Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (b. Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, 11 January 1964) is a contemporary Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

.

Life

Aagaard-Nilsen grew up in Kabelvåg

Kabelvåg

Kabelvåg is a village in Vågan municipality on the southern shore of Austvågøy island, one of the Lofoten island group in the county of Nordland, northern Norway....

 on Lofoten

Lofoten

Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...

 in northern Norway. From 1986 to 1990 he studied at the Bergen Conservatory of Music (now known as the Grieg Academy) and at the University of Bergen

University of Bergen

The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...

. From 1990 to 1994 he worked at the Bergen Conservatory as a teacher of contemporary classical music

Contemporary classical music

Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...

. Furthermore, he was leader of the Autunnale-festivalen - (Music Factory and Autunnale), also in Bergen. In 1992 and 1993 he arranged and composed for the Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps Vestlandet - Norwegian Army Band, Bergen (NABB), writing, among other works, Arctic Landscape. In this period Aagaard-Nilsen wrote many works for wind band and brass band

Brass band

A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...

.

Aagaard-Nilsen works as conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 of various school and amateur orchestras, and also as a teacher at the Manger Folkehøgskule. He founded the forum Av garde together with Ketil Hvoslef

Ketil Hvoslef

Ketil Hvoslef is a Norwegian composer. He is the son of composer Harald Sæverud.Hvoslef studied viola and organ at the Bergen Music Conservatory graduating in 1962...

, Jostein Stalheim and Knut Vaage.

As a composer he has written for orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

, chamber ensemble, choir

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

, wind band and brass band.

For orchestra

• 1992/2000 The fourth Angel for trumpet and sinfonietta
• 1995-1996 Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
• 1996 Concerto for Trumpet and String Orchestra - Hommage'
• 1997 rev.2003 The Cry of Fenrir - Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra
• 1998 Concerto for Trombone and String Orchestra
• 2000 Pierrot´s Lament - Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra
• 2003 Fanfares and Fairytales (Concerto No. 2 for Trombone and Orchestra)
• 2007 "Wind Eyes"

For wind band

• 1992 Arctic Landscape for Military Band
• 1994 Preludium for Symphonic Band
• 1994 Triade - "The Angels of Destruction" for large wind ensemble
• 1998 Pang - Introduction No. 4 for Symphonic Band
• 2001 Concerto for Large Wind Ensemble (Pentagram)
  1. Call and Awakening
  2. Ritual I
  3. De Profundis
  4. Ritual II
  5. Call and Conclusion
• 2002 Cantilena Cradle Song for solo trombone and wind band
• 2002 Wings of Changes for Wind Ensemble" (Recordinglabel SIMAX)
• 2002 "Cantilena: Cradle song for trombone and wind band"
• 2004 Cantilena II: Mountain Song for euphonium and wind ensemble
• 2004 "The Playground Project"
• 2006 "Cantilena III for 3 trombones and wind ensemble

For brass band

• 1988 Circius (various recordings)
• 1989 Abstractions
• 1990 Entrada : Introduction No. 2
• 1990-1991 Awakening
• 1991 The Binding of the Wolf
• 1993 Concerto for Bb Cornet and Brass Band
• 1996 Seid (also a version B from 2009) (recording on DOYEN)
• 1998 Riffs and Interludes
• 1998/1999 Dynamis - Missa Sophia (recording on LAWO)
• 1999 "Mosquito for trombone and brass band
• 2002/2005 "Myth"
• 2003 Aubade - Dawn Songs of the Fabulous Birds (test piece for the 2003 European Brass Band Competition in Bergen, Norway)
• 2003 Bloodaxe Lament for Tuba and Brass Band
• 2005 "Klotho"
• 2005 Hommage á Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
  
  
• 2006 "Steam Songs"
• 2006 Cantigas (recording on LAWO)
• 2007 "Blue Phrases" for solo trumpet, electronics and brass band
• 2007 "Chant" (recording on LAWO)
• 2007/2008 "Totem" Concerto gross for brass band and electronics
• 2009 "Euphonium Concerto"

For choir

• 1992 Ensomme skip for female choir (SSAA) - text (Norwegian): Rolf Jacobsen
• 1994/2010 Bølgje for mixed choir - text (Norwegian): Halldis Moren Vesaas
  Halldis Moren Vesaas
  Halldis Moren Vesaas was a Norwegian poet, translator and writer of children's books. She established herself as one of the leading female Norwegian writer of her generation.-Biography:...
  
  
• 1996 "I otta du rise" for male choir (TTBB)
• 2001/2002 Aldri før... for mixed choir - text (Norwegian): Rolf Jacobsen
• 2002 Et annet lys for mixed choir - text (Norwegian): Stein Mehren
• 2005 "Sorg" fir male choir - text (Norwegian): Stein Mehren
• 2008 "Jolekvad (variations on In Dulci Jubilo) for two female choir

Vocal works with orchestral or instrumental accompaniment

• 1990/1991 Jacobsen sanger for baritone and trumpet text: Rolf Jacobsen
  Rolf Jacobsen
  Rolf Jacobsen could be said to be the first modernist writer in Norway. Jacobsen's career as a writer spanned more than fifty years. He is one of Scandinavia’s most distinguished poets, who launched poetic modernism in Norway with his first book, Jord og jern in 1933. Jacobsen's work has been...
  
  
• 1999 Det andre lyset for voice, saxophone, trombone and piano text: Stein Mehren
  Stein Mehren
  Stein Mehren is a Norwegian poet, author, essayist and playwright. He made his literary debut as lyricist with Gjennom stillheten en natt...
  
  

Cantatas and masses

• 1994 Vår jord, vår Evighet cantata for Tromsø on the occasion of the 200-year anniversary, for soprano, baritone, mixed choir, wind band and strings - text: Rolf Jacobsen
  1. Preludium
  2. Det ryker
  3. Små lys på havet
  4. Nord
  5. Sol i sorg
  6. Hyss
• 1998/1999 Dynamis - Missa sophia for cornet, trombone, tuba, percussion and brass band

Piano

• 1993 Hot-house - Drivhus
• 2000/2002 "Views"
• 2006 "Akvarell (Watercolour) (for Rune Alver)
• 2008 "Nattsvermer) (for Rune Alver)
• 2009 "Lofotbrev (for Rune Alver)
• 2010 "Blue Traces" (for Rune Alver)

Chamber music

• 1989/95 "Four Lyric Pieces" for solo EUphonium
• 1990 "Black Rain" for solo Euphonium
• 1991 Black Light for recorder, violin, singer (alto) and piano, version 2: for recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord, version 3: for flute, oboe, violin and piano
• 1992/2001 "The Fourth Angel" for trumpet and sinfonietta
• 1993 Novelle for Brass Ensemble for 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, bass trombone, French horn and tuba
• 1996 Fabula I for flute, clarinet, vibraphone, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass
• 1996 Fabula II for oboe, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass
• 1996/98 "Sinfonietta" (1. Fabula III, 2. Fabula IV, 3. Fabula V, 4. Singing Landscape) for sinfonietta
• 1998 Crossing Lines quartet for trombone, accordion, violin and cello
• 1998 Glance of a Landscape quartet for percussion
• 1999 Light for trombone and percussion
• 1999 "Two Insects" for Solo Euphonium
• 2000 "Spin" for brass quintet
• 2001 "Kyklos" for brass quintet
• 2002 Winds of Change for Oboe, Eb clarinet, 3 Bb clarinets, Bass Clarinet, and 2 Saxophones
• 2003 "Knock" for percussion trio
• 2005 "Of Night and Darkness" for trombone quartet
• 2008 "Blue Fragments" for Piano trio and percussion
• 2008 "The Season of Blue Lights" for sinfonietta
• 2009 "Song for Kharon" for tuba and electronics
• 2010 "Orpheus Lament" for trumpet and electronics

External links

• Official website