Lasse Thoresen (b. 1949) is one of Norway’s most active and versatile composers. Teaching at the Norwegian Academy of Music he has influenced a whole generation of composition students, and has contributed to a rich academic environment through lectures, research and publications. Thoresen’s music has achieved wide recognition both in Norway and internationally, and he has received a number of awards including the Norwegian Music Publishers Award 2023 as Composer of the Year (Classical/Contemporary music), the prestigious Nordic Council Music Prize (2010) for Opus 42 and Spellemannprisen (1998)—often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy—for the CD The Sonic Mind featuring orchestral works performed by the Oslo Philharmonic. In 2019 Thoresen was awarded the King’s Medal of Merit (Norwegian: Kongens fortjenstmedalje) for his contributions to Norwegian cultural society.
Many sources of inspiration may be detected in Thoresen’s music; Norwegian folk music, just intonation, French spectralism, electroacoustic music and the Baháʼí faith—to name but a few. His production is broad and varied, ranging from solo and chamber pieces to large choral and orchestral works. From the 1970s and onward Thoresen has been central to developing the field of aural sonology—the analysis of sonic and structural aspects of music-as-heard, inspired by Pierre Schaeffers theories. In 2015 the book Emergent Musical Forms: Aural Explorations was published—the result of four decades of research on the subject.
After retiring from his professorship at the Norwegian Academy of Music Thoresen remains active with commissioned works, research and guest lectures.
Sources:
Bjerkestrand, Nils E.: Lasse Thoresen i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Retrieved February 19 2022 from https://snl.no/Lasse_Thoresen
Lasse Thoresen Profile. Retrieved June 28 2023 from https://www.lassethoresen.com/profile.htm
AURAL SONOLOGY: Emergent Musical Forms. Retrieved February 19 2022 from https://www.auralsonology.com
Photos
These photos by Kari Margrethe Sabro are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Selected Works
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Lasse Thoresen: “Rettferdighetens sol (The Sun of Justice)” (Op.12). Symphonic Poem for Orchestra.kr 600 -
Lasse Thoresen: “Magnificetur nomen tuum” (Op. 4) for Double Choruskr 650 -
Lasse Thoresen: Emergent Musical Forms. Aural Explorations.kr 750 -
Iŋgor Ántte Áilu Gaup/Lasse Thoresen: “Du čábbodaga” for Six Voiceskr 290 -
Lasse Thoresen: “Illusory Distinctions” (Op. 57, No. 4) for Six Solo Voices or Mixed Choruskr 130 – kr 520 -
Lasse Thoresen: “Tre fengselsdikt av Mahvash Sabet” (Op. 58, Nr. 1–3) for Voice and Cellokr 290 -
Lasse Thoresen: “Tidings of Light” (Op. 7, No. 2) for Four Solo Voices and Mixed Choruskr 73 – kr 230 -
Lasse Thoresen: “Diphonie II: Threads of Remembrance” (Op. 39, No. 2) for Vocal Sextet -
Lasse Thoresen: “Quietly Turning” (Op. 56A) for Solo Violinkr 140