On Thursday, March 6, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra will give the World Premiere of the Clarinet Concerto Castor Pollux, the final work by Danish composer Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen. Led by conductor Joseph Bastian, the performance will feature Mathias Vik Kjøller as the clarinet soloist.
The title Castor Pollux references the twin half-brothers from Greek and Roman mythology, known as the Dioscuri. Often depicted as helmeted warriors and horsemen, Castor and Pollux symbolize duality.
Written for Kjøller, Castor Pollux is a clarinet concerto that marks the culmination of Gudmundsen-Holmgreen’s long exploration of the concerto form. The work follows in the tradition of his solo concertos, beginning with Triptykon for percussion (1995) and spanning concertos for cello, violin, piano, and recorder. His Concerto Grosso (1990) for string quartet and orchestra also played a pivotal role in shaping his approach to solo and ensemble contrasts.
Percussion has always been a defining element in Gudmundsen-Holmgreen’s music. Castor Pollux continues this trajectory, incorporating percussive textures as a form-defining element within the concerto.
Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen sadly passed away in 2016 making this premiere particularly special, bringing to life a work that had remained incomplete at the time of his death. Thanks to a meticulous editorial process based on Gudmundsen-Holmgreen’s surviving manuscripts and annotations, the concerto is now ready to be performed, offering a long-awaited final glimpse into the composer’s singular musical world.
