'Who can Sail without the Wind' is an old folk tune from Aland in Finland. I believe the song was one of the first one I learnt to sing and play on the guitar. The melancholic character of the song i...
A good friend of mine, trombonist and professor Jesper Juul Windahl commissioned me a trombone quartet. I then wrote Four Nordic Folk Pops. The last of the four is a Norwegian tune called Havard Hedde...
This arrangement written by Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen for Trumpet Solo with Brassband is a meditation on a folk tune from Hallingdal in Norway. The text was originally in German from before 1600.
New Waves is a special composition. Although contemporary but still attractive to musicians and listeners. Norwegian composer Aagaard-Nilsen has failed in a special way to add new elements to the cont...
Composed during the summer of 1988. Commissioned by The Norwegian Brass Band Club First performed in the Grieg Hall at the 10th Anniversary Concert for the Norwegian Championship, Bergen, February 198...
Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen's (1964) way of composing can be described as: uncompromising, wilful and contemporary. It is not surprising, therefore, that this occasionally causes a stir. In the middle of...
Arctic Funk might just as well have been a flashing sequel to a scene from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Popular music but with a difference, as indicated by the title. The work's quiet section...
After composing 'Introduction' in 1989 and 'Entrada' in 1990, Aagaard-Nilsen received a new commission for a 'concert-opener', this time from Tromsø Brass in 1991. Tromsø is a city in the north of Nor...
'Introduction' is a short concert opener. I quote a couple of Norwegian Folk Tunes to make a musical picture of the Vikings running from the seashore to face a battle. They used to drink something mad...
A short concert opener. I quote a couple of Norwegian Folk Tunes to make a musical picture of the Vikings running from the seashore to face a battle. They used to drink something made of mushrooms to...
Im November 2014 beauftragte mich Peter Szilvay, der Dirigent des Christiania Wind Ensembles (Oslo) ein relativ kurzes, aber effektvolles, intensives und tänzerisches Stück - ähnlich dem 'A Short Ride...
I was made aware of this beautiful wedding march in connection with a wedding in Lofoten, up north in Norway as I made an arrangement for quintet and altosax soloist. Later, I wrote an arrangement for...
Be Thou My Vision' is the eldest religious song from Irland used in Norway. The lyrics was originally written in Old Irish and translated to English in 1905 and versified in 1912. The text from 1912 i...
Hymn of Lofoten is composed by Dag Kajander from Kabelvag in Lofoten, a part of Northern Norway. Kajander is composer, singer and author of books for children. Hymn from Lofoten was written in 1979. T...
Lead, Kindly Light is composed by the English composer Charles Henry Purday (1799-1885). This arrangement was originally written for Brass Band to Norwegian band Hj(o/rungav(aog Brass. Purday was appo...
Edvard Grieg composed this funeral march in memory of Rikard Nordraak who died i Berlin in 1866. The work present both pompous and magnificent thems as well as melancholic melodies. The solemn funera...
The titles of this three-movement work are abstractions where visual experiences are thought to be recreated as music, i.e. an abstract presentation of a motif, similar to an abstract image where one...
Edvard Grieg composed this funeral march in memory of Rikard Nordraak who died i Berlin in 1866. The work present both pompous and magnificent thems as well as melancholic melodies. The solemn funeral...
Some of the pieces was written for Erlend, my oldest son, who has performed some of them in concerts. This pieces suites valved instruments very well, but of course they can be played on any instrumen...
This piece is an adaption of a movement from 'Concerto for Trumpet in C and String Orchestra', composed in 1996.
Festoso' is written in the recital tradition. This piece was also the starting point for the idea of commissioning several works for trumpet and piano. Festoso was premiered at Avgarde in Bergen in 20...
Grand March by Ole Bull only existed as a piano arrangement of the three first parts. In 2010, when Ole Bulls two hundred years anniversary was celebrated in Norway, I made a reconstruction of the who...
Grim was commissioned by Sandviken Ungdomskorps in 1998. Grim is a folkloristic pastiche, but also with a jazz-flavoured inspiration. The piece ends with the folk-music played on top of a theme from a...
Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen wrote this medley to the 1992-93 Concert season for trumpeter Helge Haukas of The Norwegian Defence Band region West located in Bergen (today Norwegian Navy Band Bergen). Hauka...
Draug is a sea-monster! The piece is not too difficult...Commissioned by the Torghatt-festival.
Commissioned by Sérgio Carolino in 2016. It was first performed during the low brass festival Gravissimo in Alcobaça, Portugal in 2017 by Sérgio Carolino and Gene Pokorny on Tuba and Telmo Marques on...
Cantilena II - Mountain Song is scored for Euphonium (solo) and small wind ensemble: Flute, Alto Flute, Oboe, Eb Clarinet, 3 Bb Clarinets, Bb Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bassoon, F Horn and Vi...
Commissioned by the Royal Norwegian Navy Band. In 1911, the Australian pianist and composer (and friend of Edvard Grieg), Percy Grainger (1882-1961) went on a tour in Norway. He performed more than fo...
'The piece is written in a classical three movement concerto form. I knew the soloist I was writing for very well, and could make the solopart based on his strengths as a cornet player. 1. FANFARE A s...
The composer: A short concert-opener where I use Norwegian folk-tunes. I wanted to create a short musical picture of the Vikings running from the seashore towards some people they wanted to fight down...
Wonderfull piece. Cornet section has tacet in this composition.
Commissioned by Manger School Band and their conductor (at that time) Bjoern Sagstad in 1990. He wanted a calm, slow piece of music. Nocturne means 'night music'. It does not reflect a particular drea...
This piece was commissioned by Nordhordland Brass Seminar in 1990 and written for a youth band. The title referes to a story from norse mythology. 'The Binding of the Wolf' is not a programmatic piec...
Verket ble bestilt av Norges Musikkorpsforbund som pliktnummer til NM for Brass Band 2. divisjon (nå 1. divisjon) 1990. Satstitlene er abstraksjoner der synsopplevelser er tenkt gjenskapt som musikk,...
Commissioned by Radøy Brass for their 20 years anniversary. This version was first performed by Manger Skulemusikklag in 2005. The Work is devided into Five Scenes: 1. Sverdet (The Sword) 3:45 2. Adva...
Commissioned by The Norwegian Band Federation for The European Brass Band Championship 2003, in Bergen, Norway (Third edition) I remember as a kid the very early morning wake-up ceremonies caused by S...
Fraxinus Excelsior is the latin name for the ash tree. The piece is written for a school band seated in Asker, a community with its name derived from the word 'ash'. The tree is also known in Norse my...
The work is important for me because it was my first piece to be performed outside Norway. Black Dyke Band/David King performed it and did a recording of it in 1991. In the original score I quote a Sw...
The piece was composed in 1988. The version for Concert Band was made in 2020. The title refers to a description of the wind of the north made by Olaus Magnus who lived in the 16th century. He drew ma...
