Birthday article, Politiken, june 2021
Morten Zeuthen is without exaggeration one of Denmarks most known and beloved classical musicians, and he has been a good teacher for his younger colleagues too.
Who else has meant more to Danish Classical Music?
70 Tomorrow. There are probably few musicians for whom this is true, but one can safely say about Morten Zeuthen that he in every way is The Grand Old Man on his instrument, the singing sonorous cello. This is true when you are thinking about chamber music, about orchestra playing, as a soloist, or as important teacher for the younger generations.
Nowadays 70 is not really old, and Zeuthen is absolutely vital. But he has been a part of the Danish classical music so long, that few lovers of classical music do not know his name.
In the middle of the 1970th he was part of forming the legendary Kontra Quartet with the exiled Hungarian Anton Kontra as primarius.
They toured Denmark and the rest of the world intensely, recorded complete quartets composers from Rued Langgard to Vagn Holmboe and a lot more Danish and foreign music, and Morten Zeuthen stayed in this ensemble all the way up to 2000. He felt then that it was time to stop.
He has in general never experienced a descending curve.
The Kontra Quartet was full time employed as Danish Representative Ensemble for three years, received one of the coveted Record of the Year prices, was nominated not once but twice to Nordic Council’s Music Price, and received a special price at the Midem Festival in Cannes for Years Best New Music Release.
In The Danish National Symphony Orchestra Zeuthen served as first solo cellist for two decades. He has toured most of the world with this orchestra and with many of the world’s leading conductors. Among others he has played duo with the herostagic famous American cello-colleague Yo Yo Ma and been soloist in music of Vivaldi with vocal-equilibristic Bobby McFerrin.
Before the time in Danish National Symphony Orchestra Zeuthen spend some years in the Royal Danish Orchestra. And he went here with a solid background after studies with among others the Frenchman Paul Tortelier and the Russian master Mstislav Rostropovitj.
In this millennium Mortens Zeuthen’s focus has mainly been on teaching. As cello-professor at The Royal Danish Academy of Music he has been leading a blooming international cello class, and his students has won unnumerable competitions.
Morten Zeuthen gladly shares tips, tricks and points of view in cello music. Also, when he gives masterclasses on other music academies all over the world. From Manhattan School of Music to Beijing.
His book “Close the Door behind you” was released last year and describes a specific strategy for the daily practising. Something that all classical musicians – no matter what – must get a healthy and effective relation to.
Solo with his cello Zeuthen has released several important recordings. His version of Bach’s cello suites.in 2006 was chosen as the best recording out of 110 available recordings, according to Suzuki Classical Review, and already ten years earlier the recording was elected as The Classical Recording of the Year.
Morten Zeuthen has educated nowadays mature generation of Danish top-cellists like Henrik Dam Thomsen, Toke Møldrup and Jakob Kullberg. With these three former students Morten Zeuthen in 2008 even formed Copenhagen Cello Quartet, a wonderfully nerdy ensemble that prefers playing music originally composed for four celli, creating a strongly sounding, but rare ensemble.
Morten Zeuthen is Knight of Dannebrog and the father to the radio and TV host Iben Maria Zeuthen.
Fødselsdags artikel, Politiken, juni 2021
Hvem ellers har betydet så meget for dansk klassisk musik?
70 I MORGEN. Ret beset er der ikke mange musikere, man kan sige det om. Men man kan roligt sige om Morten Zeuthen: at han på alle måder er dansk musiks grand old man på sit instrument, den syngende sonore cello.
Det gælder, uanset om man tanker på ham som kammermusiker, orkestermusiker, solist eller som en
vigtig læremester for de yngre generationer.
Nu er 7o år ganske vist ingen alder, og fødselaren er absolut vital. Men Morten Zeuthen har været
en del af danskklassisk musikliv så længe, at kun de færreste elskere af klassisk musik herhjemme
ikke kender hans navn.
I midten af 1970´erne var han med til at danne den legendariske strygekvartet Kontra Kvartetten med
den ungarske eksilmusiker Anton Kontra som primarius.
De spillede Danmark og resten af verden tynd, indspillede kvartetter af komponister fra Rued
Langgaard til Vagn Holmboe samt meget mere dansk og udenlandsk musik, og Morten Zeuthen forblev
ensemblets cellist helt til 2000. Da følte han, det var på tide at stoppe.
Han har i det hele taget aldrig rigtig prøvet at være på en nedadgående kurve.
Kontra Kvartetten var fuldtidsansat dansk statsensemble i tre år, modtog en af tidsskriftet
Grammophones eftertragtede Record of the Year-priser, blev nomineret ikke en, men to gange til
Nordisk Råds Musikpris og modtog Midem-festivalens specialpris for årets ny musikudgivelse ved
den store musikmesse i Cannes.
I orkestersammenhæng arbejdede Morten Zeuthen samtidig i to årtier som første solocellist i DR
Symfoniorkestret. Fra 1978 til1997. Han har rejst med symfoniorkestret over det meste af verden
og i den forbindelse spillet med mange af verdens største dirigenter og solister. Blandt andet
har han spillet duo med sin herostratisk berømte amerikanske cellokollega Yo Yo Ma og været
solist i musik af Vivaldi med vokalekvilibristen Bobby McFerrin.
Inden tiden i DR spillede Morten Zeuthen nogle år i Det Kongelige Kapel. Og han kom med
forudsætningerne i orden efter at have studeret hos blandt andet franskmanden Paul Tortelier og den
russiske mester Mstislav Rostropovitj.
I dette årtusinde har Morten Zeuthens fokus mest været på undervisning. Som celloprofessor på Det
Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium har han stået i spidsen for en blomstrende international
celloklasse, og hans studerende har vundet et utal af konkurrencer.
Morten Zeuthen deler nemlig med glæde tips, tricks og synspunkter på cellomusik. Også når han
giver masterclass på andre musikkonservatorier over hele verden. Fra Manhattan School of Music til
Beijing.
Sidste år udkom hans bog ‘Close the Door behind you’, som beskriver en bestemt strategi for
daglig øvningen. Noget, alle klassiske musikere pinedød er nødt til at få et sundt og effektivt forhold til.
Solo med sin cello har Morten Zeuthen lavet markante indspilninger af blandt andet Bachs
cellosuiter. En udgivelse, der i 2006 blev udpeget som den bedste af 110 tilgængelige indspilninger
af det japanske magasin Suzuki Classical Review, og som allerede ti år inden blev karet i Danmark
til årets klassiske udgivelse.
Morten Zeuthen har uddannet den nuværende modne generation af danske topcellister med navne som
Henrik Dam Thomsen, Toke Møldrup og Jakob Kullberg.
Sammen med de tre elever dannede han i 2008 endda Copenhagen Cello Quartet. Et herlig nørdet
ensemble, der helst spiller originalmusik for netop denne stærkt klingende, men sjældne ensembletype.
Morten Zeuthen er Ridder af Dannebrog og far til tv- og radioværten Iben Maria Zeuthen.
THOMAS MICHLSEN
Foto: Thomas Grøndal