Nordic Stabat Mater

About the composer

Bent Lorentzen (part 3: 8.45 minutes) was born in Stenvad, Denmark, in 1935. He studied at Aarhus University and the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where he graduated in 1960. He is now serving as a assistant professor at this Academy and works as a free lance composer. He is well-known for his operas, but also composed symphonic works, chamber music and vocal music.

Arne Mellnäs (part 2: 5.16 minutes) was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1933. He studied piano, violin and conducting at the State College of Music in Stockholm and continued his studies in different countries, a.o. with György Ligeti in Vienna. He was a teacher of theory, orchestration and composition at the State College until 1986, then became a free lance composer. He composed orchestral and chamber music, music for choir and several dramatical works. He died in 2002.

Svend Nielsen (part 1: 5.48 minutes) was born in 1937 and studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. For thirty years he taught music theory at the Royal Acadamy of Music in Århus. He is regarded as a lyrical composer, influenced by impressionist composers like Ravel and Debussy. He composed symphonies as well as cantatas, of which the best known is “Impera” for choir and orchestra, on a poem by the Danish poet Sophus Clausen.

Ib Nørholm (part 5: 7.08 minutes) was born 1931 and studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. He is regarded as one of Denmark’s most important composers of symphonies (composing ten very different symphonies). He has continuously experimented with musical forms and has developed into a solitary figure and model in Danish music.

Sven-David Sandström (part 4: 7.18 minutes) was born in Borensberg, Sweden, in 1942. He, too, studied with György Ligeti. A well-known composer in Sweden, he has composed numerous works characterized by a strong personal expression, often with a heavily religious character in his choral works. His Requiem is a central work in this respect.