Niels Rosing-Schow

Position
President
Department
Management
E-mail
rektor@dkdm.dk

Niels Rosing-Schow, b. 1954, is one of Denmark's leading composers and former professor of composition and head of the composition programme at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he was also vice president from 2018 - 2022.

BACKGROUND

In his early years as a composer, Rosing-Schow's starting point was influenced by the Danish "Ny Enkelhed" as it sounded in the hands of composers such as Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Ole Buck and Hans Abrahamsen. Ligeti and Stravinsky were outside sources of inspiration. But after his student years, he received significant impulses from Iannis Xenakis' Atelier Upic during a short stay in Paris. In Paris, he also became acquainted with so-called spectral music as expressed by composers Tristan Murail and Gérard Grisey.

Since then, spectral music thinking has been an essential basis for Niels Rosing-Schow's musical thinking. It characterises the sensuousness of sound and timbre in his music, which in the large forms is combined with organic developments, as can be experienced in the orchestral work Black Virgin (2004) and the cello concerto Chimere (2007-08), which was premiered by the Danish/Swedish star cellist Andreas Brantelid. This is juxtaposed with an unmistakable connection to his Danish composition peers, who emphasize structural thinking and inspiration from the outside world.

TEACHING AND ARTISTIC practice

Already in the years before his official debut concert in 1987, Niels Rosing-Schow was engaged as a teacher at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Teaching has followed him ever since. In 2013, Niels Rosing-Schow was appointed professor of composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Alongside his teaching, he has been a very active participant in the organisational and political side of Danish music life. With positions that range from concert organiser to member of various boards, councils and committees to chairman of the Danish Composers' Society from 2008 - 2014, Niels Rosing-Schow has made a significant impact on Danish music life and the music policy agenda.

As a composer, Niels Rosing-Schow has an extensive production behind him in most categories, and his music is regularly performed in Denmark and Europe. Among his most important works are the half-hour-long Archipel des solitudes (1994-1995) for mezzo-soprano, choir and large orchestra, the violin concerto Trees (2000) and the cello concerto Chimere (2008). Other works include the ensemble works I giardini dietro la città (2010-11) and FlashNight for bass flute, electronics and ensemble (2015). To the Royal Danish Academy of Music's 150th anniversary concert on November 17, 2017, he composed the work Nu og efter for solo choir and orchestra (text Theis Ørntoft).

Awards and scholarships

He has received Statens Kunstfonds three-year scholarship (1982), Det Ancherske Legat (1990), Carl Nielsen og Anne Marie Carl-Nielsens Hæderspris (1993) and Wilhelm Hansens musikpris (2000).

I. Orchestra (including works with soloists/choir)

  • ARCHIPEL DES SOLITUDES (1994-95) (text: Gilles Gourdon, french)
    Mezzo-soprano solo/Mixed Chorus/ Orchestra
  • BLACK VIRGIN (2004-05)
    Orchestra
  • CHIMERE. Visioni per violoncello ed orchestra (2007-08)
    Cello solo / Orchestra
  • NU OG EFTER (2016-17)
  • Soli, mixed chorus, Orchestra

II. Works for large ensemble

  • EQUINOXE (2002-03)
    Dedicated to TM+
  •  I GIARDINI DIETRO LA CITTÀ (2010-11)
    Dedicated to TM+
  • FLASHNIGHT for Bass Flute with electronics and Ensemble (2016)
    Dedicated to  Hélène Navasse and Athelas Sinfonietta / Caput Ensemble        

III. Chamber Works

  • DOUBLE (1987)                                                                                                                          
  • VOIX INTERIEURES (Inner Voices) (1991)                                                                              -
  • SPECTRE DU TEMPS (2004)
    Dedicated to Trio Maurice Duruflé
  • PEINTURE DU TEMPS (2004)
  • EMPREINTES DU TEMPS (2006)                                                  
  • ALLIAGE II (2008)                                                    
  • ALLIAGE I (2010)                                
  • ALLIAGE III (2010)       

IV. Works for Solo Instrument

  • LINES (2013) Guitar                                                                                             
  • VIEWS FROM A HIGH PLACE for cello solo (2014) Cello 
  • ...AUS ATMEN…  for flute solo (2014) Flute
    Commisioned by Carl Nielsen Flute Competition 2014
  • #VIOLASOUNDS for viola solo (2015) Viola
  • TRIPTYKON for orgel (2016)
    Commisioned by 'Dansk Organist og Kantor Samfund for the 500 years celebration of the reformation                                                

V. Vocal Works

  • LLANTO (rev. 1998)(text: Federíco Garcia Lorca, spanish)                                                  
  • TWO SONNETS BY JORGE LUIS BORGES (2004/2006)
    I.     Everness, II. Ewigkeit (text: Jorge Luis Borges, spanish)           
  • NANU (2007) (based on a greenlandic melody)                                                                     
  • THREE SIMPLE SONG (2014) (texts by Piet Hein, Grethe Risbjerg Thomsen,Pia Tafdrup, danish),                                                                        
  • BALD SIND WIR ABER GESANG (2014) (Friedrich Hölderlin, german and french)

VI. Choral Works

  • CHANTS DE L'OMBRE (1987) (Robert Desnos)                                                
  • COMBAT D'AURORE (1990) (Christine Canals-Frau                                        
  • THE JAMES JOYCE CHOIR BOOK (2005-2023) (James Joyce)
  • DER ER EN SANG. HYLDEST TIL PER NØRGÅRD (2022) (Per Aage Brandt)
  • THE CALLS (2022-23) (Brendan Frenandes)        

 

Portrait CD's

  • Niels Rosing-Schow: Orchestral and chamberworks, Dacapo DCCD 911
    Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, cond. Avi Ostrovsky,
  • Niels Rosing-Schow: Archipel des solitudes, Dacapo 8.224163
    Hanne Fischer, mezzo-soprano, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Leif Segerstam
  • Niels Rosing-Schow: Granito y arco iris, Dacapo 8.226535
    Guillaume Hodeau, Århus Sinfonietta, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Jean Thorel
  • Niels Rosing-Schow: Peinture du temps, Dacapo 8.226557
    TM+, Laurent Cuniot
  • Niels Rosing-Schow: Alliages, Dacapo 8.226580
    Helene Gjerris, Jeanette Balland, Mathias Reumert, Jesper Sivebæk, Andreas Borregaard, Hélène Navasse, Svend Melbye, Asbjørn Nørregaard.

Single works

  • VOIX INTERIEURES, Capricorn Ensemble, Dacapo 8.224008,
  • DEUX SONNETS DE BORGES, Helene Gjerris / Ensemble Alternance, Dacapo 8.226537
  • E RIGIDIS, Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider / Ulrich Stærk, Dacapo 8.226519
  • #VIOLASOUNDS, Rafaell Altino, Dacapo 8.226588

Research

  • Borup-Jørgensen, Axel, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2000)
  • Tre spor i dansk musik; Festskrift til Ib Nørholm, Højbjerg 2001
  • En ny, Ny musik?; Dansk Musiktidsskrift, lxxx (2005/06)

Papers

  • Compositeur, enseignant, organisateur : un champ à cultiver entre création et recherche musicale; Colloque Composer au XXIe siécle, OICM: Observatoire international de la création musicale, Université de Montréal, Faculté de musique, 2007, Montréal

Artistic Research (KUV)

  • En tilblivelseshistorie. En kritisk refleksion over egen kompositionsproces;
    KUV-netværket, Årbog 2018, s. 158 - 172 (e-bog)
  • Hvordan giver det mening? Musikalsk komposition på et perceptuelt grundlag; DKDM 2019, igangværende projekt med støtte fra KUV-puljen under Kulturministeriet

Articles

  • Iannis Xenakis’ “Jonchaies” ; Dansk Musiktidsskrift, lxiv (1989/90)
  • Ufølsomhedens profet. Nekrolog over Iannis Xenakis, Weekendavisen, februar 2001
  • Landkortet og landskabet; Programbog til Musikhøst, Odense 2008