''Evening Land'' is an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l composition by the Danish composer Bent Sørensen. The work was commissioned by the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

under the direction of Alan Gilbert. It was premiered by the New York Philharmonic under the conductor

Edo de Waart Edo de Waart (born 1 June 1941, Amsterdam) is a Dutch retired conductor. He is Music Director Laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. De Waart is the former music director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (2016-2019), chief conductor ...

on November 30, 2017, at

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Composition

Background

''Evening Land'' has a duration of roughly 13 minutes and is cast in a single movement. The work's commission was originally intended for

Per Nørgård Per Nørgård (; 13 July 1932 – 28 May 2025) was a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style varied considerably throughout his career, his music often included repeatedly evolving melodies, in the vein of Jean Sibelius, and a per ...

, a fellow Danish composer and Sørensen's former teacher, who had been awarded the 2014 Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music by the New York Philharmonic. Nørgård was unable to complete the commission due to scheduling conflicts, however, and he instead recommended Sørensen for the job. The piece was inspired by an image Sørensen recalled from his childhood on the island of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. In the score program note, the composer wrote, "I am looking out of the window, and there is a very special evening light over the fields – far away there are trees and a cow. It is as if the world is infinite." He continued: An oboe solo written near the end of ''Evening Land'' was intended as a tribute to Sørensen's father-in-law Frederik Gislinge, an oboist for the Esbjerg Ensemble in Denmark, who fell ill during the composition process. "I guess I hoped the solo would help him heal," Sørensen wrote. "Unfortunately that did not happen and to our great sorrow he died before he could hear the solo and the whole work – ''Evening Land''. Thus ''Evening Land'' encountered another evening – the evening of life – a finality."

Instrumentation

The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of two

flutes The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

(both doubling

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

), two

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s (2nd doubling

English horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially ...

), two

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

s, two

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The Reed (mouthpie ...

, four horns, two

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s, three

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s, percussion,

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

, and strings.

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere,

James R. Oestreich James Ruben Oestreich (born 1943) is a classical music critic for ''The New York Times'', where he has written about music since 1989. He grew up in Wisconsin. Career Oestreich has held earlier posts as music critic at ''American Record Guide'', ...

of ''

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'' called it "stirring work, which runs some 13 minutes, tracing a symmetrical arc, from quiet, through frenetic and eruptive activity, back to quiet. Melody is everywhere, but it comes in fragments and wisps, fits, starts and cacophonous bursts." David Wright of the ''New York Classical Review'' similarly described it as a "lapidary score, in both its subtle daubs of orchestral color and its sudden bursts of activity." He added, "''Evening Land'' proved well worth additional hearings."

References

{{Reflist, 30em Compositions by Bent Sørensen 2017 compositions Compositions for symphony orchestra Music commissioned by the New York Philharmonic