Bára Gisladóttir's Hringla for orchestra and double bass is nominated in the category 'Classical Composer of the Year - Large Ensemble'. The work was premiered by Copenhagen Phil with the composer herself as soloist in February 2022. In Hringla a dark and metallic soundscape fills the room, where a single note is complemented by rattling percussion and noise from the strings of the double bass.
Line Tjørnhøj's ØR for orchestra and percussion duo is nominated in the category 'Classical Composer of the Year - Large Ensemble'. ØR was premiered by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in August 2022 and was written as a tribute to fellow composer Per Nørgård with inspiration from his piece for solo piano TURN (1973). Tjørnhøj has transformed the grand piano into a percussion instrument, prepared with hammers, filters, copper screws and dampers that take the shape of small creatures transforming the traditional instrument into something completely new.
Nicolai Worsaae's Warping through my ears is nominated in the category 'Classical Composer of the Year - Small Ensemble'. The work was first performed by the Danish National Vocal Ensemble in November 2022. Nicolai Worsaae has equipped the singers with each their own megaphone to create a completely new palette of sounds that hiss, rustle, whisper and drive the music forward through a dynamic and complex process.
Christian Winther Christensen's Children’s Songs is nominated in the category 'Classical Composer of the Year - Small Ensemble'. The work was premiered by Ensemble Ascolta at the Donaueschinger Musiktage in October 2022. In Children's Songs, references to historical children's songs are playfully intertwined with concrete sounds of play. Winther Christensen plays with hyper-quiet, rhythmically precise sounds in the ensemble, while the two percussionists create a Lego city on stage.
The Carl Prize was founded by Musikforlæggerne in 2013. Every year, 15 prizes are awarded to composers and songwriters across musical genres. On 25 April, the recipients of the Carl Prize 2023 will be revealed. Find more information about the Carl Prize here and see the list of all nominees in the 15 categories here.