Performers & composers

Ivar frounberg

Ivar frounberg-born in 1950- has composed orchestral pieces likeWhat did the Sirenes sing as Ulysses sailed by? (1987-89), numerous pieces for major chamberensembles and sinfoniettas from Drei-Klang (1982) to Voyelles (1999); as well as pieces in which interactive computerperformance play an important role f.ex.Time and the Bell (1990; performed at the ISCM Music Days in Zurich 1991 and ICMC in Banff, Canada 1995). One of his most performed pieces is Embryo (1985) which has been performed at several major festivals like Peiling-festivallen 1988 in Stockholm and ISCM Music Days in Cologne 1988.

During the 1990’s a consequent musical concentration is found, culminating in ...to arrive where we started (1993, performed by ensemble die Reihe at Wien Modern 1998). In this piece the musical matherial is varied at the microlevel with repetitions calling not on meditation rather on a sharpened attention from the listeners.

Ivar frounberg was assistant professor in electro-acoustic music and computermusic at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. Until 1994 he has been active in music politics as a board menber of KODA (the performing rights society) and the Danish Composers' Society. In 1994 Ivar Frounberg was music coordinator at the ICMC, Aarhus in Århus and in 1996 he was president for the planning commitee of the World Music Days 96. In 1995 he recieved the prestigious Prize in Honour of the Composer Carl Nielsen. From 1998 to 2000 he was chairman for the Danish Institute for Electro-acoustic music (DIEM) and he was member of the Danish State Art Council for the period 1999-2001. He is currently senior professor in composition at Norges Musikkhøgskole in Oslo, Norway.

… and sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean (20')

Premiered 2005.
The title of this piece was added after the music was composed. But the verses it refers to describes the form of the piece very well and can as well serve as a poetical guide for the listener:

  • And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
    It flung up momently the sacred river.
    Five miles meandering with crazy motion
    Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
    Then reached the caverns meassureless to man,
    And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
    And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
    Ancestral voices prophesying war!
  • (from S.T.Coleridge: Kubla Kahn, 1798)

The music was commissioned by Christian Præstholm, the commision was supported by The States Arts Council (Statens Kunstfond) in Denmark.