Elegi, op. 171 (2012)

Bengt-Göran Sköld (b. 1936) — Elegi, op. 171 (2012) for organ

Composer and organist Bengt-Göran Sköld (b. 1936) was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He studied composition with Ingvar Lidholm at the State College of Music in Stockholm before continuing his studies in Stuttgart, Germany with Johann Nepomuk David and Anton Nowakovskij. Though he is particularly known for his church music (for choir and organ), Sköld has written in many forms, including acclaimed large-scale works for orchestra. As an organist and music director, he served a number of churches in Sweden including the Franska reformerta Kyrkan in Stockholm and Sankt Olai kyrka in Norrköping. His musical style is varied and eclectic depending on the expressive needs of each work; one touchstone piece from the 1970s is his “Christmas Oratorio” in which jazz and revival-style hymns are combined with grand symphonic romanticism. His organ output is likewise eclectic, though often displays influences from the baroque keyboard masters, late German romanticism, Swedish folk music, and Béla Bartók. Like many important Swedish composers in the post-1950s era, a distinctly Scandinavian approach to free modality runs throughout his output.

Published by Noteria (noteria.se)