(b. 1977, Volda).

Norwegian composer of mostly chamber works that have been performed throughout Europe and elsewhere.

Mr. Gjertsen studied composition with James Clapperton and Morten Eide Pedersen at the Griegakademiet in Bergen. He also attended the Fondation Royaumont in 2000.

Among his honours are the Spellemannprisen in the category contemporary music (2009, for his recording on the label +3dB Records) and the Arne Nordheims Komponistpris (2010). His music has been performed in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, including at the ISCM World Music Days (2004, Switzerland), the festival Aspekte Salzburg (2006) and the Lucerne Summer Festival (2006).

He has also held other posts. He was a research fellow under the Kunstnerisk Utviklingsarbeid – Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme from 2010–13, which led to the project Mellom instrument og hverdagslyd – Between instrument and everyday sound in 2014.

He taught as an associate professor in composition at the Griegakademiet from 2015–17.

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL:

Rituals I, small orchestra (19 players), 2000, revised 2003

Rituals III, orchestra (59 players), 2001–02, revised 2009

Circles, small orchestra (26 players), 2005

Gamelan terrains, small orchestra (16 players), 2008

Landscape with figures IIb, small orchestra (17 players), fixed media (8/16 tracks), 2013 (shorter version of Landscape with figures II)

As the lion, in our teargarten remembers the nenuphars of his Nile, symphonic band, 2020

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Miniatures I, recorder, guitar, fixed media, 1999, revised 2004

Miniatures II, trombone, percussion, 1999

Miniatures III, violin, piano, 2000

Contradiction, bass clarinet, French horn, violin, 2000

Leftovers, alto flute, bass clarinet, piano, 2001, revised 2006

Rituals II, bass flute, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, 2002, revised 2003

Grains, harp, viola, percussion, 2003

Fluente, cello, 2004

Duo, viola, double bass, 2007

Postheroic fanfares, 2 trombones, bass trombone, percussion, 2007

Pastorale, oboe d'amore/bass oboe, harp, guitar, violin, 2009

Murmurando, bass flute, 2010

Psi, cello, 2011

Don't feed the birds, 10 players, live electronics, 2013

Collideorscape, alto flute, bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, celesta, 2014

Song of alibi, reinofon (invented percussion instrument), 2016

CHORAL:

Intermezzi (texts from phonemes, Ingvill Solberg), 8 mixed voices, 2004 (some material was revised in Landscape with figures II)

VOCAL:

tReMbLiNg (text by E. E. Cummings), mezzo-soprano, small orchestra (13 players), 2002–05

Lied (texts from phonemes, Paul Celan), soprano, prepared piano, 2005

Landschaft (texts by Rainer Maria Rilke, Georg Trakl, arranged by the composer), alto, baritone, bass oboe, bass clarinet, 2008

Aria, high soprano, fixed media, live electronics, 2009–10

Landscape with figures II, 5 female voices, small orchestra (17 players), fixed media (8/16 tracks), 2013 (includes revised material from Intermezzi; also shorter versions as Landscape with figures IIa, 5 female voices, fixed media [8/16 tracks], 2013; Landscape with figures IIb)

Kyrie fragment, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, recorder, 2 violins, harpsichord, 2016

Maintaining the magnitude of uselessness, soprano, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), guitar, cello, piano, percussion, live electronics, 2010–19

With zitterings of flight released and twinglings of twitchbells, soprano, live electronics, 2020

Nuper rosarum flores, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, recorder, 2 violins, harpsichord, 2016–

ORGAN:

Pression, organ (with assistant), fixed media, 2002, revised 2007

Mountain music, 20-note barrel organ on wind power, 2007 (collaboration with the visual artist Tulle Ruth)

CARILLON:

The shoreless tide, 2016

ELECTROACOUSTIC:

Speaking Mountains (sound installation for the seven mountains of Bergen), 2000 (collaboration with the visual artist Tulle Ruth)

Miniatyrer for telart (voicemail music for Bjørnar Habbestad), 2000

Landscape with figures I (endless multichannel sound installation of 1233 fragments), fixed media (16 tracks), 2010–12

Territorial behaviours, 3D ambisonic sound, 2014

Wheels within wheels (endless sound installation), 3D ambisonic sound, 2018

DISCOGRAPHY

Fluente; Contradiction; Duo; tReMbLiNg; Grains. (+3dB Records: +3dB007, 2009)

Gamelan terrains; Rituals II; Lied; Rituals I; Miniatures II; tReMbLiNg; Grains. Pierre-André Valade/BIT20 Ensemble (Aurora: ACD5073, 2012)

Landscape with figures IIa. Song Circus; Ruben Sverre Gjertsen, live electronics (2L: 2L-117-SABD, 2015)