Magnar Åm

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Magnar Åm (also: Magnar Aam; born April 9, 1952 in Trondheim ) is a Norwegian composer, organist and cantor.

Life

Magnar Åm's parents, the teacher and school director Olav Åm (1918–2009) and the teacher Eldbjørg Kvalheim (* 1917), gave Magnar a musical home. Parents sang with him and the piano became his best friend . He grew up in Ørsta and Leikanger . The exam of Arts, the Norwegian access to higher education qualifications laid Åm at the U. Pihl videregående skole from Bergen. Magnar Åm studied from 1969 to 1971 at the Bergen Conservatory of Music, today's Edvard Grieg Academy. His composition teacher was Ketil Hvoslef (* 1939), the son of Harald Sæverud . In 1971 Åm passed the exam for choirmasters and organists. At the Kings ROYAL College of Music Stockholm he studied from 1971 to 1972 composition with Ingvar Lidholm . He made his debut as an organist in 1971. His breakthrough as a composer came in 1972 with the work Bøn [Prayer] for strings, choir and solo soprano. He has been working full-time as a composer since 1974. Since 1979 he has received the Statens Garantiinntekt, a basic income paid out by the Norwegian state for artists.

Magnar Åm has lived in Volda as a composer and conductor since 1981 . He held various seminars on composition and improvisation all over Norway. At the University of Volda he taught Intuitiv komposisjon / improvisasjon og musikkfilosofi [Intuitive composition / improvisation and music philosophy] until 2007 . The course was part of the bachelor's degree in music, but could also be taken as an independent advanced training course. From 1986 to 2008 he directed the youth choir Digitalis and from 1992 the mixed choir Volda Vokal .

From the municipality of Svejo he received the Fartein Valen grant 2003, a grant named after the Norwegian composer Fartein Valen . In 2006 Åm won the European Composer Prize at the Young Euro Classic festival for his composition 'tisn't the snow falling, it's us leaving the ground . In 2009 he received the Arne Nordheim Prize . The prize, named after Arne Nordheim with 125,000 crowns , was awarded at the Ultimafestival in the Kulturkirken Jakob in Oslo . On October 24, 2014, he was awarded the Edvard Prize, endowed with fifty thousand crowns , in the category of contemporary music for the work inngang, nærver, utgang [entrance, presence, exit] . The prize was awarded during a concert in the Fosnavåg Culture House .

Magnar Åm is married to the editor Liv Hundvebakke (* 1953), their daughter Jon Hundvebakkes (1913–1999) and Karen Marie Nilsens (1919–1996).

Compositional style

Olav Egil Aune writes in the Norsk biografisk leksikon that Magnar Åm's style could be called Nyspiritualistisk [New Spirituality]. He is characterized by a polyphonic, free dissonant style, with a tightly expressive and at the same time ascetic, introverted tonal language in which melodic and experimental works stand side by side. The store norske leksikon writes that Åm initially composed in a traditional style and that his later works moved in the direction of free tonality .

Works (selection)

Magnar Åm's work ranges from chamber music and vocal music to works for orchestra and multimedia installations. He has written commissioned works for the great Norwegian orchestras, the Bergen Cathedral Choir , for Det Norske Solistkor , the Oslo String Quartet, the Grieg Trio, the violinists Geir Inge Lotsberg and Øyvind Bjorå, for Arvid Engegård and for Nils Økland auf der Hardangerfiedel , the guitarist Njål Vindenes , the pianist Jan Hovden, the accordionist Geir Draugsvoll, the double bass player Bjørn Ianke , the bassoonist Eirik Birkeland, the harpists Willy Postma and Ellen Sejersted Bødtker, the organist Kåre Nordstoga, the violist Lars Anders Tomter, the horn player Julius Pranevicius and for many other musicians and ensembles.

  • Bøn [prayer]. For strings, choir and solo soprano, 1972.
  • Song for brass and percussion, 1974
  • intermezzo for three wind instruments, 1976
  • Octet - in nude, 1977. It was recorded by the BIT20 Ensemble under Ingar Bergby and released on Norwegian Signatures on August 30, 1995 on the Aurora label. 
  • Dagen viker and går bort. Study over a salmetone frå Luster , 1977 The organist Kåre Nordstoga recorded the work on Norwegian Organ Music  . It was released on January 9, 1991 on the Aurora label. 1977 wrote Åm a version for string orchestra, the 1979 in the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the Norwegian conductor Karsten Andersen (1920-1997) Grieg Hall premiered in Bergen.
  • Point zero, 1977 Magnar Åm wrote the text himself.
    • 1st version for choir, soprano, organ, chamber orchestra and forsamling 
    • 2nd version for choir, soprano and organ
    • 3rd version for choir, soprano and orchestra. It was recorded by the Trondheim Symfoniorkester under Ole Kristian Ruud and published on January 1, 1990 by Aurora.
  • på glytt for double bass and orchestra, 1981
  • Burfugls draum for choir and chamber ensemble, 1982. It is a multimedia work in which choir groups move through and past the audience in different directions and create tones and soundscapes.
  • min klode, mi sjel, 1982 for ungdomssoprano [young soprano] and orchestra
  • til me veks ut av oss for choir, speaker and organ, 1983
  • tvers gjennom alt dette is a commissioned work for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Musikselskabet Harmoniens, from which the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra developed.
  • Hovering Depths for double bass, 1986. The piece lasts about ten minutes. It is inspired by a painting and describes the image of a dark mountain and its reflection in a lake. Recorded was by Bjørn Ianke on The Contemporary double bass vol I . It was published on the Simax label on September 9, 1988.
  • lyfter me som ein for orchestra , 1988
  • A cage-bird's dream
  • her, i oppstoda, an underwater installation
  • på en stol
  • Tonebad , multimedia composition , 1989. An experience space for one person. in which the music moves three-dimensionally around the listener. There is an art installation by Astri Eidseth Rygh in the room. The sung lyrics are by Liv Holtskog.
  • Fritonale samtalar for violin, cello and piano, 1988
  • gratia for harp and string orchestra, composed in 1995 commissioned work for Willy Postma, premiered at the Sixth World Harp Congress in Tacoma , USA, 1996.
  • og Kom til ro mitt hjarte, commissioned for the millennium jubilee of the Church in Norway, 1995
  • sølvtråden [silver string ], 1995. The work was recorded by the Oslo String Quartet in 1998 and published in 2002. It is the eponymous track of the CD The Silver Chord , which was released by the music label Aurora .
  • ømhetens tre, 1999 oratorio, premiered on January 1, 2000 with the Digitalis youth choir
  • Einsam / omfamna , for bassoon and orchestra, 2005. It was commissioned for Eirik Birkeland and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • Dette Blanke No - This Our Virgin Now , for female choir and harp, 2004 Text: Translation of a text by the American psychologist Clark Moustakas (1923–2012)
  • stalagmittid, violin concerto, 2004
  • be the purpose for harp and string sextet, 2005
  • this our virgin now for harp and girls' choir, 2005
  • 'tisn't the snow falling, it's us leaving the ground, 2006
  • God's I's - arias of innocence and growth, opera / oratorio, 2007
  • motstraum, 2007 for Hardanger fiddle and chamber orchestra
  • der var mjukt for soprano and harp, 2007 Text: Clarc Montakas
  • inngang, nærver, utgang [entrance, presence, exit] Concerto for viola and strings. It consists of three movements: I slow, II fast, III slow. The world premiere took place at the Hardanger Musikfest 2013 . The work was awarded the Edvard Prize in the contemporary music category in 2014
  • Is-Slottet [Ice Castle], opera in three parts, 2014. The libretto by Jesper Braestrup Karlsen is based on the novel of the same name by Tarjei Vesaas . Magnar Åm published the film of a performance in Ulsteinvik on Vimeo . In the film, the Norwegian mezzo-soprano Tuva Hemmingsen will sing as Siss , the Danish mezzo-soprano Ingeborg Fangel Mo as Unn , the Danish baritone Jens Søndergaard as Aslak and Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer as Moster under the musical direction of Frode Andersen.
  • Tomorrow! for soprano, countertenor and piano, 2017 Text: John Henry Mackay
  • Kimen [night watch], opera. The libretto is by Oda Radoor based on the novel of the same name by Tarjei Vesaas from 1940. It was commissioned by the Telemark Chamber Orchestra. On July 1, 2017, a preview of excerpts from the opera took place in the Propellhallen Kulturarena in Volda. The Telemark Chamber Orchestra played under the Norwegian conductor Lars-Erik ter Jung (* 1957) . A concert performance took place on December 5, 2017 at the Sentralen cultural center in Oslo. The Norwegian bassist Magne Fremmerlid (* 1961) as Karl Li , Ingeborg Fangel Mo as Kari Nes, the Norwegian tenor Eivind Kandal (* 1986) as Andreas and the soprano Karen Rosenborg Olsen as Else . The Telemark Chamber Orchestra played under Lars-Erik ter Jung.
  • smaken av vatnet for choir a capella, 2018, text: Marit Kaldhol
  • sjå lys der lys trengst for wind orchestra, 2018
  • love / fear for four vocal soloists, choir and orchestra. Text: Magnar Åm and Olav H. Hauge
  • Soli Deo Gloria for organ, 2020

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Magnar Åm. (No longer available online.) In: magnaram.com. Magnar Åm, August 4, 2008, archived from the original on September 19, 2017 ; accessed on December 9, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.magnaram.com
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Magnar Åm, composer. (No longer available online.) In: magnaram.com. Magnar Åm, January 12, 2017, archived from the original on September 19, 2017 ; Retrieved December 9, 2017 (Norwegian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.magnaram.com
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Olav Egil Aune: Magnar Åm . In: Norsk biografisk leksikon . February 13, 2009 (Norwegian, snl.no [accessed December 10, 2017]).
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Jan Inge Sørbø: Magnar Åm. In: allkunne-levande leksikon. Nynorsk kultursentrum, March 30, 2014, accessed October 27, 2017 (Norwegian).
  5. ↑ a b c Magnar Åm . In: Store norske leksikon . May 12, 2016 (Norwegian, snl.no [accessed December 10, 2017]).
  6. ↑ www.allkunne.no/: Olav Åm. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved January 14, 2018 (Norwegian).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.allkunne.no  
  7. ↑ a b Åm, Magnar. In: MIC Norsk musikkinformasjon. March 21, 2011, accessed December 7, 2017 (Norwegian).
  8. ↑ a b c d Magnar Åm. Grappa Musikkforlag AS, 2008, accessed October 27, 2017 (Norwegian).
  9. ↑ Fartein Valen stipend til Magnar Åm. In: Ballade.no. November 5, 2002, accessed February 6, 2018 (Norwegian).
  10. ↑ Heidi Fagna: Magnar Åm fekk komponistpris. NRK, September 20, 2009, accessed October 17, 2017 (Norwegian).
  11. ↑ Magnar Åm tildelt komponistpris. Sunnmørsposten, September 20, 2009, accessed October 18, 2017 (Norwegian).
  12. ↑ a b Edvardpris til Magnar Åm. NorskKomponistforening, October 24, 2014, accessed October 28, 2017 (Norwegian).
  13. ↑ Salmetone med røtter. In: ballade.no. January 16, 2003, accessed February 6, 2018 (Norwegian).
  14. ↑ Oslo String Quartet - The Silver Cord. In: discogs. Retrieved February 6, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Knut Steen: Tonal sølvstreng til begjær. In: ballade.no. December 4, 2002, accessed February 6, 2018 (Norwegian).
  16. ↑ Andrew Smith: Magnar Åm - musikk i mange dimensjoner. Ballad, September 30, 2005, accessed October 28, 2017 (Norwegian).
  17. ↑ a b Is-Slottet. (PDF) De Ny Opera; Music theater SAUM, 2014, accessed on 7 February 2018 (Danish).
  18. ↑ Kimen. Sentralen, accessed February 7, 2018 (Norwegian).
personal data
SURNAME Åm, Magnar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Norwegian composer, organist and cantor
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Trondheim