The International Rostrum of Composers is considered the most important platform for the exposure of new music on the radio. In 2023, Rostrum takes place from May 16 to 19 in The Hague, Netherlands, where representatives from more than 30 radio stations meet for three days of listening sessions.
ØR is composed for percussion duo and orchestra and was premiered by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra on 25 August 2022 with percussion soloists Jakob Weber and Gert Sørensen. The work was written as a tribute to fellow composer Per Nørgård, who turned 90 last year. Line Tjørnhøj has drawn inspiration from Nørgård's piece for solo piano TURN (1973), but in ØR she has transformed the piano into a percussion instrument prepared with hammers, filters and copper screws that take the form of small creatures that transform the traditional instrument into something completely new.
P2 host Max Fage-Pedersen has been at the head of the Danish jury, and he is the Danish judge in The Hague in May, where he may not vote on Denmark's contribution. In a press release from DR, he says about Line Tjørnhøj:
"In 'ØR' she explores the large orchestral format, and at the same time sends a greeting to fellow composer Per Nørgård, who turned 90 in 2022. Perhaps it is from him that she borrows the organic feeling that dominates the music. It is like a large animal that breathes. Or an ecosystem - a forest in perfect balance, but also in progressive development. And it is a magical listening experience. In the jury, we are certain that this is a good bet for a winner - and a fantastic work to send off to the International Rostrum of Composers.
Read the entire press release from DR here. (In Danish)
Wednesday 12 April at 9 pm, ØR can be experienced on Danish Radio P2.