ECWO 2024

Dirty Dancing - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen

In November 2014, the conductor Peter Szilvay, on behalf of Christiania Wind Ensemble (Oslo), commissioned a piece from Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen. He was looking for a quite short piece of music, effective, intense and dance-like. He mentioned A Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams, and I answered his request by writing my piece, Dirty Dancing. It is a rather easy listening piece that play with riffs and rhythms. Szilvay did not conduct the premiere of the piece. Trond Husebø took over and conducted the premiere the 7th of March 2015 in Oslo.

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (b. 1964, Norway) is a freelance composer, arranger and conductor. He studied at the Bergen University and Bergen Music Conservatory (now the Grieg Academy).

His music is direct and impulsive. Sometimes narrative, sometimes occupied by visual aspects, like experience of nature. Harmony and melody are treated merely like objects, which gives a certain freedom regarding tonality and timbre.

The broad spectre of musical activity, the versitality in his production and his interest in working with amateurs and young musicians, can be explained by the fact that Aagaard-Nilsen regard composing as a kind social activity. "The composers (and artists in general) play an important role in the modern society. Art finds it's way under the skin, as imprints of experiences. This aspect makes it very important to keep going".

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‍Please Note: If piccolo trumpet in Bb is not available, the part can be played by sopranosaxophone in Bb. The high G in Bar 28-29 can be replaced by written B2 (H2), (Concert Pitch A2), if a saxophone without a high g-key is not available. Extra parts for soprano saxophone/piccolo trumpet will be sent on request.