Rasmussen, Henrik Ehland

Born in 1961, Danish composer, author of scores with mixed notation. Between 1983 and 1988 he studied music therapy at the University of Aalborg while also studying the piano with Birgit Gürtler at the North Jutland House of Music. His graduation work in 2003 focused on the concept of “quality of touch” and the making of sound itself.

He began his experimental activity in improvisation and composition while still a student; from 1990 he played in the Danish Intuitive Music Group. His own compositions were inspired by various experiments with sound, his capacity as a teacher, his practising of music therapy, as well as his performing activity as a pianist, notably in a duo with jazz pianist Niels Balle and as a member of an intuitive group founded at the Convention for Danish Intuitive Music. He has also performed with Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Yu Wakao, Luca Miti, and Mauro Orselli. With the Intuitive Music Group, he was invited to the Fortalicje Intuitive Art Festival in Zamość (2002), where his work So Much To Hear was enthusiastically received by the Polish public. Since 2000, he organises the Danish Intuitive Music Conference, a yearly gathering of composers, improvisers and other authors. In 1997 that event has notably produced a CD featuring Henrik Ehland Rasmussen, Kumi Wakao, Johan Toft, Claus Bech-Nielsen, René Mogensen, Nisima Marie Munk-Madsen, Gerhard Pischinger, Ivan Vincze, Robert Cole Rizzi, Helene Jerg, Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen, and Frank Hiesler; Rasmussen contributed to further conference recordings in 1998, 2000, and 2001.

His work Soundparticles was included in a 14-minute version on a CD titled Sound Scapes. Denmark’s Intuitive Music Conference 2001 (Ermatell Records, Russia). In 2004, Intuitive Records published a CD titled Improvised Varieties with a wide selection of Rasmussen’s works. His compositions are also featured in the prestigious Notations 21 (2009). DUX Records released Graphic Scores: Particles of the Space and Path Routes (2013) interpreted by Kwartludium and Scanner (Robin Rimbaud).

Selected works (since 2000): Columns for ocean drum and any instrument (2000), Take Off Fantasy for piano, horn, accordion and flute (2000), Overtones and Dialogues for piano (2001), Infinite Detours Through a Flower for flute, recorder, cello, piano and soprano (2001), Dreamdance for piano (2001), So Much To Hear for voices and any instrument (2002), Rondo Travelling for cello and piano (2002), IMPROVISATION041113 (2004), Reflection Over a Landscape of Neutral Sterility for piano (2005), Eating Session for bass clarinet (2008), Listening Perspectives for ad libitum ensemble (2008), Densities and Diffusion for ad libitum ensemble (2008), Geophysical Laws and Friction for ad libitum ensemble (2008), The Sea Surface for ad libitum ensemble (2008), The Opera of the Insects for ad libitum ensemble (2008), A Clearing in the Wood for ad libitum ensemble (2008), Exchanges for ad libitum ensemble (2008), City and Countryside for ad libitum ensemble (2008), The Right Moment for an Idea for bass clarinet (2008), Flights for ad libitum ensemble (2009), Travel Routes for ad libitum ensemble (2009), The Diversity of Jazz for bass clarinet (2009), Path Routes for ad libitum ensemble (2009), 17 Elements for ad libitum ensemble (2009), The Power of the Wind for voice, piano, flute, viola and horn ad libitum (2009), Exploration of Inner Movements for two pianos (2009), Be a Soloist During Various Circumstances for ad libitum ensemble (2009), Sound Weaving (2009), Entrances for ad libitum ensemble (2009), The Right Note for ad libitum ensemble (2009), Jump from Stone to Stone for ad libitum ensemble (2009), Stones Are Stones for ad libitum ensemble (2009), From a Cloud for ad libitum ensemble (2009), Mirage for piano and ad libitum ensemble (2009), Socializing Echo mostly for wind (2009), Fog for two pianos and four pianists (2009), Move for piano four hands (2009), Mette Stig Nielsen og Henrik E. Rasmussen (2009–10), Three Individual Notes for ad libitum ensemble (2010), The Meeting Point of the Figures for ad libitum ensemble (2010), Staticscape (2010), The Nature of the Notes 1–2 for ad libitum ensemble (2010), You – and the Others for ad libitum ensemble (2010), The Ministry of Employment for ad libitum ensemble (2010), Phenomenons in Space for ad libitum ensemble (2010), The Steps of the King for ad libitum ensemble (2010), Many Directions of the Notes for ad libitum ensemble (2010), The Path of a Singer for voice and ad libitum ensemble (2010), Meddlings (Gamepiece) for any four musicians and audience (2013), From Pressure to Ease for bass clarinet (2013), Hard Considerations Through Compression for bass clarinet (2014), Anywhere for choir ad libitum (2015), Figure Play for ad libitum ensemble (2016).