ELLEN UGELVIK, PIANO

Serynade
ELLEN UGELVIK, PIANO
CHRISTIAN BLOM: THE POETRY OF MANUALS
HELMUT LACHENMANN: SERYNADE
CHRISTIAN JAKSJØ: ENCOUNTERING THE IMAGINARY

1. CHRISTIAN BLOM
The poetry of manuals
— 13:01
— MIC
2. HELMUT LACHENMANN
Serynade
— 23:12
—
BREITKOPF & HÄRTEL
3. CHRISTIAN JAKSJØ
Encountering the Imaginary [Ulysses]
– for ring modulated electromechanically amplified piano and electronic sound
— 24:00
— MIC
M
Encou
f
ELLEN UGELVIK, PIANO
When does the p
great virtuoso
Etude flawlessly
pianist only scra
making a gratin
knocks on the w
who doesn't pla
2

CHRISTIAN BLOM
Manualenes poesi (2007–11) for piano
HELMUT LACHENMANN
Serynade (1998/2000) for piano
CHRISTIAN JAKSJØ
Encountering the Imaginary [Ulysses] (2009/10)
for ring modulated electromechanically
amplified piano and electronic sound
—
BY BJÖRN GOTTSTEIN
—
When does the piano become a piano? Only when a
great virtuoso performs Chopin's Revolutionary
Etude flawlessly and magnificently on it? What if the
pianist only scrapes his fingernails along the keys,
making a grating sound? How about a pianist who
knocks on the wood of the instrument? Or a pianist
who doesn't play at all?
The certainty with which the piano has been played
and listened to up until the middle of the 20th century
has been upset by the music of the avant-garde. A
composer writing a piece for the piano today has to
deal with the fact that striking a key is only one of
many options. Yet the pianist in Helmut Lachenmann's
piece Serynade is still expected to treat the piano in a
3

conventional manner. The historical dialectics of the
instrument itself, the inescapable conflict of being an
expensive piece of furniture assuring the bourgeois
self-conception on the one hand, and being a
laboratory of sound experiment and aesthetic change
on the other, may never be resolved. It is rather within
this conflict that the prospects of contemporary piano
music unfold. Many of the earlier pieces Lachenmann
has written for the piano have exposed single aspects
of the instrument, like the grating sound in Guero
(1970) or the isolation of different parameters and filter
effects in Ein Kinderspiel (1980).
Serynade is actually the first large-scale piece
Lachenmann has written for piano solo. The title refers
to a genre of light music to be performed outdoors
and/or in the evening, related to the ständchen and the
divertimento. (The misspelling "y" in the title refers to
the dedicatee of the piece, Yukiko Sugawara.) There is
in fact a lightness and leisure to be found in this piece.
The glissando from the bottom to the top of the
keyboard is really just for show, a gesture hardly to be
taken seriously as material; it expresses nothing but
the bold manner in which something is brushed away.
The question remains of what happens to the music
that Lachenmann evokes. Almost all the figures and
techniques Lachenmann uses have been explored and
contextualized. He is thus not inventing anything from
a technical point of view, instead the question he
seems to be asking recalls Arnold Schoenberg's
question when he was told that many young
composers were using his dodecaphonic method:
"Yes, but do they also make music?"
One may listen to Lachenmann's Serynade as an
essay on musical expression. Can a musical gesture
that has been coded with meaning be used in an
original, genuine way? The answer is of course yes,
as 600 years of keyboard music have proved. Yet
Lachenmann's focus seems to point further and
further into the piano itself, as if he is directing his
musical imagination into the nooks of the instrument,
searching for a residue of resonance within the
vibrating wood. One of the figures central to
Lachenmann's piece is the sound shadow cast when
a silently struck piano string vibrates sympathetically.
This effect reveals the gap between the façade of
sound, the outspokenness of the struck key, and its
inner life.
In Manualenes poesi Christian Blom uses the same
effect to conceal the poetic core of the music behind
a wall of staccato clusters. Of course, the clusters in
the foreground are themselves musical and not just a
disturbance, they are dry and hard and without
humour. The chords that sound sympathetically are
made possible by this façade of sounds in the first
place. Still the essence of the music does not unfold in
the forefront, it has been moved to the periphery of not
only the instrument, but of the listening radius
altogether. "Do you understand?" he asks the pianist
when the second part, a Satie-like arrangement of
chords, begins. "Understand" that the keys that are
now struck correspond with the ghost sounds from
the first part. When Jacques Derrida developed the
idea of “hauntology” he was not thinking about music.
Yet the idea of a haunting of ideas and sounds
undercutting the musical present has been adapted
by many com
decade. The li
also means that
to put it solemn
It is not alwa
interesting let a
Among the gho
the haunting vo
exposed to. It i
driven mad by m
the Imaginary
regions of soun
listener (for th
preludes the sc
describing the
4

ynade as an
usical gesture
be used in an
of course yes,
e proved. Yet
t further and
s directing his
the instrument,
ce within the
s central to
ow cast when
ympathetically.
the façade of
ck key, and its
uses the same
music behind
the clusters in
l and not just a
and without
athetically are
ds in the first
es not unfold in
eriphery of not
tening radius
sks the pianist
rrangement of
keys that are
t sounds from
developed the
g about music.
s and sounds
been adapted
by many composers and artists within the last
decade. The listening of elsewhere and elsewhen
also means that we are shifting perspectives, that we,
to put it solemnly, are pushing frontiers.
It is not always the loudest who are the most
interesting let alone the most intelligent to listen to.
Among the ghosts of the past we most certainly find
the haunting voices of the Sirens that Ulysses was
exposed to. It is, of course, an aspiring claim to be
driven mad by music. Christian Jaksjø's Encountering
the Imaginary [Ulysses] is an attempt to access
regions of sound that have been withdrawn from the
listener (for the sake of his own safety). Jaksjø
preludes the score with a text by Maurice Blanchot,
describing the song of the Sirens as unfulfilling yet
being "a sign of where the real sources and real
happiness of song opened", and the text seems like an
antedated description of Jaksjø's piece, in which the
instrument is engaged in a self-modulating song
through an elaborate electro-acoustic exchange
between the played piano part and an electronic
soundtrack. There is also a close connection between
Jaksjø's Encountering the Imaginary and
Lachenmann's Serynade, the material of the former
having been derived from the latter, exposing those
sounds that Lachenmann only hinted at. But more
than being a frottage of Lachenmann's piece Jaksjø
has tapered the project of listening deeply and
beyond, turning the piano into a guidepost that leads
well into the 21st century.
5

CHRISTIAN BLOM
Manualenes poesi (2007–11) for klaver
HELMUT LACHENMANN
Serynade (1998/2000) for klaver
CHRISTIAN JAKSJØ
Encountering the Imaginary [Ulysses] (2009/10)
for ringmodulert elektromekanisk forsterket klaver
og elektronisk lyd
Når blir klaveret til et klaver? Utelukkende når en
stor virtuos framfører Chopins Revolusjonsetyde på
det, feilfritt og imponerende? Hva hvis pianisten bare
gnir fingerneglene sine langs tangentene med en
skrapende lyd? Hva med pianisten som dunker på
treet i instrumentkroppen? Hva med pianisten som
ikke spiller overhodet?
—
AV BJÖRN GOTTSTEIN
—
Fram til midten av det 20. århundre er klaveret blitt spilt
på og lyttet til med en sikkerhet som avantgarden
deretter forstyrret. En komponist som vil skrive for
klaver i dag, må forholde seg til at det å trykke ned
tangenter bare er en av mange muligheter. Likevel
forventes det at pianisten i Helmut Lachenmanns verk
Serynade også kan behandle instrumentet innenfor
konvensjonelle
som er gitt a
konflikten mello
borgerlig selvfo
laboratorium fo
utvikling på den
på innsiden av
tids musikk for k
stykkene Lache
fram enkeltstå
som den skra
isolasjonen av u
Ein Kinderspiel
Serynade er fa
Lachenmann sk
lettere musikk fr
slekt med form
(Den feilstaven
som verket er
lette og frie finn
fra de dype til
show-off, en ge
materiale; den
forsøk på å børs
med, er hva som
framkaller. Næ
Lachenmann be
plassert i en sa
teknisk sett ikke
han tilsynelate
Schönberg stilt
komponister til
«Ja, men lager
6

10)
aver
averet blitt spilt
avantgarden
vil skrive for
t å trykke ned
gheter. Likevel
enmanns verk
ntet innenfor
konvensjonelle rammer. Den historiske dialektikken
som er gitt av klaveret selv, den uomgjengelige
konflikten mellom å være et dyrt møbel som bekrefter
borgerlig selvforståelse på den ene siden, og et
laboratorium for klanglige eksperimenter og estetisk
utvikling på den andre, er umulig å løse. Det er snarere
på innsiden av denne konflikten at mulighetene i vår
tids musikk for klaver utfolder seg. Mange av de tidlige
stykkene Lachenmann har skrevet for klaver, viser
fram enkeltstående egenskaper ved instrumentet,
som den skrapende lyden i Guero (1970) eller
isolasjonen av ulike parametre og filtreringseffekter i
Ein Kinderspiel (1980).
Serynade er faktisk det første verket i stor skala
Lachenmann skrev for klaver solo. Tittelen henviser til
lettere musikk framført utendørs og/eller om kvelden, i
slekt med former som ständchen og divertimento.
(Den feilstavende «y»-en i tittelen viser til utøveren
som verket er tilegnet, Yukiko Sugawara.) Både det
lette og frie finnes virkelig i dette stykket. Glissandoen
fra de dype til de lyse tangentene nærmer seg en
show-off, en gest det er vanskelig å ta alvorlig som
materiale; den uttrykker ikke annet enn et dristig
forsøk på å børste noe vekk. Spørsmålet vi sitter igjen
med, er hva som hender med musikken Lachenmann
framkaller. Nær sagt alle figurer og teknikker
Lachenmann benytter seg av, er allerede utforsket og
plassert i en sammenheng. Slikt sett oppfinner han
teknisk sett ikke noe nytt. I stedet minner spørsmålet
han tilsynelatende stiller, om spørsmålet Arnold
Schönberg stilte da han ble fortalt at mange unge
komponister tilegnet seg tolvtoneteknikkene hans:
«Ja, men lager de også musikk?»
Man kan lytte til Lachenmanns Serynade som et
essay i å uttrykke seg musikalsk. Kan en musikalsk
gest som er ladet med mening, fortsatt brukes på en
måte som vil bli oppfattet som original og ekte?
Svaret er selvsagt ja, og 600 år med musikk for
tangentinstrumenter beviser det. Likevel peker
Lachenmann tilsynelatende videre, stadig lengre inn i
klaveret, som om han leder sin musikalske fantasi inn
i instrumentets innerste hjørner, på jakt etter rester av
resonans inne i det vibrerende treet. En sentral figur i
Lachenmanns stykke er skyggen lyden kaster når en
av strengene i klaveret vibrerer sympatisk eller
passivt, kun satt i bevegelse av vibrasjonen i de andre
strengene. Denne effekten avslører avstanden
mellom lydens fasade, selve det uttalte ved tangenten
som blir slått an, og lydens indre liv.
I Manualenes poesi bruker Christian Blom samme
effekt til å skjule en poetisk kjerne i musikken bak en
vegg av staccato clustre. Selvfølgelig er clustrene i
forgrunnen også musikalske og ikke bare der for å
forstyrre, de er tørre, harde og blottet for humor.
Akkordene som klinger passivt hadde ikke vært
mulige uten denne fasaden av lyd i første omgang.
Likevel utfolder ikke det essensielle i denne musikken
seg i forgrunnen, det er flyttet til utkanten, ikke bare av
instrumentet, men av lyttingens radius overhodet.
«Forstår du?» spør han pianisten, når annen del, et
Satie-aktig arrangement av akkorder, begynner.
«Forstår» at tangentene nå trykkes ned i samsvar med
de spektrale klangene fra første del. Da Jacques
Derrida utviklet begrepet om hauntology (av «haunt»,
å hjemsøke), tenkte han ikke på musikk. Likevel har
tanken om å sette ideer og lyder på prøve, på en måte
7

What was the n
its fault lie? Wh
Some have alw
song–a natural
kinds?), but on
possible way to
that extreme de
the normal con
enchantment w
reproduce the h
som undergraver et musikalsk nå, blitt adoptert av
mange komponister og kunstnere de siste ti årene. Å
lytte annensteds og i en annen tid innebærer også at
perspektivet skifter, at vi, for å si det høytidelig, flytter
grenser.
Det kraftigste er ikke alltid det mest interessante eller
intelligente å lytte til. Sirenenes stemmer som
hjemsøkte Ulysses, er utvilsomt skygger fra fortiden.
De styrker ideen om at musikk kan drive mennesket
fra forstanden. Christian Jaksjøs Encountering the
Imaginary [Ulysses] prøver å skape tilgang til
klanglige områder som er blitt unndratt lytteren (av
sikkerhetshensyn). Som innledning til partituret har
Jaksjø en tekst av Maurice Blanchot der sirenenes
sang blir beskrevet som utilfredsstillende og samtidig
«et tegn på hvor sangens virkelige kilder og gleder
åpnet seg», og teksten virker som om den foregriper
en beskrivelse av Jaksjøs stykke, der instrumentet
engasjeres i en selvmodulerende sang gjennom en
elektroakustisk utveksling mellom klaverstemmen og
det elektroniske lydsporet. Det er også en nær
sammenheng mellom Jaksjøs Encountering the
Imaginary og Lachenmanns Serynade, i og med at
materialet i det førstnevnte er utvunnet fra det
sistnevnte og stiller ut de klangene som Lachenmann
bare antydet eksistensen av. Men mer enn å være en
overtegning av Lachenmanns verk, har Jaksjø
fortsatt å gradbøye den dype lyttingen videre, og har
gjort klaveret til en utkikkspost med utsikt langt inn i
det 21. århundre.
Enc
The Sirens: it s
unfulfilling way,
real sources an
by means of th
song still to com
space where s
deceive him, in
But what happ
What was this
left but to disap
source and o
completely than
where, ears blo
Sirens, as proof
disappear.
8

lder og gleder
den foregriper
r instrumentet
g gjennom en
erstemmen og
også en nær
ountering the
e, i og med at
unnet fra det
Lachenmann
enn å være en
, har Jaksjø
videre, og har
tsikt langt inn i
Encountering the Imaginary
The Sirens: it seems they did indeed sing, but in an
unfulfilling way, one that only gave a sign of where the
real sources and real happiness of song opened. Still,
by means of their imperfect songs that were only a
song still to come, they did lead the sailor toward that
space where singing might truly begin. They did not
deceive him, in fact: they actually led him to his goal.
But what happened once the place was reached?
What was this place? One where there was nothing
left but to disappear, because music, in this region of
source and origin, had itself disappeared more
completely than in any other place in the world: sea
where, ears blocked, the living sank, and where the
Sirens, as proof of their good will, had also, one day, to
disappear.
What was the nature of the Sirens’ song? Where did
its fault lie? Why did this fault make it so powerful?
Some have always answered: It was an inhuman
song–a natural noise no doubt (are there any other
kinds?), but on the fringes of nature, foreign in every
possible way to man, very low, and awakening in him
that extreme delight in falling that he cannot satisfy in
the normal conditions of life. But, say others, the
enchantment was stranger than that: it did nothing but
reproduce the habitual song of men, and because the
Sirens, who were only animals, quite beautiful
because of the reflection of feminine beauty, could
sing as men sing, they made the song so strange that
they gave birth in anyone who heard it to a suspicion
of the inhumanity of every human song. Is it through
despair, then, that men passionate for their own song
came to perish? Through a despair very close to
rapture. There was something wonderful in this real
song, this common, secret song, simple and everyday,
that they had to recognize right away, sung in an
unreal way by foreign, even imaginary powers, song
of the abyss that, once heard, would open an abyss in
each word and would beckon those who heard it to
vanish into it.
This song, we must remember, was aimed at sailors,
men who take risks and feel bold impulses, and it was
also a means of navigation: it was a distance, and it
revealed the possibility of traveling this distance, of
making the song into the movement toward the song,
and of making this movement the expression of the
greatest desire. Strange navigation, but toward what
end? It has always been possible to think that those
who approached it did nothing but come near to it, and
died because of impatience, because they
prematurely asserted: here it is; here, here I will cast
9

anchor. According to others, it was on the contrary too
late: the goal had already been passed; the
enchantment, by an enigmatic promise, exposed men
to being unfaithful to themselves, to their human song
and even to the essence of the song, by awakening
the hope and desire for a wonderful beyond, and this
beyond represented only a desert, as if the
motherland of music were the only place completely
deprived of music, a place of aridity and dryness
where silence, like noise, burned, in one who once
had the disposition for it, all passageways to song.
Was there, then, an evil principle in this invitation to
the depths? Were the Sirens, as tradition has sought
to persuade us, only the false voices that must not be
listened to, the trickery of seduction that only disloyal
and deceitful beings could resist?
There has always been a rather ignoble effort among
men to discredit the Sirens by flatly accusing them of
lying: liars when they sang, deceivers when they
sighed, fictive when they were touched; in every
respect nonexistent, with a childish nonexistence that
the good sense of Ulysses was enough to exterminate.
treachery which led him to enjoy the entertainment of
the Sirens, without risks and without accepting the
consequences; his was a cowardly, moderate, and
calm enjoyment, as befits a Greek of the decadent era
who will never deserve to be the hero of the Iliad. His
is a fortunate and secure cowardliness, based on
privilege, which places him outside of the common
condition–others having no right to the happiness of
the elite, but only a right to the pleasure of watching
their leader writhe ridiculously, with grimaces of
ecstasy in the void, a right also to the satisfaction of
mastering their master (that is no doubt the lesson
they understood, the true song of the Sirens for them).
Ulysses’ attitude, that surprising deafness of one who
is deaf because he is listening, is enough to
communicate to the Sirens a despair reserved till now
for humans and to turn them, through this despair, into
actual beautiful girls, real this one time only and
worthy of their promise, thus capable of disappearing
into the truth and profundity of their song.
«Maurice Blanchot: The Book to Come»
(Translated by Charlotte Mandell. Courtesy of Stanford University Press)
It is true, Ulysses conquered them, but in what way?
Ulysses, with his stubbornness and prudence, his
10

tertainment of
accepting the
moderate, and
e decadent era
of the Iliad. His
ess, based on
f the common
e happiness of
re of watching
grimaces of
satisfaction of
ubt the lesson
irens for them).
ss of one who
is enough to
served till now
is despair, into
time only and
f disappearing
g.
»
University Press)
11

Christian Blom (1974) is an artist living on
Nesoddtangen. He works with kinetic sculpture,
mechanical devices and composition. Blom has a formal
background as a guitarist and composer, counting a
cand. philol in composition from the University of Bergen
as a current academic highlight. Blom is constantly
researching the parallells and differences in different
media and their techniques. In particular on search for
unexpected connections and perspectives.
www.christianblom.com
Christian Jaksjø’s musical background includes
studies of improvisation, composition, and
electro-acoustic music, an extensive performing
career on trombone, euphonium, and related
instruments, interdiciplinary experimental studies of
dynamic form with architects, designers and
engineers, along with a concurrent, groundbreaking
creative practice as a composer: utilizing, for instance,
processual musical transformation by means of
discretely varying virtual n-tone equal-tempered
divisions of the octave (Orthodrom/Loxodrom
[Grosszirkelnavigation], 1997–2000); architecturized
music composed algorithmically by means of complex
dynamical systems operating directly on
architectonical spatial structures by Jan Duiker
(Ungrounded [Zonnestraal], 2002); stochastic
algorithmic composition and sound synthesis directly
operating on mystical texts by David Libeskind (The
Four Texts, 2003) or also on the virtual instrumental
resonance occurring in Helmut Lachenmann’s
Serynade, and in the latter case combined with
complex instrumental extension by means of ring
Christian Blom (1974) er bosatt på Nesoddtangen.
Han arbeider med kinetiske skulpturer, mekaniske
innretninger og komposisjon. Blom har formell
bakgrunn som gitarist og komponist med cand.
philol i komposisjon fra Universitetet i Bergen som
foreløpig akademisk høydepunkt. I sine prosjekter
utforsker Blom forbindelser mellom ulike medier og
deres teknikker. Med særlig blikk på uventede
forbindelser og perspektiver.
www.christianblom.com
Christian Jaksjøs musikalske bakgrunn inkluderer
studier i improvisasjon, komposisjon og
elektroakustisk musikk, en omfattende karriere som
utøver på trombone, euphonium og beslektede
instrumenter, interdisiplinære eksperimentelle studier
av dynamisk form med arkitekter, designere og
ingeniører, ved siden av parallelt, banebrytende
kreativt virke som komponist, uttrykt f.eks. gjennom:
prosessuell musikalsk transformasjon ved hjelp av
diskret varierende virtuelle n-toners tempereringer
(Orthodrom/Loxodrom [Großzirkelnavigation],
1997–2000); arkitektifisert musikk komponert
algoritmisk ved hjelp av komplekse dynamiske
systemer som opererer direkte på arkitektoniske
romlige strukturer av Jan Duiker (Ungrounded
[Zonnestraal], 2002); stokastisk algoritmisk
komposisjon og lydsyntese som opererer direkte på
mystiske tekster av David Libeskind (The Four Texts,
2003), eller også på den virtuelle
instrumentalresonansen slik den forekommer i Helmut
Lachenmanns Serynade, og i dette tilfelle kombinert
med en kompleks instrumental utvidelse ved hjelp av
modulated elect
feedback (Enco
2009–2010). Pivo
and as an impro
forces as well a
Christian Jaksjø
was born in 197
since 2003, play
www.christianja
Helmut Lachenm
influential Europ
early 21st centu
Venice and Colo
Beginning in the
new and innova
as temA (1968),
(1969), for orche
instruments and
new sounds and
instruments we
questions past m
postserialist com
writings.
Other works inc
(1972), Accanto
Estarrung) (1984
(1984/85), Allegr
for piano, and th
A well-known te
mentor to many
12

soddtangen.
, mekaniske
r formell
ed cand.
Bergen som
e prosjekter
ike medier og
ventede
modulated electromechanical and electromagnetical
feedback (Encountering the Imaginary [Ulysses],
2009–2010). Pivotal to his work, both as a composer
and as an improviser, is rendering audible: underlying
forces as well as otherwise imperceptible patterns.
Christian Jaksjø lives and works in Oslo (where he
was born in 1973) and in Frankfurt am Main (where he,
since 2003, plays trombone in the hr-Bigband).
www.christianjaksjø.no
ringmodulert elektromekanisk og elektromagnetisk
tilbakekobling (Encountering the Imaginary [Ulysses],
2009-10). Sentralt i hans virke, både som
improviserende musiker og som komponist, er å gjøre
hørbart: såvel bakenforliggende krefter som ellers
uhørlige mønstre. Christian Jaksjø bor og arbeider i
Oslo (hvor han ble født i 1973) og i Frankfurt am Main
(hvor han, siden 2003, spiller trombone i hr-Bigband).
www.christianjaksjø.no
inkluderer
karriere som
lektede
entelle studier
nere og
rytende
ks. gjennom:
ed hjelp av
pereringer
ation],
nert
amiske
ektoniske
unded
isk
er direkte på
e Four Texts,
mmer i Helmut
lle kombinert
e ved hjelp av
Helmut Lachenmann (1935) is one of the most
influential European composers of the late 20th and
early 21st centuries. He studied with Luigi Nono in
Venice and Cologne.
Beginning in the late 1960s, Lachenmann explored a
new and innovative musical language. In works such
as temA (1968), for flute, voice and cello, and Air
(1969), for orchestra and percussion soloist, he used
instruments and voices unconventionally, producing
new sounds and sound combinations in which all
instruments were given equal weight. Lachenmann
questions past musical assumptions in his many
postserialist compositions and in his varied musical
writings.
Other works include the string quartet Gran Torso
(1972), Accanto (1975/76), Mouvement (vor der
Estarrung) (1984) for chamber orchestra, Ausklang
(1984/85), Allegro Sostenuto (1986/88), Serynade (2000)
for piano, and the opera The Little Match Girl (2001).
A well-known teacher, Lachenmann has been a
mentor to many important younger composers.
Helmut Lachenmann (1935) er en av Europas mest
innflytelsesrike komponister i det sene 20. og tidlige
21. århundre. Han studerte med Luigi Nono i Venezia
og i Köln.
Mot slutten av 1960-årene begynte Lachenmann å
utforske et helt nytt musikalsk språk. I verk som temA
(1968), for fløyte, stemme og cello, og Air (1969), for
orkester og solo slagverk, brukte han både
instrumenter og stemmer på en ukonvensjonell måte,
hvilket resulterte i nye klanger og klangkombinasjoner
der samtlige instrumenter hadde likeverdige stemmer.
Lachenmann setter spørsmålstegn ved tidligere
musikalske antagelser i sine mange postserialistiske
komposisjoner og artikler.
På hans verkliste er bl.a. strykekvartetten Gran Torso
(1972), Accanto (1975/76), Mouvement (vor der
Estarrung) (1984) for kammerorkester, Ausklang
(1984/85), Allegro Sostenuto (1986/88), Serynade (2000)
for piano, og operaen Piken med svovelstikkene
(2001). Lachenmann er også en høyt skattet lærer og
mentor for unge komponister.
13

Ellen Ugelvik c
performing new
composers. Sh
the Grieg Acad
Conservatorium
Schleiermache
Theater, Leipzig
Ugelvik works a
Europe, USA an
festivals such a
Internationalen
Darmstadt, Ultra
Huddersfield Co
Muziekweek, M
Nachts, Ultima C
Borealis, ILIOS,
Monday Evenin
composers inclu
Fujikura, Magne
Jaksjø, Michael
Birkelund, Claus
Steen-Andersen
Gadenstätter, H
Ingvar Lidholm,
Gjertsen.
Her commitmen
recognised. Sh
performing arti
in Norway. Her
rewarded with
member of the
and Polygon.
14

Ellen Ugelvik concentrates on discovering and
performing new works by contemporary
composers. She has studied with Einar Røttingen at
the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Håkon Austbø at the
Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Steffen
Schleiermacher at the Hochschule für Musik und
Theater, Leipzig.
Ugelvik works as a soloist and chamber musician in
Europe, USA and Asia. She has been invited to
festivals such as Tasten – Berliner Klaviertage,
Internationalen Ferienkurse für Neue Musik
Darmstadt, Ultraschall, Gaudeamus, Rainy Days,
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, De Suite
Muziekweek, Musik der Jahrhunderte; Südseite
Nachts, Ultima Contemporary Music Festival,
Borealis, ILIOS, Risør Festival of Chamber Music, and
Monday Evening Concerts. She collaborates with
composers including Helmut Lachenmann, Dai
Fujikura, Magne Hegdal, Christian Blom, Christian
Jaksjø, Michael Finnissy, Unsuk Chin, Therese
Birkelund, Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, Simon
Steen-Andersen, Sven Lyder Kahrs, Clemens
Gadenstätter, Helmut Oehring, Trond Reinholdtsen,
Ingvar Lidholm, Nicholas A. Huber and Ruben S.
Gjertsen.
Her commitment to contemporary music is widely
recognised. She recently received a state grant for
performing artists, one of the most coveted awards
in Norway. Her first solo album, Makrokosmos was
rewarded with the Norwegian Grammy. She is a
member of the ensembles asamisimasa, Jagerflygel
and Polygon.
Ellen Ugelvik er utdannet ved Konservatoriet i
Amsterdam, Musikkhøyskolen i Leipzig og
Griegakademiet i Bergen med Håkon Austbø,
Steffen Schleiermacher og Einar Røttingen som
veiledere.
Ugelvik har fordypet seg i fremføring av
samtidsmusikk og konserterer som solist og
kammermusiker over hele verden. Hun har deltatt
på samtidsmusikkfestivaler som Tasten – Berliner
Klaviertage, Internationalen Ferienkurse für Neue
Musik Darmstadt, Ultraschall, Gaudeamus, Rainy
Days, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival,
De Suite Muziekweek, Musik der Jahrhunderte;
Südseite Nachts, Ultima, Borealis, ILIOS, Risør
Kammermusikkfest og Monday Evening Concerts.
Ellen Ugelvik har bestilt og uroppført en rekke
verker og samarbeider med komponister som
Helmut Lachenmann, Dai Fujikura, Magne Hegdal,
Christian Blom, Christian Jaksjø, Michael Finnissy,
Unsuk Chin, Therese Birkelund, Claus-Steffen
Mahnkopf, Simon Steen-Andersen, Sven Lyder
Kahrs, Clemens Gadenstätter, Helmut Oehring,
Ingvar Lidholm, Nicholas A. Huber og Ruben S.
Gjertsen.
Hun har vært solist med de største orkestrene og
ensemblene i Norge med bl.a. Helmut Lachenmanns
klaverkonsert Ausklang, hvor hennes fremføring ble
nominert til Kritikerprisen. Hennes første
soloutgivelse Makrokosmos ble premiert med
Spellemannprisen. Hun er medlem av ensemblene
asamisimasa, Jagerflygel og Polygon.
15

Norwegian Spellemann Prize 2008
… the way the Ugelvik has so completely absorbed
the required idiom make concentrated listening to
Makrokosmos on the sensitively-recorded SACD a
spell-binding experience. Ugelvik's [recording] must
now be considered a worthy front-runner.
[MusicWeb / Mark Sealy]
– Ugelvik spiller fantastisk flott, jeg tror ikke stykkene
kan spilles bedre. Dette er en plate jeg kommer til
å høre igjen og igjen.
[6/6 Erik Steinskog, Bergens Tidende]
17

Serynade
Recorded 8-10 N
Producer: Tony
Engineer: Geoff
Editor: Stephen
Steinway Grand
Encountering th
Recorded 30-31
Producer, engin
Technical super
Bösendorfer 22
Liner notes: Bjö
Translation: Hild
Cover design: M
Photo: Observa
Executive produ
The poetry of m
Norsk kulturråd
©&π 2012 Norwegian
All trademarks and log
and of the owner of th
copying, hiring, lending
of this record prohibite
Released with s
18

Serynade
Recorded 8-10 November 2009 in Sofienberg church, Oslo
Producer: Tony Harrison
Engineer: Geoff Miles
Editor: Stephen Frost
Steinway Grand Model D, technician Thron Irby
Encountering the Imaginary and The poetry of manuals
Recorded 30-31 May and 1 June 2011 in Vestfossen church
Producer, engineer and editor: Sean Lewis
Technical supervision electro-acoustics: Christian Jaksjø
Bösendorfer 225, technician Tore Poulsen/Aspheim
Liner notes: Björn Gottstein
Translation: Hild Borchgrevink
Cover design: Martin Kvamme
Photo: Observatoriet
Executive producer: Erik Gard Amundsen
Released with support from: Norsk kulturråd and Norsk komponistforening
The poetry of manuals and Encountering the Imaginary are commissioned by Ellen Ugelvik with support from
Norsk kulturråd
©&π 2012 Norwegian Society of Composers
All trademarks and logos are protected. All rights of the producer
and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorized
copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting
of this record prohibited. NOLFA1261010-030 · ACD5061 Stereo
19

Serynade
1. CHRISTIAN BLOM
The poetry of manuals
— 13:01
—
2. HELMUT LACHENMANN
Serynade
— 23:12
—
3. CHRISTIAN JAKSJØ
Encountering the Imaginary [Ulysses]
– for ring modulated electromechanically amplified piano and electronic sound
— 24:00
—
ELLEN UGELVIK, PIANO
Serynade
7044581350614
π&© 2012 NORWEGIAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS
NOLFA1261010-030 · ACD 5061 · STEREO · TT 60:16
ELLEN UGELVIK, PIANO
ACD 5061
ELLEN UGELVIK, PIANO
ACD 5061