Champion of an unsung instrument
Known for its haunting sound, theremin no novelty act, player says
Thorwald Jorgensen spends a lot of time pulling beautiful music out of thin air, playing an instrument he never actually touches.
Standing at what looks like a speaker’s lectern with two antennas sticking out of it, the Dutch musician places his arms in the air, moves his hands and wiggles his fingers. The room suddenly fills with a penetrating warm tone that suggests an amplified violin or a singer who’s performing from the ether.
Jorgensen, who will deliver several concerts at the Music and Beyond festival, performs on the theremin, an electronic instrument invented in Russia in 1920. It’s been used on movie soundtracks but has not been seen often lately in concert halls.
The sound is produced from an electromagnetic field. One antenna controls pitch. The other controls volume. The hand movements within the magnetic field create the sound, ranging from a double bass to the highest notes of a violin.
“The entire stringed instrument family fits into my theremin,” boasts Jorgensen, 34.
The theremin’s haunting voice is best known for its use in film scores, when composers were looking for an unusual sound. It was used memorably in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945 film Spellbound and more recently in the theme for the British TV series Midsomer Murders.
Jorgensen knows his instrument has novelty appeal. He’s happy to let listeners try it after a performance, but he says he wants audiences to appreciate the theremin too.
“At my concerts, for the first five minutes, the audience looks like a bowl of goldfish. They have their mouths open,” Jorgensen said from his home in Dordrecht in the Netherlands.
“But the novelty factor is interesting for about five minutes. After that, I hope people enjoy and appreciate the music and realize that this is a serious instrument and I am playing serious pieces.”
Jorgensen has been championing the theremin since his first encounter about five years ago. The professional percussionist had always been envious of violins and other stringed instruments.
He found the theremin could produce that sound on a recording by the late theremin player Clara Rockmore, performing Rachmaninov’s haunting Vocalise, a tune that he now performs in recitals. He says he fell in love. “It was not the instrument itself but how she played. I thought, ‘My God, this is such a beautiful and expressive sound. Maybe this is ... something I can do.’ ”
Jorgensen became obsessed, reading voraciously before purchasing one several months later.
It’s a tricky instrument, but Jorgensen says he seemed to have an instinct for it. He spent more than a year teaching himself and watching videos of Rockmore. He also turned to a cellist who still coaches him on sound production.
Jorgensen gave his first theremin performance six months after starting. He has been busy since with concerts across Europe, the U.S. and Canada. He has collected dozens of pieces written for theremin and he also performs pieces written for violin or voice. He has also attracted several composers to write music for him.
At Music and Beyond, Jorgensen will be part of several events, including a concert with magician Chris Pilsworth on July 12 and a day of family music programming at Saunders Farm in Munster Hamlet on July 13, where children can hear and try instruments.
Jorgensen will present two recitals with pianist Jean Desmarais. On July 15 at noon at Southminster United Church, he will perform pieces by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov and pieces written for theremin, including what Jorgensen says is a beautiful new piece for him by Ottawa composer Daniel Mehdizadeh.
On July 16 at the Diefenbunker in Carp, the festival presents an evening of theremin and cocktails, starting at 7 p.m. At that event, which requires passholders to purchase an extra ticket, Jorgensen will perform music by Rachmaninov, Villa-Lobos and others that Rockmore used to perform in concert.
I hope people enjoy and appreciate the music and realize that this is a serious instrument.
Though some musicians might find it strange to play an instrument they never touch, Jorgensen says he finds it liberating.
“With theremin, I’m not bothered by the skin of the drums or the keys of the marimba or whatever. You’re not holding sticks behind the drum kit. I play in the air and can do exactly what I want. You feel free because you’re not connected to anything. To tell a musical story with air and just your fingers, that for me is amazing.”
THORWALD JORGENSEN
Theremin player will be part of several concerts at Music and Beyond, including: Music and Magic. With magician Chris Pilsworth and six musicians in music by Mozart and others. July 12, 7:30 p.m., Dominion-Chalmers Church. For more: musicandbeyond.ca
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