LARS A. BISGAARD
TRIPTYCH FOR SOLO PIANO
WALKING. PASSING. BEING
Carl Petersson
“The three pieces Walking, Passing and Being may be performed separately, but they are essentially intended to form a trilogy - or triptych - in the succession mentioned. Walking, with subtitle Hommage à Thoreau, was inspired by the very fine essay Walking from 1862 by the American author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). In this essay he describes the profound pleasure of walking in wild nature, far from human civilisation. You may go astray, but, finally, you’ll find your way home again, relaxed and enriched in body, soul, and spirit. The simple main theme uses the available notes corresponding to the letters in Thoreau’s name (B (=H) — E — D — A).
Passing’s main theme, as well as the tonality (A minor), arose from a play with letters in the name of a dear friend (A — E — H — F — C), but quickly went its own direction and gave way to other themes and motifs. The title has many meanings, such as crossing a border, mountain pass, or a river; a procession or a thunderstorm passing by; passing an exam or trial; time that passes; to die (pass away), etc.
The third piece, Being, is the virtuoso culmination of the trilogy, expressing not only the very joy of being alive, but on a deeper level the joy of being a (perhaps immortal?) consciousness in the Cosmos. The title of the piece is therefore not ‘Living’, but ‘Being’, and the work is dedicated to the renowned Swedish artist Dagmar Glemme (1942- 2024), whose original, colourful and imaginative works of art are precisely a tribute to life and the unquenchable creative power of man and the Cosmos.”
– Lars A. Bisgaard
1 | Walking. Hommage à Thoreau (Semplice) (2014) | 04:34 |
2 | Passing (Lento ma non troppo) (2015) * | 03:25 |
3 | Being (Animato) (2016) * | 04:59 |
* World Premiere Recording
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Lund, Sweden, CARL PETERSSON graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with degrees in piano and pedagogy under José Ribera. He studied with renowned pianists Pnina Salzman and Nikolai Petrov at the Tel-Hai International Piano Master Classes. In 2013, Carl earned his PhD from the Music Academy in Kraków, Poland.
Petersson has performed in Canada, the United States, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, France, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Israel. He has collaborated with notable conductors, including JoAnn Falletta, Kerry Stratton, and Peter Gülke, and has played with prestigious orchestras such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, the National Czech Radio Orchestra, and Krakow Philharmonic. He is frequently invited to perform at international music festivals, including Music and Beyond in Canada and the International Chopin Festival in Antonin, Poland. Petersson inaugurated the Beethoven Festival in Teplice with a gala concert featuring the Teplice Philharmonic and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra chorus.
Carl’s discography includes piano concertos by Friedrich von Flotow with the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra and Leopold Godowsky’s Java Suite, on the Sterling label. His 2015 recording of Percy Grainger’s edition of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, coupled with Helge Evju’s Piano Concerto based on sketches by Grieg, received considerable acclaim. Further recordings include world premieres by Danish composers and a popular album of Burgmuller’s Etudes, also on Grand Piano, and two acclaimed recordings with music by Beethoven for Naxos. His latest recording project, Magical Moon, showcases works, by composers past and present, inspired by the moon's mystical, romantic, and serene qualities, released monthly for every full moon.
THE COMPOSER
LARS AKSEL BISGAARD (b. 1947) is a Danish composer and music educator. He studied musicology at the University of Copenhagen, followed by music theory and history at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He furthered his studies in composition under Per Nørgård at the Academy of Music in Aarhus. Bisgaard’s career in music education began in 1981 at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Esbjerg. He later taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Music until his retirement in 2013. Bisgaard’s compositions comprise piano music, choral works, and two operas, Silvia and Arcadia, based on music by J.S. Bach.