Den Danske Serie
OPERA Stormklokken
Gustav Helsted ¬ 1857 København
1924 København
Gustav Helsted was a student of the biggest composer in Denmark of the second part of the 1800s, Niels W. Gade. In 1891, Helsted was the first organist at the Jesus Church in Valby where the famous Danish brewer J.C. Jacobsen had installed a big, romantic, French organ. He was inspired by the new organ music of the time by César Franck and Charles-Marie Widor, and in 1915 he became the leading organist at Vor Frue Kirke in Copenhagen. Helsted was not only an accomplished musician and composer, but also an administrative talent in the organisation of the Danish music scene in the early twentieth century. Gustav Helsted var elev af Danmarks helt store komponistnavn i anden
Unfortunately the shy and friendly Helsted was not good at promoting
del af 1800–tallet, Niels W. Gade. Helsted blev i 1891 den første organist
his own music: only a limited amount of his works – which include
ved Jesuskirken i Valby, hvor brygger J.C. Jacobsen havde installeret et
symphonies, solo concerts, chamber music, and works for the organ
stort, romantisk fransk orgel. Han blev fanget af tidens nye orgelmusik
– were played more than a few times. His style was very personal
af César Franck og Charles–Marie Widor, og i 1915 blev han domorganist
and was accused of being both bizarre and difficult to understand.
ved Vor Frue Kirke i København. Helsted var ikke kun en dygtig musiker
Gustav Helsted worked for more than ten years on his last opera,
og komponist, men også et administrativt talent, som fik stor betydning
Stormklokken, which has yet to be performed.
for dansk musiklivs organisering i begyndelsen af det 20. århundrede. Den tilbageholdne og venlige Helsted var til gengæld ikke god til at slå på tromme for sin egen musik; kun få af hans værker – som omfatter både symfonier, solokoncerter, kammermusik og værker for orgel – blev spillet mere end ganske få gange. Hans stil er ekstremt personlig, og i samtiden blev den beskyldt for at være både bizar og svær at forstå. Gustav Helsted arbejdede mere end ti år på sin eneste opera, Storm-
klokken, som endnu aldrig er blevet opført.
Gustav Helsted: Decet, 1. sats, Randers Kammerorkester, Dirigent: David Riddell Gustav Helsted: Decet, 1st Movement, Danish Sinfonietta, Conductor: David Riddell
En glemt gylden æra i dansk opera – A Forgotten Golden Era of Danish Opera
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