Nikolaj Lund's Quirky Classical Musicians Portraits (PHOTOS)

Nikolaj Lund is trying to change the face of classical music one photograph at a time. Lund's portraits of classical musicians display the lesser-shown, quirkier side of the stereotypically conservative genre. His photography trades in the stoic, drama-driven image of a pianist for a wild one of a cellist thrusting his instrument into a sand dune.

"Music is something you hear, feel and respond to. For me it can calm me down and at the same time wake a lot of energy and inspiration in me," the Denmark-based artist said. "So the combination of aesthetic shades and raw energy is what I often try to show in my photos."

A classically trained musician-turned-photographer, Lund said his background helps in capturing the personalities of the artists. His Masters degree in cello allowed him to experience the too-strict perceptions of the genre.

"As a classical musician myself I had grown very tired of [the conservative and traditional] perception on classical music," he said. "Every time I saw publicity on classical music, I saw the same type of photos which, in my opinion, keeps people who do not already know about classical music away from the concerts. Classical music is so much more than what those photos told."

His photography exposes a wilder and quirkier side to classical music. His work often suspends realism, like in the portrait of cellist Toke Moeldrup. The image shows a grinning Moeldrup dressed in a full tuxedo, holding a cello and a bow, and jumping backwards into the ocean.

Lund say he tries to keep photo manipulation to a minimum, though. Even Moeldrup's portrait is 100 percent real (yes, he did jump into water with a cello). To create these photos, he finds instruments that cost less than $200 to use in the shoot.

"I also get better reactions from the musicians during the session by doing it for real, instead of dropping them in front of a blue screen and adding the background later," he said. "And, it is a lot more fun."

Go to Nikolaj Lund's website to view more of his work.

Click through below to view Nikolaj Lund's portraits of classical musicians:

Launch Slideshow

 HIDE THUMBNAILS

1 of 11

PLAY ALL

VOTE ON THIS SLIDE

ADVERTISEMENT

[{"entry_id":"1755604","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/08\/marvin-hamlisch-stars-react_n_1755604.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243508\/slide_243508_1347324_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243508\/slide_243508_1347324_small.jpg","title":"Remembering Marvin Hamlisch","slideshow_id":"243508","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1699729","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/24\/db-cooper-exhibit-to-open_n_1699729.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240696\/slide_240696_1274322_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240696\/slide_240696_1274322_small.jpg","title":"D.B. Cooper Exhibit","slideshow_id":"240696","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1757199","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/08\/50-middle-eastern-artists_n_1757199.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243598\/slide_243598_1349450_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243598\/slide_243598_1349450_small.jpg","title":"50 People Shaping the Culture of the Middle East","slideshow_id":"243598","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1699418","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/24\/joe-klamar-olympics_n_1699418.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240536\/slide_240536_1271005_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240536\/slide_240536_1271005_small.jpg","title":"Joe Klamar's Olympics Portraits","slideshow_id":"240536","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1724082","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/31\/edinburgh-fringe-2012_n_1724082.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241923\/slide_241923_1306162_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241923\/slide_241923_1306162_small.jpg","title":"Edinburgh Fringe Shows","slideshow_id":"241923","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1751542","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/07\/marvin-hamlisch-dead_n_1751542.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243280\/slide_243280_1341671_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243280\/slide_243280_1341671_small.jpg","title":"Marvin Hamlisch Slideshow","slideshow_id":"243280","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1707315","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/28\/site-specific-dance_n_1707315.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240935\/slide_240935_1279999_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240935\/slide_240935_1279999_small.jpg","title":"Site-Specific Dance Performances","slideshow_id":"240935","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1738184","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/03\/chow-kar-hoo-photograph_n_1738184.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242497\/slide_242497_1323614_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242497\/slide_242497_1323614_small.jpg","title":"Chow Kar Hoo's 'Heroes Next Door' Series","slideshow_id":"242497","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1757357","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/08\/steven-laxton-photography_n_1757357.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243539\/slide_243539_1348394_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/243539\/slide_243539_1348394_small.jpg","title":"Steven Laxton 'Human & Urban Forms'","slideshow_id":"243539","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1699316","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/24\/benjamin-millepied-la-dance-project-framework_n_1699316.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240517\/slide_240517_1270578_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240517\/slide_240517_1270578_small.jpg","title":"Framework at MOCA","slideshow_id":"240517","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1730762","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/01\/gore-vidal-dead-best-man-cast_n_1730762.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242296\/slide_242296_1318189_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242296\/slide_242296_1318189_small.jpg","title":"'Gore Vidal's The Best Man': Cast & Crew React","slideshow_id":"242296","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1738760","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/05\/the-week-in-culture-photo_n_1738760.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242733\/slide_242733_1328121_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242733\/slide_242733_1328121_small.jpg","title":"The Week In Culture (PHOTOS)","slideshow_id":"242733","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1728747","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/dafna-yachin\/tibet-buddhist-text-digital-_b_1728747.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242209\/slide_242209_1315724_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242209\/slide_242209_1315724_small.jpg","title":"Digital Dharma","slideshow_id":"242209","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1709946","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/27\/handpainted-type-india-fonts_n_1709946.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240963\/slide_240963_1287551_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240963\/slide_240963_1287551_small.jpg","title":"The Roadside Fonts Of India","slideshow_id":"240963","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1698639","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/24\/one-steinway-place-piano_n_1698639.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240447\/slide_240447_1268583_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240447\/slide_240447_1268583_small.jpg","title":"Christopher Payne's 'One Steinway Place'","slideshow_id":"240447","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1718549","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/30\/united-federation-doll-clubs-convention_n_1718549.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241603\/slide_241603_1298335_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241603\/slide_241603_1298335_small.jpg","title":"Black Cloth Dolls","slideshow_id":"241603","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1705728","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/26\/morgan-james-twitter-into-the-woods_n_1705728.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241047\/slide_241047_1283171_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241047\/slide_241047_1283171_small.jpg","title":"Into the Woods Twitter Firestorm","slideshow_id":"241047","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1729847","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/christopher-duggan\/photographing-dance-in-th_b_1729847.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242275\/slide_242275_1317727_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242275\/slide_242275_1317727_small.jpg","title":"Natural Light Studio at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival","slideshow_id":"242275","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1711425","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/27\/the-week-in-culture-photo_n_1711425.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241381\/slide_241381_1291486_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241381\/slide_241381_1291486_small.jpg","title":"Week In Culture","slideshow_id":"241381","vertical":"culture"},{"entry_id":"1716075","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/rainer-sigl\/video-game-photography_b_1716075.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241529\/slide_241529_1296418_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241529\/slide_241529_1296418_small.jpg","title":"The Art Of In-Game Photography","slideshow_id":"241529","vertical":"culture"}]

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[VioletGrey]

01:07 PM on 05/11/2012

I have know a few classical musicians and it surprises me how, for all the stories of how odd that bunch can be, how their public personas are so stodgy and dull. maybe this needs to be a thing; to show that classical musicians are just people like the rest of us and not some elite group of music snobs that eats pate and thumbs their noses at everyone else.

[Dan Slander]

10:12 AM on 05/10/2012

Just think how much greater Rostropovich would have been if had taken a plunge like Toke. All I care about is if they can play the classics, they want to hang out and chill I'm fine as long as they are buying but otherwise these photos (a couple are excellent ) staying power are ephemeral at best.

[TisKishnsing]

05:04 PM on 05/09/2012

apparently, nobody seems to care... because the world has more important issues to deal with

[Bloggerrogr]

04:32 PM on 05/09/2012

BRAVO !

Two of my passions (Music and Photography) gain new dimensions with this work.


FWIW