Kasberg Evensen, Bernt

Bernt Kasberg Evensen – Tyge Brahes Drøm (Tycho Brahe’s Dream, 1987)

(b. Tønsberg, 2 February 1944)

I Saturn. Lento (p. 1)
II Jupiter (p. 6)
III Mars. Risolute e molto energico (p. 11)
IV Måne (Moon). Lento (p. 22)
V Merkur (Mercury). Vivo (p.32)
VI Venus. Lento (p. 40)
VII Sol (Sun). Grave (p. 45) – Allegretto (p. 47) – Tempo primo (p. 50)

Preface
Bernt Kasberg Evensen is essentially self-taught as a composer. He has travelled widely and has lived and worked in several countries in the course of his life: Mexico, Scotland, Germany and, of course, Norway.
Evensen has, by and large, lived a life of service, always putting the welfare of others (family, friends and associates) before any concern for his own success. His years in Scotland established his competence and passion for working with the disabled and with psychiatric patients, as well as his close association to the Camphill and Anthroposophist philosophy and community, which continues to this day.
Evensen is also an excellent baritone singer and has performed extensively as such. He is almost certainly the only singer to have performed Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise” and Allan Pettersson’s “Barfotasånger” side by side. A recent, very moving performance of the latter (from November 2014) can be enjoyed on YouTube.
All the same, he knew that composition was his true vocation from a very early age. The Norwegian Music Information data base lists over 100 works by Evensen in many genres: symphonic, chamber, vocal, stage music, music for children…
For many years Evensen worked closely with the School Concert Department of the Norwegian Concert Institute (Rikskonsertene). This prompted him to compose several musical fairytales, which he performed at schools throughout Norway between 1976 and 1988. His concert music includes some of the most fascinating material written by any composer in Norway.
Evensen has a very personal and unique tonal language. He has a keen awareness of the intrinsic tension of intervals and, although his music is often harmonically and contrapuntally complex, rare is the composition where he does not include one or several unison passages where intervals are allowed to stand starkly, creating a dramatic play of tension and release. Since the 1980s Evensen has experimented with scales derived from the writings of theosophist Anny von Lange. He has also used twelve-tone techniques in a free, personal way. Ravel has remained a favourite composer through Evensen’s life, an influence the essence of which he has assimilated into his music without ever resorting to idle imitation.

Tycho Brahe’s Dream is one of the great hidden gems of Norwegian chamber music.
It was originally conceived as incidental music for the play of the same name by the late author, stage director and eurhythmist Christian Høgsberg (1948-1990), founder, with his wife Adeline, of the theatre/eurhythmics group “Ildfuglen” (the firebird). The work exists in three versions: the present one and an in arrangement for solo piano and for violin and piano…

by Ricardo Odriozola – December 10th 2017

Read full preface > HERE