"It was a challenge to create a new work for Theatre of Voices after working on enTmenschT, which was so wild, complicated, and heavy," Tjørnhøj says about the commission for the piece, adding that she nonetheless immediately said yes to the task due to her love for working with the ensemble and conductor Paul Hillier.
"FIFTH is, in a way, my first conceptual work," Line Tjørnhøj explains, noting that she built the piece around the number five, stemming from her fascination with the 5/4 time signature. "When I work in 5/4, I don't divide it into a danceable three and two as most do. When you're truly in 5/4, you float." The number five also plays a role through pentatonic scales and the piece is structured like a 3D model that moves through the circle of fifths with breathing defined by the various scales etc. Although Tjørnhøj has set many rules for the work, she explains that she also intentionally breaks these conceptual rules because certain tones in the stacking of intervals are omitted due to the limitations of the voices.
"In working on enTmenschT, I explored all corners of myself, of humanity as such, and of the emotional sounds of humans," says Line Tjørnhøj. "Therefore, the first thing that struck me when I had to write again for Theatre of Voices was that it should be super simple—not easy, but simple." The focus on simplicity is reflected in the minimalist style of the score, where Tjørnhøj has removed many conventional notation elements such as ties, rhythmic markings, tempo changes, and word divisions.
The collaboration with Paul Hillier has been crucial to Tjørnhøj's creative process. She describes Hillier as someone who is always "on the side of art," which has been vital for her artistic development. "In working on enTmenschT, when I spoke with Paul Hillier about how expressive, dramatic, and screaming it was, he pointed something out—without directly saying it—that made me realize I could actually go even further. The same thing is happening now. Because I have said 'simplicity,' he encourages me to go even further—not because he is on 'my side,' but when there is an artistic intention in that direction, that's what he pursues."
In FIFTH, the collaboration with Hillier has also taken a more concrete form, as he has assembled the texts for the work from a selection of the author John Berger's writings. “My interest in John Berger’s work goes back many years, starting with his most famous book, The Success and Failure of Picasso, and equally important, his various writings on political and social conditions," says Paul Hillier. He continues: "More recently, I have been reading some of his novels and essays, and it was in these above all that I recognized the full strength and beauty of his vision. When Line Tjørnhøj agreed to write a new work for my Theatre of Voices group, I happily got involved by making a selection of texts drawn from Berger's various writings. Although Berger was born in England, he later moved to France and became a fully-fledged European at heart. I did likewise, except I chose Denmark instead.”
The texts are presented as a combination of recitations and songs. Hillier himself acts as a reader of some of the texts, while soprano Else Torp sings. As Line Tjørnhøj describes it, the work is fundamentally about love, longing, and death.
The world premiere of Line Tjørnhøj's FIFTH takes place 27 October, 16:00 in Musikhuset København. Find more information about the event here.