choir, Op. 96 (1996) * Symphony No. 6 '' Interdependence '' for soprano, tenor, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 107 (1999–2000) * ''Te Deum'' for soprano, bass, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 111 (2000) * ''Tuuri'', Dramatic Ballade for tenor, bass, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 117 (2002–2003) * ''Amor Desesperada'', 4 Pieces after

Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

's ''20 Poemas de amor, y una canción desesperada'' for soprano, baritone, koto, shakuhachi and double bass, Op. 120 (2003) * ''De sole et luna'' for mixed choir and string orchestra, Op. 138 (2006)

References

External links

Finnish Music Information Centre

Fennica Gehrman's Nordgren page (publisher)

Pehr Henrik Nordgren at the Ondine label

Nordgren, Pehr Henrik
at ''Uppslagsverket Finland'' (in Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nordgren, Pehr Henrik 1944 births 2008 deaths Finnish classical composers Finnish male composers People from Saltvik 20th-century male musicians