Concert Evening of organ music: Gunnar Idenstam World famous Mariinsky Ballet and Opera Theatre - Opera and Concert Hall
Schedule for Evening of organ music: Gunnar Idenstam 2022
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach Composer: Maurice Ravel Organist: Gunnar Idenstam
Orchestra: Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra
The programme includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Dorian, BWV 538 March from Anna
Magdalena Bach’s notebook Bourrée No 1 from Cello Suite No 3 in C Major, BWV
1009 Sarabande from Cello Suite No 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 Passepied Nos
1 and 2 from Orchestral Suite No 1 in C Major, BWV 1066
Maurice
Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte (transcription for organ by
Gunnar Idenstam) Lever du jour from Orchestral Suite No 2 Daphnis et Chloé
Valse
Gunnar Idenstam,born in 1961 in the far north of Sweden,
is a concert organist, composer, arranger and folk
musician. In 1984, he was awarded 1:st prize in the prestigious
improvisation competition "Grand Prix de Chartres" and since then his
career has taken him to many parts of the world.
As an interpreter, trained in the classical French tradition by among
others the legendary Marie-Claire Alain, he has a special love for the music of
Bach and for some of the French cathedral repertoire. His style as a
composer/improviser is a felicitous amalgamation of art music, folk music
and the more symphonically oriented rock music that represents something not
previously attempted in organ music. As an arranger he reproduces all the
colours of the symphony orchestra on the organ, for example in transcriptions of
orchestral works by Mahler, Debussy and Ravel. He also arranges different kinds
of popular ethnic music like "Riverdance". As a folk musician he stands
quite apart in his transposition of the idiomatic details of the Swedish folk
music tradition to church organ or harmonium and keyboard.
He frequently appears on Scandinavian television and he collaborates with top
musicians from different genres; for example with the Brittish composer and
saxophone virtuoso Andy Sheppard, and with the singers Sofia Karlsson and the
Laponian yoik artist and songwriter Sofia Jannok. His collaboration with the
trombone virtuoso, Christian Lindberg, resulted in a spectacular program of new
arrangements of orchestral works highly praised in the press after their
recitals in a sold out Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, in Suntory
Hall in Tokyo and in the Nordic countries.
He has written commissioned works for Wermland Classic Festival, Lahti Organ
Festival and for various groups in the Nordic countries. His music (Cathedral
Music) has been used in choreographer Margareta Asbergґs work, and he has
composed original music for choreographer and dancer Virpi Pahkinen.
His latest solo CD was "Cathedral Music" (BIS-Northern Lights) with music of
his own. In 2004 was the release of his Swedish folk music CD, in surround, with
Johan Hedin, nyckelharpa, and the duo now frequently tour Europe and Japan. As a
soloist Gunnar Idenstam has in recent times given recitals in for example
Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Monaco Cathedral, St Eustache cathedral in Paris,
Kцlner Philharmonie Konzertsaal, Concert Hall Ivan Cankar in Ljubljana and
Svetlanov Hall in Moscow. In the season 2009-10 he performs in for example
Moscow, Belgrade, Budapest, USA and Poland and during this period of time will
be the release of his second CD with Johan Hedin and the recording of his own
JukkaslAtar (Songs for Jukkasjдrvi) on the label BIS
Education and awards:
Masters degree of Fine Arts in Church Music at the Royal Academy of
Music in Stockholm under Rune Engsц, Anders Bondeman and Torvald Toren in 1983.
Soloist Diploma with distinction in 1986. 1985: Prix de Virtuosite and
the special 1:st Prize (A lґunanimite et avec ses felicitations du Jury) at
the Conservatoire National de Rueil-Malmaison, Paris under Marie-Claire
Alain and, in improvisation, Jacques Taddei. 1:st Prize in Grand
Prix de Chartres, improvisation, in 1984. Kasper prize (Dagens Nyheter) in
1987
Schedule for Evening of organ music: Gunnar Idenstam 2022
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