Anders Eliasson nders Eliasson’s music grips the heart As far back as the 1970s Eliasson was Aand reaches inside the soul – the soul recognized as one of the most interesting of the music. His personal path leads Swedish . By the mid-eighties his inwards, towards the core of the divine, and outwards, towards the universal. oeuvre was already quite extensive and it became apparent that in Eliasson In a current list of Anders Eliasson’s had a of international potential. In work I count up to more than a hundred titles 1987 came his true breakthrough when Leif – and yet this composer has said: “It would Segerstam and the Swedish Radio Symphony be a catastrophe if I tried to compose”. So Orchestra premiered his Symphony No. 1 for how do you describe his creative process if he which he received a number of awards. objects to the term “composition”? Perhaps Since then Eliasson has composed another two it is more as though he is following a trail, symphonies, ten solo concertos, and a number seeking with his ears, unearthing... music of string orchestral works, chamber and solo that in the deepest sense should be universal, pieces, and two major oratorios. existing beyond the limits of the individual. Today Anders Eliasson is widely regarded When the young Anders Eliasson landed as one of the most important voices in up in the midst of the musical climate of the Scandinavian music of his generation. 1960s, which was either experimental or full of cerebral constructions, he felt like an outsider. Eliasson’s music has been performed by The intellectual superstructures threatened his “childish faith”; everything that had been orchestras such as: important to him seemed to have no value Symphonieorchester des Bayerisches there. He feels similarly ill at ease in the post- Rundfunks, Münchener Kammerorchester, modern set-up; its illusory freedom feels equally Philharmonic, Finnish Radio constraining. His reaction, then as now, is SO, Turku Philharmonic, BBC Scottish steadfast loyalty and trust in the continuity of SO, Swedish Radio SO, Royal his own identity and intuition. With enormous Philharmonic, Gothenburg SO, Trondheim SO, concentration and perseverance he has continued to work in the same manner, using as his starting- Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. point an extremely limited “alphabet” which Conductors and musicians including: he discovered – and he means discovered, as distinct from invented – at a very early stage. A Manfred Honeck, Leif Segerstam, Sakari couple of modes: a Lydian figure which perhaps Oramo, Mario Venzago, John Storgårds, symbolises something beyond this world and a Neeme Järvi, Andrew Manze, Juha Kangas, Dorian one which could represent humanity. “A Johannes Gustavsson, Janine Jansen, Christian harmonic space, my way of singing”. His world Lindberg, John-Edward Kelly, Anders Paulsson, of thoughts and ideas may be abstract but he Ulf Wallin and Roland Pöntinen. is all the more concrete in his compositional techniques. The fundamental elements of BIOGRAPHICAL DATES music are melody, rhythm and harmony: • Born in Borlänge in 1947/Died on 20 May 2013 they have stood the test of time remarkably • S t u d i e d c o m p o s i t i o n a t t h e R o y a l C o l l e g e well – and to his way of thinking of Music in Stockholm 1966 -1972 started in the year dot, in pre-Christian times. • 1 9 9 3 - 1 9 9 4 g u e s t p r o f e s s o r o f c o m p o s i t i o n at the in Helsinki With his almost reverent and at the same • 1996 Stockholm International Composer time strictly disciplined method of working Festival (featured composer) he has opened his ears to the possibilities of • 2 0 0 1 F i r s t G u e s t C o m p o s e r , N o r d i c M u s i c these fundamental musical cells, to their ability Centre, Turku, Finland to grow and take shape. Works of the most • 2 0 0 2 B å s t a d I n t e r n a t i o n a l C h a m b e r varied format have come into existence in this Music Festival (composer-in-residence)) manner: symphonies, concertos, songs... each • 2 0 0 3 K l a s s i k f e s t i v a l S o m m e r s p r o s s e n , with its own individual character, yet at the Rottweil, Germany (composer-in-residence) same time united by an immanent genetic code. • 2006 Composer of Spring , Swedish Radio Bengt Emil Johnson SELECTED AWARDS Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Strings (2002) Dur: 25’ • The Christ Johnson prize 1977 and 1983 Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra (2005) • The Hilding Rosenberg Prize 1987 Dur: 25’ • The Nordic Council Music Prize 1992 3333-4000-02-0-str • T h e R o y a l S w e d i s h A c a d e m y o f M u s i c ’s M e d a l for the Promotion of the art of Music 2006 Concerto for Violin, Viola and Chamber Orchestra • The Swedish MPA Award 2007 (Symphony No. 4) (2009) • The Swedish MPA Award 2012 (Einsame Fahrt) Dur: 25’ • The Swedish MPA Award 2014 (Trio d’archi - 2ob-2horns-strings Ahnungen) posthumously Einsame Fahrt - Violin Concerto (2010) Dur: 25’ SELECTED WORKS 2222-4200-02-cel-str

ORCHESTRA STRING ORCHESTRA Impronta (1978) Desert Point (1981) Dur: 11’ Dur: 13’ 2222-4220-00-1-str Ostacoli (1987) Turnings (1978) Dur: 14’ Dur: 20’ Sinfonia per archi (2001) 2222-2220-12-1-str Dur: 35’ Symphony No. 1 (1986) Ein Schneller Blick...ein kurzes Aufscheinen (2003) Dur: 30’ Dur: 17’ 3333-4331-16-0-cel/pi-str CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA Symphony No. 3 – Sinfonia Concertante (1989) Dur: 27’ Dante Anarca - oratorio (1998) Sol: alto or soprano sax. Dur: 80’ 3333-4230-03-1-str Sol: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone mixed chorus Symphony No. 4 (2005) 3344-4331-14-2-str Dur: 25’ 4333-6331-13-0-str Quo vadis? (2008-2009) Dur: 60’ tenor solo, mixed choir SOLO CONCERTOS 4333-6431-14-1-str Symphony No. 3 – Sinfonia Concertante (1989) CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Dur: 27’ Sol: alto or soprano sax. Intermezzi for chamber ensemble (1988) 3333-4230-03-1-str Dur: 13’ 1111-1110-01-0-str Concerto per corno ed archi: Farfalle e ferro (1991) Dur: 21’ Quartetto d’archi (1990) Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra: Sette Passaggi Fogliame for piano quartet (1990) (1992) Dur: 23’ Kimmo for trumpet and percussion (1996) 2222-3220-00-0-str Concerto per violino ed orchestra d’archi (1992) Trio for violin, horn and piano (1996) Dur: 22’ Pentagramm (2003) Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra (1996) Fantasia per sei strumenti (2010) Dur: 25’ fl-cl-pi-vln-vla-vcl 3222-3220-02-0-str Concerto per trombone (2000) Trio for Violin, Vibraphone and Piano (2010) Dur: 23’ Trio d’archi - Ahnungen (2013) 3333-4331-12-0-str INSTRUMENTAL In medias for violin (1970/92) Disegno per violoncello (1977) Poem for alto saxophone/piano (1986/88) Abendlicht for oboe/piano (2002) Wellen for bassoon/piano (2002) Disegno No. 2 for piano (1987) Disegno No. 3 (Carosello) for piano (2005

VOCAL Längs radien soprano/piano (1986) (text: Tomas Tranströmer) Vier Lieder mezzo soprano/piano (1993) (text: J. W. Goethe) Soliloquy of the Solipsist soprano/piano(1995) (text: Sylvia Plath)

OPERA Karolinas sömn (2012) monodrama for soprano and chamber Photo: Tony Lundman orchestra

Gehrmans Musikförlag PO Box 42026, SE-126 12 Stockholm, Sweden Tel: +46 8 610 06 00 www.gehrmans.se

Photo: Tomy Lundman