Biography
A towering figure among the twentieth century’s most productive composers, Bentzen descends from the Hartmanns, a family long celebrated in Danish musical circles. His training began under jazz pianist Mathisen before he pursued piano, theory, and organ at the Copenhagen Conservatory. Beyond music, Bentzen pursued painting, authored poetry that supplied texts for some of his own scores, served as a music critic and contributor to a political newspaper, and issued books that range from studies of Beethoven to examinations of twelve-tone technique. Although his scores remain anchored in tonality, they embrace dissonance and frequently unfold in an improvisatory, open-ended manner. Among his output stand multiple symphonies, solo piano pieces, string quartets, additional chamber works, the opera Faust, and scores for five ballets.
Albums
