Torstensson Klas
Born in 1951 in Nässjö (Sweden). He studied composition and music theory at Ingesunds Musikhögskola, musicology at the University of Gothenburg, and electronic music at the Sonology Institute in Utrecht. His compositions are performed by orchestras and ensembles throughout the world, and have been presented at the most important festivals of new music in Europe: in Huddersfield, Oslo (Ultima), Graz (Styrian Autumn), Vienna (Wien Modern), Stockholm, Nordic Music Days (Reykjavik, Malmö, Berlin), Amsterdam (Gaudeamus and Holland Festival), Warsaw (Warsaw Autumn), Vilnius (Gaida), Tallinn (NYYD) and Darmstadt, to name just a few. Torstensson has received distinctions at festivals such as Stockholm New Music in 1999 (alongside Mauricio Kagel and György Kurtág), Time of Music in Viitasaari (Finland) in 2001, Nouvelles Musiques in Montréal in 2003 and Sacrum Profanum in Kraków in 2009.
In 1991 he was awarded the Netherlands’ most prestigious composer prize – Matthijs Vermeulenprijs, and in 1999 he was honoured with a similar distinction, the Stora Christ Johnson Priset by the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. His opera The Expedition was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2006, and the Intermezzo from that opera received a recommendation of the jury of the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in 1999. In 2009 his work Polarhavetwas honoured with the prize of the Swedish Music Journalists, and in 2010 he received the Järnåkerstipendium for his composition In großer Sehnsucht. His orchestral works Fastlandet and Polarhavet were also nominated for the Dutch Toonzetters Prize respectively in 2009 and 2010.
IRCAM commissioned him to write the composition Urban Songs for the soprano Charlotte Riedijk and Ensemble intercontemporain; this was premiered in 1992 and for two consecutive seasons continued to be performed both by that ensemble and a number of others, including Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt), Asko Ensemble (Amsterdam) and KammarensembleN (Stockholm).
In 1994 he composed The Last Diary, referring to the tragic balloon expedition of the Swedish Arctic explorer S. A. Andrée (1897). The opera The Expedition, based on the same subject and with a libretto by the composer, was written during the years 1994–99. It was premiered during the Holland Festival in 1999 at Amsterdam’s Concergebouw, with Peter Eötvös as conductor.
At present Torstensson is working on a cycle of orchestral compositions titled Cycle of the North.To date, the first two parts have been premiered: Fastlandet (The Mainland, world premiere in 2007) andPolarhavet (The Polar Sea, 2008). The premiere of the third work in the cycle, Himmelen, commissioned by Stockholm’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch Brabants Orkest, is planned for 2012; other premieres planned for that year include Prelude & Encores, commissioned by Program 4 of Dutch Radio for the Calefax Reed Quintet, the orchestral version of his Violin Concerto, and a composition written for the New European Ensemble.
Most of Klas Torstensson’s works are available on CD.
S e l e c t e d w o r k s : Introsfor ensemble (1980), Järn for ensemble (1982), Fläka for ensemble (1983), Spåra for ensemble (1984), Isogloss for 24 solo voices (1985), Barstend IJsfor 24 solo voices, four percussions, spatially realised tape, light, laser beams, slides and video (1986), Licks & BrainsI for saxophone quartet (1987), Licks & BrainsII for saxophone quartet and large instrumental ensemble (1988), Stick on Stickfor orchestra (1990), Koorde for two pianos (1990), Hamra for soprano saxophone (1991), Urban Solofor solo soprano (1991), Urban Songs for soprano, large instrumental ensemble and computers (1992), Urban Extra for music box (1994), The Last Diary for male reciting voice and large instrumental ensemble, to words by S. A. Andrée (1994), The Expedition, opera in two acts with Prologue, Intermezzo and Epilogue for soprano, tenor, baritone, bassbaritone, orchestra and live electronics, to libretto by the composer (1994–99), Lantern Lectures, Vols. I–IV for large instrumental ensemble (2000–02), Four Brass Links(2003), In grosser Sehnsucht, song cycle for soprano and piano trio, to words by C. Claudel, F. Kahlo, C. di Svezia, R. Luxemburg and L. Michel (2004), Self-portrait with Percussion (Lantern Lectures, Vol. V) for solo percussion and large instrumental ensemble (2006), Fastlandetfor orchestra (2007), Polarhavet for orchestra (2008), Concerto for violin and large instrumental ensemble (2010), Pocket Size Violin Concerto for string quartet (2010),Himmelen for orchestra (2012), Prelude & Encoresfor reed quartet (2012).
