simonchristensen

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/ reviews

/ Politiken June 2011: Tributes-Pulse af Henrik Friis

/ Seismograf June 2011: Tributes-Pulse af Nicolai Worsaae
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/ Politiken March 2007: The Elastic Track
(First performance with the The Danish National Orchestra / DR on the 8th of march 2007)

  "The young Danish composer, Simon Christensen, was given the chance of his career   with a commission from the Danish National Orchestra, yet he failed completely with
the otherwise promising ten-minutes-thing titled "The Elastic Track".
  The music was supposed to have the orchestra communicate innovative electronic   aesthetics, but it sounded cold and terrible, as a glaring contrast to the virtuoso   instrumentation of Rimskij-Korsakov [also played at the concert, red.]. I’m sorry to say,
but this weakly bleating, rustling music is complete garbage."

Thomas Michelsen

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/ Jyllands Posten March 2007: The Elastic Track
(First performance with the The Danish National Orchestra / DR on the 8th of march 2007)

"Rather sensational, The Danish National Orchestra had commissioned a piece by a young Danish composer for the concert – outstanding orchestral music of our time
by Simon Christensen.

The most striking about Christensen’s The Elastic Track, was the - for an orchestra -
many unfamiliar sounds. Nevertheless, you never got the feeling that the purpose
simply was to throw sounds on top and after each other. On the contrary!
The piece sounded like a complete and self-moving sound-machine. Or more accurately; as a moving, puffing, hasting and limping machine. The “elastic” in the title refers to the pulse and its ability to stretch. It was fantastic to hear new Danish music of this kind. Contemporary electronic sound was transferred to the orchestra as though it was the composers mixing desk. At the same time the piece managed to keep a historical reference and understanding of an orchestra’s physical laws.”

Henrik Friis

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/ Kristelig Dagblad March 2007: The Elastic Track (The Danish National Orchestra / DR)

"Together with this generous piece (Tan Dun - “Water Concerto", red.), the first Danish performance of the evening by the 35 year old Simon Christensen, "The Elastic Track", had a hard time. Where the music of Tan Dun unconcerned embraces various cultures with openness and virtuosity, Simon Christensen is full of temptations and intellectual provisos. The almost ten minutes' long piece is written for a very large orchestra, but it seems to distance itself from the orchestral genre as such. The main part is composed particularly ugly, the instruments sneer and sound consciously hideous, as in fear for being suspected to be traditional. In my ears, this piece is basically an anaemic intellectual exercise. The shifting layers of rhythmic pulse were the most interesting
part of the piece."

Mikael Garnæs

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/ Fyns Stiftstidende December 2006 (Thomas Teisner)

  ”First of all, Simon Christensen’s "The Malletkat Session" with its contrasts between
   dry rhythmical impulses on hard skin and wood and high floating electro-sounds
   had a coherence and direction at this concert, which this reviewer didn’t experience
   at its first performance November 24th. Whether this was due to technical problems
   with the computer in November as I then wrote, or I just paid more attention at the
   second performance …"

   Ole Lauritzen

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/ Politiken March 2000: Variations for Orchestra
(First performance with The Danish Radio Sinfonietta on the 10th of march 2000)

  "It is scored for an untraditional chamber orchestra with two symmetrical groups
   around a larger. The segmented form stands out clearly and there is much ingenuity in   the timbre; but the young composer’s voice is somewhat indistinct and his ideas are not   always used efficiently.
  The piece is nevertheless still fascinating with its energy and richness of contrast, and   there are some effective innovations like the sustained and fluently brass sounds that
are thrown back and forth between the groups."

   Jan Jacoby




___ / reviews / Politiken June 2011: Tributes-Pulse af Henrik Friis / Seismograf June 2011: Tributes-Pulse af Nicolai Worsaae ___ / Politiken March 2007: The Elastic Track (First performance with the The Danish National Orchestra / DR on the 8th of march 2007) "The young Danish composer, Simon Christensen, was given the chance of his career with a commission from the Danish National Orchestra, yet he failed completely with the otherwise promising ten-minutes-thing titled "The Elastic Track". The music was supposed to have the orchestra communicate innovative electronic aesthetics, but it sounded cold and terrible, as a glaring contrast to the virtuoso instrumentation of Rimskij-Korsakov [also played at the concert, red.]. I’m sorry to say, but this weakly bleating, rustling music is complete garbage." Thomas Michelsen ___ / Jyllands Posten March 2007: The Elastic Track (First performance with the The Danish National Orchestra / DR on the 8th of march 2007) "Rather sensational, The Danish National Orchestra had commissioned a piece by a young Danish composer for the concert – outstanding orchestral music of our time by Simon Christensen. The most striking about Christensen’s The Elastic Track, was the - for an orchestra - many unfamiliar sounds. Nevertheless, you never got the feeling that the purpose simply was to throw sounds on top and after each other. On the contrary! The piece sounded like a complete and self-moving sound-machine. Or more accurately; as a moving, puffing, hasting and limping machine. The “elastic” in the title refers to the pulse and its ability to stretch. It was fantastic to hear new Danish music of this kind. Contemporary electronic sound was transferred to the orchestra as though it was the composers mixing desk. At the same time the piece managed to keep a historical reference and understanding of an orchestra’s physical laws.” Henrik Friis ___ / Kristelig Dagblad March 2007: The Elastic Track (The Danish National Orchestra / DR) "Together with this generous piece (Tan Dun - “Water Concerto", red.), the first Danish performance of the evening by the 35 year old Simon Christensen, "The Elastic Track", had a hard time. Where the music of Tan Dun unconcerned embraces various cultures with openness and virtuosity, Simon Christensen is full of temptations and intellectual provisos. The almost ten minutes' long piece is written for a very large orchestra, but it seems to distance itself from the orchestral genre as such. The main part is composed particularly ugly, the instruments sneer and sound consciously hideous, as in fear for being suspected to be traditional. In my ears, this piece is basically an anaemic intellectual exercise. The shifting layers of rhythmic pulse were the most interesting part of the piece." Mikael Garnæs ___ / Fyns Stiftstidende December 2006 (Thomas Teisner) ”First of all, Simon Christensen’s "The Malletkat Session" with its contrasts between dry rhythmical impulses on hard skin and wood and high floating electro-sounds had a coherence and direction at this concert, which this reviewer didn’t experience at its first performance November 24th. Whether this was due to technical problems with the computer in November as I then wrote, or I just paid more attention at the second performance …" Ole Lauritzen ___ / Politiken March 2000: Variations for Orchestra (First performance with The Danish Radio Sinfonietta on the 10th of march 2000) "It is scored for an untraditional chamber orchestra with two symmetrical groups around a larger. The segmented form stands out clearly and there is much ingenuity in the timbre; but the young composer’s voice is somewhat indistinct and his ideas are not always used efficiently. The piece is nevertheless still fascinating with its energy and richness of contrast, and there are some effective innovations like the sustained and fluently brass sounds that are thrown back and forth between the groups." Jan Jacoby <