Ordner Seg for Clarinet - Discovering Øystein Baadsvik’s Music

VIDEO

Two months ago, in March 2023, my colleague and great Peruvian clarinetist Marco Antonio Mazzini showed me his latest video, where he played a piece for alto clarinet and piano that I had never heard before. It was Ordner Seg—also known in English as “It’ll Be Alright”—composed by the Norwegian tuba virtuoso Øystein Baadsvik.The original version of Ordner Seg is written for tuba and piano, and in his video Marco used the excellent backing track recorded by pianist Rena Hashimoto.

Listening to the piece left me with a feeling that was hard to describe. Beyond being truly beautiful, it didn’t fit neatly into any musical category. Was it classical? Was it pop?To me, it felt like a crossover—a work that blends elements from different musical worlds in a completely natural and expressive way.

I immediately wrote to Marco to congratulate him on his wonderful video and told him how much I loved the piece and wanted to play it myself. He generously offered to prepare a transcription of Ordner Seg for clarinet and piano, and sent it to me shortly afterward.That is the version I used in my own performance, which you can watch above, also accompanied by pianist Rena Hashimoto. Who is Øystein Baadsvik, the composer of "Ordner Seg"?

Portrait of Øystein Baadsvik, Norwegian tuba player and composer of ‘Ordner Seg

Øystein Baadsvik was born in Trondheim, Norway, in 1966. He is an internationally recognized tuba soloist, chamber musician, teacher, conductor, composer, and arranger. He has been voted one of the top ten brass players in history by Classic FM listeners, gave the first TED Talk ever about the tuba, and is among the most viewed classical musicians on YouTube, with several videos surpassing six million views.

His multifaceted career as a performer and recording artist has taken him all over the world, and he regularly gives masterclasses and clinics at major universities. Regarding Ordner Seg, Baadsvik shared the following words about its inspiration:

“In Trondheim, where I live, the sun is absent for much of the winter. One day in February I was in my kitchen cooking when the sun was coming through the window for the first time that year. Along with the sun a simple and peaceful melody appeared, like a gift, ready to be orchestrated”.

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