Bent Lorentzen


Bent Lorentzen was a Danish composer. He was one of the outstanding figures in contemporary Danish music. His works are frequently performed at festivals at home and abroad, and he had established particularly close links with musical life in Poland and Germany. He was honoured with several international prizes and was named Choral Composer of the Year in Denmark in 1989.

Life

Bent Lorentzen was born in Stenvad, a village on Djursland, East Jutland. He studied musicology at the university in Aarhus and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. He was a pupil of Knud Jeppesen, Finn Høffding, Vagn Holmboe and Jørgen Jersild. After his final examination he taught at the Academies of Music in Aarhus and Copenhagen for several years.
Lorentzen was one of the earliest pioneers in the field of Danish electronic music, which was also introduced with an educational aim: the LP Elektronmusikkens materiale and the LP Water – electronic music for children, 1968.
Lorentzen's orchestral music includes concertos for oboe, cello, piano, saxophone, trumpet and violin ; his chamber music comprises solo works for organ, piano, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, guitar, violin, cello and double-bass, as well as string quartets and works with mixed ensembles. He also composed numerous choral works in a unique dramatic style.
Lorentzen's most important part of his works, however, are his operas and other works for the stage. His last opera Der Steppenwolf was first performed in Aarhus 2016 in a semi-concert version.

Awards

Lorentzen held a number of important posts in different organisations in the Danish musical life, and he was the artistic director of the Ebeltoft Festival 1990-93. He was a prizewinner at several foreign competitions such as the Prix Italia in 1970, the Serocki composers’ competition in 1984, the International Competition for Choir Compositions in Austria 1987, the Olivier Messiaen Organ Prize in 1988, Vienna Modern Masters in 1991 and the Music and Poetry Prize in Belgium in 1989. He was awarded ”Danish Choir Composer of the year” in 1990 and the Carl Nielsen Prize in 1995 and in 2003 the Wilhelm Hansen Composer Prize''. Since 1982 and until his death, Lorentzen had received the lifelong grant of the Danish Art Council.

List of works (a selection)

Bent Lorentzen’s works are published in Denmark by Edition Wilhem Hansen, Copenhagen and Edition Samfundet, Copenhagen.
Opera and Music Theatre
Orchestra
Soloist and Orchestra
Large Ensemble
Works for 2-6 Players
Solo Works
Solo Keyboard
Solo voices, Chorus, Orchestra / and narrator
Chorus a cappella / Chorus plus one instrument
Solo Voice and up to six players
Music for Young Performers
Electroacoustic Works
Abgrund - Colori - Goldranken - Nachtigall
Piano Works
Dacapo: 8.224246
Die Musik kommt mir äusserst bekannt vor!
Chamber opera
Helikon: HCD 1012
Ensemble Århus Sinfonietta
Conductor Søren K. Hansen and Thomas Søndergaard
Dacapo: 8.226516
Aarhus Brass Quintet
Paula: PACD 82
Ensemble The Danish Trio
Paula: PACD 57
The Danish Trio, Esbjerg Ensemble, Kontra etc.
Danish Music Export: MXPCD 0292
Ensemble Aarhus SO, Frans Rasmussen
Merete Hoffmann, Martin Schuster
Dacapo: DCCD 9314
Ensemble Århus Sinfonietta
Conductor Søren K. Hansen and Thomas Søndergaard
Erik Kaltoft
Dacapo: 8.226516
Ensemble Slovak RSO, Szymon Kawalla
Vienne Modern Masters: VMM 3009
Composers: Cope/Bräm/Haubenstock-Ramati/Lorentzen/Kaczynski
Ensemble MW2
Vienna Modern Masters: VMM 2024
Record CHESTER JWC 1001
Format: Vinyl, LP; Country: UK; Released: 1968
Style: Musique Concrète, Education, Spoken Word, Experimental
Credits: Compilation Producer, Narrator - Bent Lorentzen
Opera. Label: Kontrapunkt. 2005
Morten Frank Larsen. Jens E. Christensen. Joanna Stroz (percussion.
Label: dacapo 8.226568