Erik Bergman

1911 - 2006

Finnish

Summary

Erik Bergman was born in Finland in 1911. He studied at the Sibelius Academy (where he later became Professor of Composition), with Heinz Tiessen in Berlin and with Wladimir Vogel in Ascona, Switzerland. He was widely known as a choral conductor until he retired from conducting in 1978, and his early output, mainly choral music, covered a remarkable range of expression from mischievous to the mystical. His achievements in this field must be counted among the most significant in post-war Europe. Bergman has travelled widely, collecting musical instruments and investigating the roots of European music. Although his own music is rich in ambiguities and operates on many levels, he has become in recent years more and more interested in 'musical primitivism' and 'music on threshold of silence'. From the late 1970s, there has been an outpouring of orchestral and instrumental music of the highest quality. Works such as NOA, the enigmatic SILENCE AND ERUPTIONS, and, more latterly, the VIOLIN CONCERTO and STRING QUARTET, have won him an international reputation. In 1995 his first opera THE SINGING TREE had its premiere at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, having won the prestigious Nordic Music Prize the preceding year. Following two all-Bergman concerts in Washington and New York, a critic wrote: 'One of the most important and interesting composers alive today, Bergman has developed his own highly original and expressive departures from the twelve-tone system and uses them with a skill and an emotional and artistic impact that are all his own. His music is inventive, imaginative and compelling.'

News

  • Erik Bergman (1911-2006)
    • Erik Bergman (1911-2006)
    • 26th April 2006
    • Composer Erik Bergman died on April 24 at the age of 94.Erik Bergman was one of the best-known Finnish composers outside of his home country. His long creative career lasted more than 60 years, with his last work...

Performances

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Discography

    No Title Available
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Ondine
    • Catalogue Number
      ODE 794-2D
    • Conductor
      Ulf Söderblom
    • Ensemble
      Finnish National Radio Opera Orchestra / Tapiola Chamber Choir / Dominante Choir
    • Works
    No Title Available
    • Label
      BIS
    • Catalogue Number
      CD 326
    • Conductor
      Leif Segerstam
    • Ensemble
      Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
    • Soloist
      Hannele Segerstam, violin
    • Works
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Finlandia
    • Catalogue Number
      FACD 025
    • Conductor
      Leif Segerstam
    • Ensemble
      Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Finnish Radio Chamber Choir
    • Soloist
      Matti Lehtinen, baritone
    • Works
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Ondine
    • Catalogue Number
      ODE 867-2
    • Conductor
      Jukka-Pekka Saraste
    • Ensemble
      Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
    • Works
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Caprice
    • Catalogue Number
      CAP 21435
    • Ensemble
      Raschèr Saxophone Quartet
    • Works
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Finlandia
    • Catalogue Number
      FACD 348
    • Ensemble
      Jean Sibelius Quartet
    • Works
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Ondine
    • Catalogue Number
      ODE 808-2
    • Ensemble
      Cluster Ensemble
    • Works

    Meet the Composer

    Meet the Composer
    No Title Available
    • Label
      Ondine
    • Catalogue Number
      ODE 806-2
    • Soloist
      Matti Raekallio, Juhani Lagerspetz, piano / Timothy Ferchen, percussion
    • Works
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