Grappa musikkforlag Christian Eggen

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Christian Eggen

Biography

Christian Eggen (b 1957 in Drøbak, Norway), having studied in Oslo, Salzburg, Vienna, Paris and New York, began his conducting activities in the early 1980s, leading the Norwegian "New Music Ensemble" on tours in Scandinavia and Europe, and at the same time continuing his career as a pianist, notably renowned for his performances of Mozart and Bach.

Eggen"s skills and deep knowledge of the contemporary music has made him a frequent guest conductor of leading ensembles and orchestras all over the world, like musikFabrik in Cologne and Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris. He is permanent artistic director and conductor of the Oslo Sinfonietta and the Cikada. He directed festivals of Nordic music in Asia 1990 and Spain 1994, and in 1999 he was "Artist in residence" at the Bergen International Festival. He has collaborated with composers such as John Cage, Helmut Lachenmann, Iannis Xenakis, Magnus Lindberg, Kaija Saariaho, Witold Lutoslawski, Tan Dun, Brian Ferneyhough and Gyorgy Kurtag, and he has made numerous recordings.

Nov 2010

Christian Eggen

Discography

Wire and String

12.08.2011

Through collaborations with conductors and soloists of international standing, the Bodø Sinfonietta has established itself as a high ranking ensemble of flexible and enthusiastic musicians. They now release a portrait of the internationally profiled Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin's music, including a brand new concerto for fiddle and sinfonietta - folk music interacting with contemporary musical idioms.
Synne Skouen: Call-Notes

17.01.2011

Synne Skouen is a vital and important voice on the Norwegian cultural scene, and has been so for more than 30 years. A most welcome release, Call-Notes is the first portrait of her distinct musical works, brought forth by some of the most profiled performers in our day.
Cecilie Ore: Codex Temporis

21.01.1996

"So changed now that it"s begun. So transformed. Already a difference between it and it, as nothing is what it was. Already time between it and it, between here and there, between then and now. Already the span of space between it and something else, it and more, it and something, something new, which now, in this now, already has been, in the next now is, and keeps on. Moves" (Excerpt from "Det by" Inger Christensen)

All the titles reflect a preoccupation with time. The "now" containing both the past and future. What lies between the notes? What is it that holds them together, bristling in the time they inhabit? Cecilie Ore was born in Oslo 1954. She studied composition with Ton de Leeuw at Sweelnick Conservatorium in Amsterdam and at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht.
John Persen: Over Cross and Crown

15.12.2003

When Over Cross and Crown was premièred October 1st 1999 by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Christian Eggen, the gigantic work was received with standing ovations by the audience. This was the conclusion of a 25 year long process, starting off by a commission from Den Norske Opera (The Norwegian Opera) for an opera by John Persen called Under Cross and Crown. It took 10 years to write the opera, with a libretto based on the historic events of the Sàmi revolt in 1852 in northern Norway.
Ståle Kleiberg: The Bell Reef

27.10.2003

Lamento: Cissi Klein in memoriam, one of a trilogy of works composed by Kleiberg in response to Nazi atrocities, is based on the story about Cissi who was taken from her classroom in 1942 and sent to Auschwitz. The Chamber Symphony was written in 1997 when the city of Trondheim celebrated the millennial anniversary of its foundation. The Bell Reef, symphony no.1, is based on a story told in a book by Kleiberg"s great grandfather, the writer Theodor Dahl: In 1537 a ship sent to Norway from Denmark to collect valuables, including five church bells. On its return journey the ship collided with a reef and sank, and in later years it was said that the bells could occasionally be heard sounding from the bottom of the sea.

One of the most distinct voices among the Norwegian composers belongs to Ståle Kleiberg (b. 1958). Based in Trondheim, he is currently an Associate Professor of Music at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Much of Kleiberg"s music is written in direct response to commissions, has been widely performed in Norway and abroad, and is now increasingly available in commercial CD format. He was awarded the Fartein Valen Prize in 1999, as a result of which he was composer-in-residence during the Valen Days of 2000.
David Monrad Johansen: Piano Concerto · Pan Johan Kvandal: Piano Concerto

22.09.2008

Piano Concertos by father and son: David Monrad Johansen and Johan Kvandal The art of composing has been regarded as a craft all through the history of Europe, the composer"s skill has been inherited from father to son, often for generations. In Norway, the most famous example of this musical father/son relationship is the one between David Monrad Johansen (1888-1974) and his son Johan Kvandal (1919-99). The outstanding Håvard Gimse premieres their two piano concertos on this recording.
Fartein Valen Complete Songs

28.04.2003

The work of Fartein Valen has a strange way of finding its way out to the audience. It is fair to say that his violin concerto and symphonic poems are quite well known around the world (and of course found in the Simax Classics catalogue, together with the symphonies). Arve Tellefsen"s recordings of the concerto has of course given this work a special significance in our times, but young composers also often refer to Valens approach as a model for their own compositional work.