Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen wrote Kærlighedens Højsang for choir, solo violin and solo guitar based on the text of St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 13, known as 'The Hymn of Love'. We asked the composer a few questions about the piece.
(Scroll for Danish version)
How would you describe the piece?
It is a work written for church acoustics, as it was commissioned to be performed in larger churches. This dictates my choice of a predominantly monumental expression and tonality, and it dictates the absence of complexity and multi-layeredness. It is written over a text that I have great love(!) for, especially because it puts a non-religious quality, love - which can be religious, but it would be absurd to say that an atheist cannot practice love in the same degree as the believer - above faith. This is probably the reason why I, as an agnostic, feel welcome in the Christianity of Saint Paul.
How did you work with the text?
The text is one of the few gospel texts that both resonates with me and with a common set of values in our time. It also resonates with my view of music, which deals with various aspects of the concept of "inclusion" be it including foreign tonalities in the main tonality, including a foreign tempo in the main tempo, including older stylistic features in contemporary music. To me, this inclusion of something foreign - musically speaking – are acts of love, which correspond to the theme of the text.
Did you have any special sources of inspiration along the way?
In the work, I use aspects of Arvo Pärt's Tintinabuli style, which I find very meaningful to me. I have also looked at the Renaissance composer Josquin des Pres, to whom I send a declaration of love at the end of the piece! I am painfully aware that he did not ask for that...
Time and place
Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen: Kærlighedens Højsang
Premiered by Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir, Signe Madsen and Frederik Munk Larsen conducted by Carsten Seyer-Hansen.
Wednesday 17 May, 19:30
Dragør Kirke, Dragør, Denmark
Information and tickets
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Hvordan vil du helt overordnet beskrive dit værk, Kærlighedens højsang?
Det er et værk, skrevet til en kirkelig akustik, da jeg fik at vide, at værket udelukkende skulle opføres i større kirker. Det dikterer det fortrinsvist monumentale i valget af udtryk og tonalitet, og det dikterer fraværet af kompleksitet og mangelagethed. Det er skrevet over en tekst, som jeg har stor kærlighed(!) til, særligt fordi den sætter en ikke-religiøs egenskab, kærligheden – som kan være religiøs, men det ville være absurd at sige, at en ateist ikke kan udøve kærlighed i samme grad som den troende – over troen. Det er nok årsagen til, at jeg som agnostiker føler mig velkommen i Paulus kristendom.
Hvordan har du arbejdet med teksten?
Teksten er en af de få evangelie-tekster, som både ræsonnerer med mig og med et fælles værdisæt i samtiden. Det ræsonnerer også med mit musiksyn, som arbejder med begrebet "inklusion" i forskellige afskygninger, det være sig at inkludere fremmede tonaliteter i hovedtonaliteten, at inkludere et fremmed tempo i hovedtempoet, at inkludere ældre stilistiske træk i en nutidig musik – denne inklusion af det fremmede er for mig – musikalsk set – kærlighedsgerninger, som korresponderer med tematikken i teksten.
Har du haft nogle særlige inspirationskilder undervejs
Jeg benytter mig i værket af aspekter af Arvo Pärts Tintinabuli-stil, som jeg finder meget meningfuld for mig. Jeg har også set til renæssance-komponisten Josquin des Pres, som jeg sender en kærlighedserklæring til i slutningen af værket! Jeg er mig pinagtigt bevidst om, at han ikke har bedt om den...