Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen

about

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (21 November 1932 – 27 June 2016) was a Danish composer. Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was the son of the sculptor Jørgen Gudmundsen-Holmgreen. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, with Finn Høffding, Svend Westergaard, Bjørn Hjelmborg, and Vagn Holmboe (instrumentation), graduating in 1958. Amongst other works, he composed fourteen string quartets and a Concerto Grosso for string quartet and orchestra, written for the Kronos Quartet, which he referred to as "Vivaldi on Safari". He won the Nordic Council Music Prize in 1980 for his Symfoni/Antifoni. His compositional debut took place in 1955 at the Music Festival of the Scandinavian Conservatories with Variationer for cello solo (1954). In this work, as well as in his other early compositions like the first two string quartets, there is an obvious influence of neo-classicism and, more particularly, of Bartók. Gudmundsen-Holmgreen would become influenced by serialism, being particularly interested in the problems concerning time and rhythm. An example of works from this period is Chronos (1962). Already in this early work we can see the composer's intersect in geometric organization of frozen modules. Just a few years later Gudmundsen-Holmgreen abandoned serialism and his new works - such as Collegium Musicum Konsert (1964) and Mester Jakob (1964) - became defiantly anti-romantic. Absurdism and grotesque humour enter his works, influenc

top songs

albums

Baltic Voices 3

Green Ground (Live)

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, P.: Plateaux / For Piano

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Mixed Company

The Natural World of Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Organ Music

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Incontri – Works for Orchestra

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Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Concerto Grosso, Moving Still & Last Ground

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Chamber Music

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Music for Voices and Instruments

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Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, P.: Concerto Grosso (Rev. 2006) / Moving Still / Last Ground

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