A Musical Shipwreck: An Interview with Danish Composer Nicolai Worsaae
BY HANA GUBENKO

OUR Recordings has enriched today’s classical music market with another stunning release, And I gave my heart…, featuring world premiere recordings of works for bass-baritone and organ by contemporary Danish composers. In this interview I focus on the piece A Shipwreck, composed by Nicolai Worsaae in 2017 and fabulously performed by Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Peter Navarro-Alonso.
The classical music market isn’t easy these days, with satiety on the part of the insider circle and indifference on the part of mass-market customers. The question of how reasonable it is to invest resources in a new release is omnipresent, though the quality and purpose of such a project give the long-term answer. In the case of the album under consideration, the answer is a clear yes; this is a recording that conserves cultural heritage in a very sustainable manner. What could be a worthier project to get involved in?

Nicolai, welcome to Fanfare! A Shipwreck is an intriguing title for your work. What was the inspiration behind it, and how does it relate to the work’s sacral narrative?
The title is actually inspired by the large impressive Baroque organ in Our Savior’s church in Copenhagen, where the world premiere took place. The work is dedicated after a fashion to this organ, which dates back to 1698 and whose façade somehow looks like the stern of an old battleship from the 17th or 18th century. It’s carved in oak wood with lots of ornaments, figures, and even clockwork. It’s an amazing sight with several balconies all the way up to the very top of the longest pipes. During the piece, the singer moves up and down between the different levels, physically exploiting the organ. When he sings from one of the top levels, the sound is distant. In a sort of naive way, imagine that he heroically climbs to the top of the mast trying to get a good view over a stormy sea. Perhaps the ship is about to hit a
rock and therefore faces an acute risk of sinking. The lyrics, written by the Danish poet Simon Grotrian, are very much about life, death, belief, and hope. Themes which I suppose all sailors can relate to when they are suddenly in a critical situation out on a huge ocean. You feel that you are indeed in the hands of God.
Is there a contradiction between depicting a narrative in music and being modern? What is music without storytelling?
The term “modern” is somehow connected to what we would call modernism. Modern could of course also mean a contemporary artistic expression that stands out as being
new and possibly even revolutionary. The very purpose or idea of modernism is to
exclude or get rid of “elements” that overshadow the structures of the composition.
Narratives, understood as a guide to understand the composition, are in a way an illusion.
You might even call it a silent contract between artist and audience that makes it difficult
for the listener to hear or experience the music in a new and undefined way. I don’t
believe an abstract aesthetic is truer than a narrative. Many say that my music has a
narrative. But when I start to compose a piece, I don’t think in stories. In the best case,
perhaps unconnected series of pictures or fragments of already existing music. I’m more
interested in timbre, colors, or characteristics of the instrument or the performer. How can
I make use of their specific or personal qualities, and potentially unite them? But also, at
the same time expand the spectrum of possibilities so the final result is a composition that surprises the listener and perhaps even changes their perception of music. At least
that’s my ambition. However, I would claim that a composition without any progression or
coherence apart from a clean-cut musical structure, can be a bit fatiguing and might
loose a very important connection to the listener, simply because it has no musical
contrasts or tensions.
A Shipwreck seems to have a religious background; could you explain?
A difficult question to answer. I guess the poems by Simon Grotrian served as a guide into a religious world. I have a background as a church musician and maybe it influenced on
how I composed. But the ambition was not to make religious music.
We’ve got a passacaglia here, which reminds me of a repetitive flow of life with the ostinato played by fate. Do you agree?
Yes! That’s a very good way of describing this movement. I imagine a heavy object
moving back and forth. Perhaps like an old mechanical clock.
The cycle starts with faith. What role does faith play in art?
Personally, I don’t use “faith” as an inspiration for my creative process. But surely faith is a strong concept and I found it a natural one to begin with. I kind of use it as a “manifesto” simply to make an impressive and powerful beginning.
The classical music of the Baroque and Classical periods was literally inseparable from the religious narrative, then it got completely distanced. Do you think it will return or stay independent?
I would definitely love to hear new and perhaps less conservative types of church music. That’s why I accepted the challenge. I believe we need to bring church music into the
21st century.
Should art and religion be united, or not?
It is very important that art can be anything. Political, religious, or whatever. The only
problem is of course that art can’t be entirely free in a religious context. And that’s the
biggest challenge for the artist.
How politically independent is music at the end of the day?
Music has a powerful and impressive impact on people and is still being used or even
abused on the political scene. But music itself cannot express a certain kind of political
ideology in the same way as visual arts can.
A few words about modernism in music and what is it good for?
Modernism is a restart. A way to erase or question old forms and values. I believe it’s a necessity and natural reaction.
Most people tend to enjoy beautiful music. Modernism doesn’t answer that request, but how can we find an enjoyable part in it?
It would be utopian to believe that experimental avant-garde music could one day appeal to all people. It offers an alternative way to stimulate our senses. In order to accept this
offer you simply have to be open-minded. Unfortunately, most people have no or very little
contact with or knowledge about new classical music. Sadly, the same goes for classical
music in general. It is my hope that we can change this. But it requires a fundamental change of how we teach music in schools.
The average mass-market customer is probably not really keen on paying for modern classical music. What can be possibly done to change that?
Right now, most concerts with contemporary music have the same setup and frames as classical music. We need to introduce new music in a unique, creative way. Concerts that
are completely different, perhaps even including other art forms. I believe it would appeal
and attract more people if we did so.
What made you decide to start composing professionally?
I have been interested in making music from very early on. As soon as I learned to write notes I started composing. I must have been around nine or 10 years old. Drawing was
something I already did a lot. To be honest I don’t really know why it caught me and for
many years I didn’t put much into it. It was simply something I enjoyed. But slowly I got
more and more serious about it. Actually I wanted to be an architect. But somehow it was
more challenging to write music and therefore it tempted me to pursue that instead. I
applied for the Royal Danish Academy of Music and was accepted. After graduating in
2010 there was no question about my future way of living.
You identify your style with the classical music narrative form. What defines “classical” in a contemporary piece?
Narrative might not be my favorite word if I had to describe my music. But I guess it has to do with some kind of progression and the way the composer uses the musical material.
It could consist in similar ways of using certain musical parameters. Is it melodic? How are the rhythmical structures and so on.