New work by renowned composer Sunleif Rasmussen premieres at official opening

When planning the world premiere of a grand opening piece for European Capital of Culture, to be performed in the presence of HM Queen Margrethe II, many composers would probably be tempted to play it safe. But not world-renowned Faroese composer Sunleif Rasmussen - that’s just not his style.

His new work, More Fair Than the Sun, features the lur and the bagpipes, historical instruments that notoriously pose challenges, not least in terms of staying in tune.

“As an artist, you have to take chances in order to develop. I am 95 percent sure it will not be a disaster”, said the intrepid composer before the first performance. On the night it was anything but a disaster, earning rapturous applause from a packed Musikhuset Aarhus.

“More Fair Than the Sun is an impressive composition and a beautiful piece of music, evoking a significant element for us in Denmark: the wind. We are proud to have been a part of commissioning this remarkable fanfare,” says Rebecca Matthews, Chief Executive Officer at European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017.

“We asked Sunleif to create a work inspired by wind, that most Danish of elements that shapes our landscape, and took us on our ancient sea adventures. He has created a wonderful work, full of lightness and lively minglings of ancient and new wind instruments, orchestra and voices; a work celebrating Norse myths and a Nordic future,” adds Juliana Engberg, Programme Director at European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017.

The music can be heard in new a video, in which Sunleif Rasmussen also talks about the background to the piece.

The world listened 
More Fair Than the Sun was commissioned by Aarhus 2017 for the grand opening of its year as European Capital of Culture. It was first performed on Saturday, January 21, in front of the Queen of Denmark, by soloist Michala Petri, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera Choir and Concert Clemens, conducted by Carsten Seyer-Hansen. An audience of 1500 VIPs was there to share this special moment, including 100 international journalists.

Inspiration from the wind
More Fair than the Sun is inspired by mythological texts from the Elder Edda. The piece begins with just Michala Petri’s resonant recorder and some percussion, before building into a climax of gripping intensity. The music leads the listener from the void of silence in the time before the origins of life, to a magical place where people live together in peace and harmony. The work consists of four parts: The first is sung in Old Norse and evokes the time before the world was created. The second and third parts are sung in Danish and portray the sun, moon and stars. The fourth part is sung in English and describes Gimlé, the great hall of peace, shining like the sun.

Award-winning composer
Sunleif Rasmussen is one of the Faroe Islands’ most renowned composers. He has received numerous awards, including the Nordic Council Music Prize for his work Symphony No. 1 – Oceanic Days (2002); and Mentanarvirðisløn Landsins, which is the Faroese Ministry of Culture’s highest cultural award (2010).

More Fair Than The Sun is supported by Købmand Herman Sallings Foundation.