Knudåge Riisager maintained a full-time career as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance, working as a Departmental Head for eleven years, alongside his prolific activities as a composer.
Performer Biography
Christina Bjørkøe, the pianist, began playing at age 5, studied at the Juilliard School of Music, and has won multiple awards, including the DR P2 Prize twice for her recordings of Carl Nielsen's and Knudåge Riisager's piano works.
Composer Biography
Knudåge Riisager, the composer, was born in Estonia in 1897 but moved to Frederiksberg, Denmark, as a child, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Performer Biography
Johannes Søe Hansen, the violinist, has been Concertmaster of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra since 1992 and won the International Carl Nielsen Violin Competition in 1984.
Composer's Artistic Vision
A study trip to Paris in 1923 significantly influenced Knudåge Riisager's compositional style, introducing him to new currents in contemporary music and the works of composers like Albert Roussel and Paul Le Flem.
Compositional Technique
Knudåge Riisager's personal style, evident in his early works, is characterized by the use of dissonant seconds, bitonality, a humorous element, and a distinctive approach to orchestral setting.
Composer Biography
Knudåge Riisager had a close relationship with the violin, playing it from age seven and dedicating his earliest dated composition, "Romance in C major," to his mother.
You might also enjoy...
Violin Duos, Vol. 3
Eastman American Music Series, Vol. 7
Eric Nathan: Multitude, Solitude
Heavy
Alexander Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto No. 1
Bugaboo
Opera: New Music for Violin & Piano
Hagstedt: Sinfonia per due violini
Greatest Hits of All Time (Contemporary Music for Oboe and Ensemble)
Bennett, Buevsky, Raikhelson & Vassiliev: Works for Violin & Electronics
David Stock: Triple Play, Scat, The Philosopher's Stone
