Ragnar Søderlind (born 27 June 1945) is a Norwegian

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 def ...

. He has written ballets and

operas Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a li ...

, and for the concert hall, programmatic works based on poems.

Biography

Ragnar studied with Conrad Baden in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

and with

Erik Bergman Erik Valdemar Bergman (24 November 1911 – 24 April 2006) was a composer of european classical music, classical music from Finland. Bergman's style ranged widely, from Romanticism in his early works (many of which he later prohibited from bein ...

and

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 performa ...

at the

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy (, ) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. This was followed by studies in conducting at the Norwegian State Academy of Music where he is currently a faculty member. As a composer, Søderlind initially composed

orchestral 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, a ...

works which were strongly influenced by late Romanticism and early 20th-century European music. His style has become more advanced over the years, yet throughout he has been a master of orchestration and has maintained his personal stamp on sound. In addition to orchestral music, his output includes incidental music for plays, ballets and operas. He has also arranged a considerable amount of music, including several works by

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

, and he has recently written an opera that includes Grieg’s music for ''

Olav Tryggvason Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King ...

''.

Discography

*Søderlind's Violin Concerto has been recorded together with

Johan Kvandal David Johan Kvandal (né Johansen; 8 September 1919 – 16 February 1999) was a Norwegian composer. Career He was born in Oslo, Kristiania to David Monrad Johansen and Amunda Holmsen, with the family later moving to Bærum where Kvandal died. ...

's on the Centaur label. *Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3, "Rokkomborre",

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, Ragnar Söderlind conductor, Aurora label (1989).

Works

*1962/63:“Jolsterslatt” for orchestra, op.2: 3 minutes *1964-65:“Preludium” for orchestra, op.4: 9 minutes *1965/77:“Pieta” for male voice and string orchestra, op.5: 6 minutes *1967: “Fra Nord til Sor” for symphonic band, op.7B: 3 minutes * “Rokkomborre” for orchestra, op.8: 7 minutes + (Aurora cd) *1967-70:Symphonic Vision “Polaris” for orchestra, op.11: 14 minutes + (Aurora cd) *1968: Trauermusik for orchestra, op.12: 9 minutes + (Aurora cd) *1969: “Fantasia Borealis” for orchestra, op.14: 11 minutes *1971: Sinfonia minimale for youth orchestra, op.16: 4 minutes *1971-72:International Rhapsody for orchestra or small orchestra, op.17: 10 minutes *1973/75:“Two Pieces from the Desert” for Oboe and Small Orchestra, op. 21B: 11 minutes *1974: “Fra myggenes land” for symphonic band, op.18 *1975/79:Symphony No.1, op.23: 27 minutes *1977/80:Cantata “Vaer utamodig, menneske” for chorus and orchestra, op. 25: 10 minutes *1978: Symphonic/Choreographic Drama “Hedda Gabler” for orchestra, op.26: 30 minutes * “Dagsalme” for symphonic band and organ, op.28, No.2 *1979: Symphonic Poem “Amor et labor”, op. 27: 10 minutes *1981: Symphony No.2 “Sinfonia Breve”, op.30: 14 minutes + (Aurora cd) *1981/88:Sinfonietta for brass and percussion, op. 31 A: 15 minutes *1982: Ballet “Kristin Lavransdatter”, op.32: 45 minutes * Symphonic Poem “Kom havsindar, kom!, op.33: 5 minutes *1982-83:“Eg hev funne min floysne lokkar att I mitt svarmerus” for soprano and orchestra, op.35C: 10 minutes *1982-95:Symphonic Poem “Krans og kors”, op.64: 45 minutes *1983: Olavs Hymne” for male voice, chorus and orchestra, op. 36: 13 minutes * “Septemberlys” for male voice and orchestra, op.37: 15 minutes * Two Songs for male voice and orchestra, op.39B: 5 minutes *1984: Symphony No.3 “Les illuminations symphoniques” for soprano, baritone and orchestra, op.40: 35 minutes + (Aurora cd) * “Toccata brillante over ‘Seier’n er var’ for orchestra, op.41: 4 minutes * “Nasadiya/Upphavshymna”, op.42 for chorus and ensemble: 10 minutes * Nostalgic Rhapsody “Eystradalir” for orchestra, op. 43: 12 minutes *1985: Symphonic Poem “Av hav er du komen” for four narrators, violin, women’s chorus and orchestra, op.44: 45 minutes *1985-86:Ballet Music “Victoria”, op. 45 (and Ballet Suite, op.45B: 15 minutes) *1986-87: Violin Concerto, op. 46: 34 minutes + (Centaur cd) *1988: Ecstasy for strings and timpani, op.45C: 6 minutes *1989: Passion Cantata for two voices, chorus and orchestra, op. 48 *1990: Tone Poem “The Hour of Love”, op.45D *1990/95:Symphony No.4 “Sedimenti musicalii”, op.50: 30 minutes + (Aurora cd) *1991: “Transtromer”: Suite for voice, piano, two percussion and string orchestra or chamber orchestra, op.52 B and C: 25 minutes *1991-92:Cello Concerto, op.54: 36 minutes + (Aurora cd) *1992: Two Songs from texts by Hans Borli for low voice and orchestra, op. 55B: 5 minutes * “Haugebonden”-Ten Ironic Variations on a Norwegian folk-tune for chamber orchestra, op.56: 10 minutes *1993/97:Symphonic Poem “Der Tanz des Lebens” for tenor and orchestra, op.67: 25 minutes *1994/95:Cantata “Bak morke vinter ventar ein var” for six solo voices, chorus and orchestra, op. 61: 25 minutes * “De beste” for voice and small orchestra, op.62C: 2 minutes *1995: Fanfare Regale for orchestra, op.63: 1 minute *1995/2001:Symphony No.5 “Kvitsunn”, op.60: 28 minutes * * Symphonic Suite “Angst”, op.68: 20 minutes *1996-97:Piano Concerto “Colosso”, op.70: 38 minutes *1997: Cantata “Rogden Sjo” for soprano, chorus and orchestra, op.72A *1998-99: Symphony No.6 “Todesahnung”, op.74: 45 minutes *1999: “Arle I old: Tanker ved et tidsskille” for lur, ram’s horn and orchestra, op.75: 7 minutes * “The Hollow Men: A Penny for the Old Guy” (A Little Requiem for the 20th century) for male chorus and chamber orchestra, op.76:12 minutes *2001-02:Trumpet Concerto “Die Signale des Tods und des Lebens”, op. 80: 28 minutes *2001: “Rapsodia del teatro” for mezzo-soprano, cello and string orchestra, op. 82: 12 minutes *2002: Symphony No.7 “La Campane dell’Atlantico” for baritone, chorus and orchestra, op.85 B: 33 minutes *2002-03:Viola Concerto “Nostalgia delle radici”, op. 86: 40 minutes *2003: “Mother Bear” for chorus, harp, piano, timpani, two percussion and string orchestra, op. 87B *2004: “Sona-Torrek”-Melodrama for narrator men’s choir and orchestra, op.90 *2004-05:Symphony No.8 “Jean Sibelius in memoriam”, op.95: 23 minutes *2005: Symphonic Incantations “The Great Mother Bear” for orchestra, op.92:20 minutes *2009: “A Nordic Requiem: a Mass for the Living and the Dead” for seven, soloists, chorus and orchestra, op.104: 120 minutes *2012: Symphony No. 9, "Il Grande Enigma", for Tenor, choir, and orchestra: 55 minutes *2013: The Waste Land - Dramatic cantata in 5 parts for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor and Bass baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra, op. 115 : 2 hours *2014: La Profezia della Veggante - Cantata drammatica in due atti, op. 117: 85 minutes *2017: Jötunheim – Eine kleine "Alpensinfonie" – For choir and orchestra, Op. 122 C: 23 minutes *2019: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: for Tenor and Orchestra, op. 127: 28 minutes *2020: Symphony No. 10, "Corona" for orchestra, op. 130: 28 minutes *2021: Symphony No. 11, "Corona part 2" for orchestra, op. 132: 46 minutes *2023: Symphony No. 12, Lyric Symphony for Soprano, Baritone, and Orchestra "Le Voyage", op. 138: 45 minutes

Sources

* Arvid O. Vollsnes. The ''

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), and
Colin Mackie's Website
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