Karl Aage Rasmussen
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Karl Aage Rasmussen (born 13 December 1947) is a Danish composer and writer. He was born in
Kolding Kolding () is a Denmark, Danish seaport city located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre and has numerous industria ...
.


Composition

Quotation A quotation or quote is the repetition of a sentence, phrase, or passage from speech or text that someone has said or written. In oral speech, it is the representation of an utterance (i.e. of something that a speaker actually said) that is intro ...
and particularly
collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...
played an important role in his music from the early 1970s, but increasingly he used pre-existing musical material in new connections and for new purposes, most often in a densely woven montage of small idioms which in themselves were too tiny to work as quotes, but were put together so closely as to create entirely new patterns. He continued to use montage technique, but the non-directional expression was gradually replaced by developmental forms. This is apparent in music for the stage and was later continued in works such as ''A Symphony in Time'' and the string quartets ''Solos and Shadows'' and ''Surrounded by Scales''. The chamber symphony ''Movements on a Moving Line'' marks the beginning of a long period dominated by an interest in time and tempo, here as a kind of time-travel where the same music seems to appear and disappear in different tempi. New conceptions of time, partly related to the
self-similarity In mathematics, a self-similar object is exactly or approximately similar to a part of itself (i.e., the whole has the same shape as one or more of the parts). Many objects in the real world, such as coastlines, are statistically self-similar ...
in
fractal In mathematics, a fractal is a Shape, geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scale ...
mathematics, has dominated his music since then. In more recent years psychological and dramatic dimensions have emerged in works such as the violin concerto, ''Scherzo with Bells'', ''Webs in a stolen Dream'' and the violin concerto "Sinking through the Dream Mirror". 2015-18 composer in residence with the baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen resulting in several new works including "The Four Seasons After Vivaldi" (2016). For more than two decades Rasmussen worked as full professor of composition at the Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. Among his students: Louis Aguirre Rovira, Anne Linnet, Kaj Aune, Peter Bruun, Anders Brødsgaard, Karsten Fundal, Michael Nyvang, Jesper Koch, Niels Rønsholdt and
Simon Steen-Andersen Simon Steen-Andersen (born 1976) is a Danish composer, performer, director and media artist. Biography Steen-Andersen studied composition with Karl Aage Rasmussen, Mathias Spahlinger, Gabriel Valverde, and Bent Sørensen in Aarhus, Freiburg ...
.


Writing

Rasmussen is a prolific writer of
essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
s, so far collected in three volumes. His books, among which several have been translated, on
Glenn Gould Glenn Herbert Gould (; né Gold; 25 September 19324 October 1982) was a Canadian classical pianist. He was among the most famous and celebrated pianists of the 20th century, renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian ...
,
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
,
Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...
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Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...
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Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
,
George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
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Pyotr Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
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Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...
,
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...
and music in the 20th century have reached a wide audience.


Reconstruction

Rasmussen has also been engaged in several large projects centered on the music of
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
. Schubert left his opera ''Sakontala'' unfinished and with only the parts for singers sketched out, but Rasmussen completed and orchestrated a performing version of the opera, first performed in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
2006. He has further reconstructed what he believes to be Schubert's lost ''Gastein'' symphony and created an orchestral version of his melodrama ''Der Taucher'' commissioned by the Danish singer
Bo Skovhus Bo Skovhus (born 22 May 1962 in Ikast, Denmark) is a Danish opera singer (baritone). Skovhus studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, at the Royal Academy for Opera of Copenhagen and in New York with Oren Brown. While studying vo ...
. He has also completed Robert Schumann's fourth piano sonata.


Selected works


Opera

* ''Jephta'' (1977) * ''Majakovskij'' (1978) * ''Jonah'' (
radio opera Radio opera (German: 'Funkoper' or 'Radiooper') is a genre of opera. It refers to operas which were specifically composed to be performed on the radio and is not to be confused with broadcasts of operas which were originally written for the stage. ...
1983) * ''Our Hoffmann'' (1986) * ''The Sinking of the Titanic'' (1993) * '' Sakontala'' (reconstruction of an unfinished opera by Franz Schubert, 2003)


Orchestral

* ''Recapitulations'' (1968) * ''Symphonie Classique'' (1969) * ''Anfang und Ende'' (1973) * ''A Symphony in Time'' (1982) * ''Movements on a Moving Line'' (1987) * ''Three Friends'' (1995) * ''The Lion, the Mouse, the big Elephant and Jens, the Ant'' (1997, tale for children after
Asger Jorn Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. The largest collection of Jorn's works ...
) * ''Scherzo with Bells'' (1996) * ''A Tempo'' (2001) * Postludes, for 23 solo strings (2007) * ''Building'' (2007)


Concertante

* ''Contrafactum'', cello concerto (1980) * Violin concerto ("Sinking through the Dream Mirror", 1993) * Double concerto for harp and guitar (1998) * ''Invisible Mirrors'', for guitar and chamber orchestra (1999) * Concerto for baroque oboe and (period) stringe (2015) * Concerto for baroque violin (2017)


Chamber music

* ''This moment'' (1966) * ''Resonance'' (1972) * ''Love is in the World'' (1975) * ''A Ballad of Game and Dream'' (1975) * ''Berio Mask'' (1977) * ''Parts Apart'' (1978) * ''Italian concerto'' (1981) * ''Four, Five'' – for brass quintet (1982) * ''Solos and Shadows'' (string quartet, 1983) * ''Surrounded by Scales'' (string quartet, 1985) * ''Movements on a Moving Line'' (chamber version, 1988) * ''Webs in a Stolen Dream'' (1996) * ''Twin Dream'' (1998) * ''Trauergondol'' (1998) * ''Camera oscura'', saxophone quintet (2001) * ''Liri'' for flute, clarinet, bassoon, strings and piano (2008) * Scherzino - a homage to Brahms (2015) for clarinet, violin, cello and piano * ''Follia, follia ...'' for 2 oboes, bassoon, string quintet and harpsichord (2015) * ''Græs'' for large unaccompanied choir (2018) * ''Gleichwie das Gras'', Cantata nach Bach (2019)


Piano solo

* 13 Etudes and Postludes (1990) * ''Contrary Dances'' (1992) * Barcarole (1996) * Sonata IV (completion of Robert Schumann's unfinished fourth piano sonata)


Arrangements, transcriptions etc.

*
Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...
: '' Commotio'', interpretation for full orchestra (2000) * Franz Schubert: Symphony in E (''Gastein''), reconstruction (2004) * Robert Schumann: Five lieder (lyrics by
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
), version for orchestra (2005) * Franz Schubert: ''Der Taucher'', version for orchestra (2006) *
Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...
: Serenade 1 in D major, version for 10 instruments * Johannes Brahms: Serenade 2 in A major, version for 10 instruments *
Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...
: Concertino, version for 9 instruments *
Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...
: ''Sports et divertissement'', version for 7 instruments *
Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...
: ''The Four Seasons'', a new reading for soloists, period strings and continuo * Niels W. Gade: Piano trio in B-flat major, 1839, three unfinished movements completed


Honors

*1987 Hakon Børresen prize *1991 Carl Nielsen prize *1997 Edition Wilhelm Hansen prize *2003 The Danish Academy, The Foundation's Prize *2012 Poul and Sylvia Schierbecks Memory Grant *2017 Grand Prize of the Frobenius Foundation


External links

Official website: http://www.karlaagerasmussen.com
Edition Wilhelm Hansen

Gyldendal publishers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Karl Aage 1947 births Living people People from Kolding Musicians from the Region of Southern Denmark Danish male classical composers 20th-century Danish classical composers 21st-century Danish classical composers 20th-century Danish male musicians 21st-century Danish male musicians