Expanding horizons – Improvisational explorations of 20th-century classical music by Peter Knudsen

"Expanding horizons" is an Artistic research project carried out between 2021 (August) and 2024 (November) at NTNU, Trondheim. The objectives were to contribute to knowledge on how different kinds of departure points can be useful for musicians when approaching 20th-century Western classical music through improvisation, an understanding of how one can navigate and negotiate the musical language of this repertoire, and insights into how the tension between different performance values can be navigated in this process. The research questions were: When applying improvisation to works of 20th-century classical music, 1. What role does the choice and preparation of musical representations play? 2. How can we navigate and negotiate musical structures such as melody, harmony and form? 3. How can we navigate the tension between fidelity to the work and creative expression? Based on selected pieces from this repertoire and practical explorations together with participating musicians, various approaches to creating improvisational frameworks were then explored. These included a wide range of scores, including lead sheets and indeterminate notation, as well as ear-based methods. From the perspective of integrating improvisation into the performances, approaches such as repeating elements, working with layers, creating transitions, and introducing open sections were examined. A key point was to use melodic material as a way of building strong connections with the source material, rather than relying on harmonic representations of the music. In terms of balancing respect for the original work with creative freedom, a “healthy dose of disrespect” pervaded much of the explorations, allowing deviations from the originals when they were musically justified. Throughout the work processes, an idea of focal points emerged, as aspects to focus on when reworking a classical work into an improvisational version. These focal points included the score, historical and performative contexts, expressive qualities, and the improviser’s personal voice.

Participants

Presented here are the participating musicians, constellations, respondents and additional personnel involved in the project.

Participating musicians

David Härenstam, classical guitar

Svante Söderqvist, double bass

Terese Lien Evenstad, violin

Krister Andersson, clarinet

Tuva Halse, violin

Amund Storløkken Åse, vibraphone

Jenny Kristoffersson, double bass

Daniel Olsson, drums

Tobias Grim, guitar

Rubem Farias, bass

Deodato Siquir, drums

Eirik Hegdal, saxophone & clarinet

Michael Francis Duch, bass

Tor Haugerud, drums

Elin Forkelid, tenor saxophone

Karin Hammar, trombone and bass trombone

Mattias Ståhl, vibraphone

Peter Danemo, drums

Constellations

Duo settings

David Härenstam & Peter Knudsen

The duo collaboration with Härenstam started in 2017, from a shared interest in improvising over classical music. This means that, as parts of our duo work became a part of the project, our repertoire – everything but part III of All in Twilight – was already a part of music we had worked on and performed. For this reason, the constellation stands out in that A) the processes that are examined do not cover the initial meeting with the music, and B) that the work processes with crafting the versions were based 100% on collaboration, as opposed to me preparing adaptions and bringing scores. Our sessions focused on developing our repertoire and adding the third part of All in Twilight. This led to studio recordings of the material on March 2022 and September 2022 in Gnesta, Sweden. The main repertoire consisted of All in Twilight, Fuoco, and Utanmyra-variationer.

Krister Andersson & Peter Knudsen

This duo was put together specifically for the project. Andersson, besides being a prominent jazz improviser – on saxophone as well as clarinet – is also a professional performer of classical music, on clarinet, effectively giving him access to both musical worlds. Our work together was carried out over three sessions leading up to a studio recording in February 2022, in Sandviken, Sweden. We focused on three movements from Ludus Tonalis; Fugue in E, Interludium: Romantic miniature, Fugue in Eb, based on arrangements that I brought with me.

Svante Söderqvist & Peter Knudsen

This duo was put together specifically for the project, although Söderqvist and I have played in different settings – mainly trio – since 1999. The main work was carried out over three sessions leading up to two concerts and a studio recording in September 2022, in Gnesta, Sweden. Our main repertoire was Assez lent, By the Still Waters, and Interludium: Romantic miniature, based on arrangements and adaptations that I brought with me.

Terese Lien Evenstad & Peter Knudsen

This constellation was put together specifically for the project. Beside being a prominent violinist on the Scandinavian jazz scene, Evenstad also has experiences with playing in crossover settings from before. Work started in December 2022, with three sessions leading up to a studio recording February 2023, in Gothenburg. This was also followed by additional concerts. Our main repertoire was Pastorale in D and Reflets.

Trio settings

Peter Knudsen, Tuva Halse, Amund Storløkken Åse

This constellation was put together specifically for the project. As I got a request to put something together for a concert in Trondheim in September 2022, based on 'the ocean', I wanted to bring in some young, talented musicians from the Trondheim jazz scene. The work started in the beginning of September 2022, with three sessions leading up to the concerts. This was then followed by three more concerts during the period March-December 2023, each with preparatory sessions. Our main repertoire was La mer – in various interpretations – and Assez lent, Leggiero, and a Lili Boulanger number, D'un matin de printemps.

Peter Knudsen, Jenny Kristoffersson, Daniel Olsson

Kristoffersson, Olsson, and I have been playing together since 1999, although not always in a trio constellation; the trio work has mainly taken place since 2019. Between 2003-2018, Olsson and I were playing in a trio format together with bassist Fredrik Nilsson; this can be heard on the album Impressions – a tribute to Debussy and Ravel (Peter Knudsen Trio, 2008). The work was carried out from November 2022, with three sessions leading to a concert, followed by an additional session, and a studio recording October 2023 in Gothenburg. The main repertoire we worked on was Cortège, D'un vieux jardin, and Interludium: Romantic miniature.

Quartet settings

Derupeto (Tobias Grim, Peter Knudsen, Rubem Farias, Deodato Siquir)

This group has been working together since 2015, with an album release in 2020, Derupeto (same as the band name). The group can be described as a type of jazz fusion with a touch of world music, reflecting the members' musical backgrounds from Mozambique, Brazil, and Sweden. The work was carried out for one session before a studio recording in April 2022, in Gnesta, Sweden, focusing on the piece Prélude en berceuse.

Peter Knudsen & en en en (Eirik Hegdal, Michael Francis Duch, Tor Haugerud)

With this constellation, I joined an already existing trio of Trondheim-based improvisers, en en en. The group has been described as a Nordic version of Jimmy Giuffre's famous trio from the sixties, with strong roots in the freely improvised music of artists such as Ornette Coleman and Spontaneous Music Ensemble. The sessions took place during the period March 2022 – October 2024, with three concerts and a studio recording on September 28, 2023 in Trondheim. The main repertoire was Sonatine for Flute and Piano, Variazioni, and Leggiero, although several other pieces were tried as well.

Sextet setting

Peter Knudsen, en en en, Tuva Halse & Amund Storløkken Åse

This constellation was put together as a combination of the Trondheim-based constellations, i.e., the quartet with en en en and the trio with Halse & Åse, to try out ideas and arrangements with a larger ensemble. This was presented in concert in May 2023, followed by a recording in December 2023. The work with this setting focused mainly on Leggiero.

Septet setting

Peter Knudsen, Terese Lien Evenstad, Svante Söderqvist, Elin Forkelid, Karin Hammar, Mattias Ståhl, & Peter Danemo. This constellation was put together specifically for the project, with musicians based in the jazz scene in Stockholm (with the exception of Evenstad, based in Gothenburg).

The work focused on putting together a repertoire for a concert on March 8, 2023 (international women's day), with three sessions leading up to the concert. The main repertoire was Forest Musicians, By the Still Waters, and D'un vieux jardin.

There were also other, temporary, combinations of musicians, related to concerts throughout the project; some of these are seen under Musical outcome. I also tried out material with student ensembles on different occasions; this is further described in the last section of the Discussion chapter.

Respondents

Joakim Milder (b. 1965)

Saxophonist, composer, professor in Improvisation at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. An interview was conducted via Zoom on 2022-01-18.

Anders Jormin (b. 1957)

Bassist, composer, professor emeritus in Improvisation at The University of Gothenburg. An interview was conducted via Zoom on 2022-01-20.

Stina Hellberg Agback (b. 1985)

Harpist, composer, and teacher. A music session and conversation took place on 2022-04-20.

Anna Lindal (b. 1954)

Violinist, artist-researcher, former concert master of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1983-2001) in Sweden. An interview was conducted on 2023-10-31.

Birgitta Flick (b. 1985)

Saxophonist, composer and doctoral candidate in Artistic Research, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. A music session and conversation took place on 2024-04-18.

Additional personnel

The following people were involved in documentary work (audio/video):

Otto Wellton – audio recording (recordings 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.8, 9.9, 9.11, 9.12, 9.14, 9.19, 9.22–9.25, 11.3, 11.6, 11.9) at Kingside Studio, Gnesta.

Kyrre Laastad – audio recording (recordings 8.1, 8.4, 9.1, 9.6, 9.26, 11.4) at Studio Øra, Trondheim.

Kristoffer Kleveland – audio recording (recordings 8.5, 9.2, 9.10, 11.13) at the Department of Music (NTNU), Trondheim.

Fredrik Bertilsson – audio recording (recordings 9.18, 11.1) at Musikverket, Sandviken.

Johannes Lundberg – audio & video recording (recordings 8.2, 9.7, 9.15, 9.16, 9.20, 10.1, 11.2) at Studio Epidemin, Gothenburg.

Petter Berndalen – video recording (recording 11.11) at KHIMAIRA, Stockholm.

Johan Andersson – video recording (recordings 9.17, 10.2, 11.5, 11.7) at Kapellet, Stockholm.

Audio and video documentation was done by me for the other recordings. This also applies to the editing of the material (audio/video), which was done by me, with the exception of recording 11.11 (video edited by Petter Berndalen).

Further details on credits related to the album releases can be found under Chapter 11, Musical outcome (see Album 1/Album 2).

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Peter Knudsen - Expanding horizons – Improvisational explorations of 20th-century classical music - 2025