Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Klangen fra de dype skoger (Sounds from the deep forests) is the sound of a human being who does not separate their identity from their music. It is a sound rooted in a simple upbringing with good values, in a society where time stands still... where, as a child, one can be one with nature and culture hour after hour - completely undisturbed. Sounds from the deep forests is the sound of a divided human being, in the face of academic norms and demands, whose natural and spontaneous musicality drowns in the correct and restrained expression of the classical world. Sounds from the deep forests is the sound of a human being rising again, where creativity, will, and faith win in the end, where identity and music are one, while the trivial instrumental barriers are breached and the boundaries only face resistance in their own boldness. Sounds from the deep forests is musician Bente Illevold's idea of expressing her own life, rooted in tradition, identity, and artistic innovation. Five composers have been challenged to channel the natural beauty and musical traditions of Rendalen, together with the seemingly mellow and measured character traits of �sterdalen, through new compositions for euphonium. The project contains, as of 2019, seven works, where the two largest are preserved on this recording.

Bach's works are universal and essentially independent of the instrument the performer is playing. But the use of a modern grand piano is a challenge. Pianist Nils Anders Mortensen uses various approaches to the music, with a nod at times to the historical instruments, or an affirmation of the modern grand piano's inherent possibilities. Nils Anders Mortensen was born in Flekkefjord in 1971 and began playing piano at age three. In 1986 he won the Norwegian Young Pianist Competition. He studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, �cole Normale in Paris, and Hochschule f�r Musik und Theater in Hannover. His most important teachers have been Einar Steen-N�kleberg, Tatjana Nikolajeva, and Hans Leygraf.

Is there a connection between the prayers of a German prisoner during the Second World War and the hymns of northern Norway? Can a person lament her suffering and still trust that God does not place a greater burden on her than she can bear? How is the building of a cathedral in the far north of Norway related to the great drama of world history? "Gebete fuer Mitgefangene" presents a wide range, from Bonhoeffer's texts and Nystedt's music to the simple hymn verses with which each movement ends. To exist in the tension between life's painful side and trust in a caring God is a fundamental experience that is reflected in the religious music on this recording.

Contemporary Norwegian composer Jon Oivind Ness is from Inderoy, Trondelag. That he has played several instruments, clarinet included, has provided a good basis for Sloughs (2013). Ness has attracted attention since the mid-1990s with the originality of his compositions. It is not his ingenuity, but rather a cheerful vitality that distinguishes his music. It captivates, and the musical expression and titles of his works are unconventional. He has an abundance of ideas, all elegantly developed, and his experience with pop music has given him an awareness of rhythm that permeates the rest of his contemporary works. "Sloughs" has a three-part structure. A more tranquil middle section is encompassed by virtuosic and power-driven passages, insistent and serpent-like. The work was commissioned by the artists. Carl Fruhling composed for all genres, including church music, orchestral works and chamber music. The English cellist Steven Isserlis has done a lot to bring Fruhling's pleasing music to light again after many years of obscurity. The Trio opus 40 was published in 1925 and is in classical four-movement form. Ludwig van Beethoven published Trio opus 38 in 1805, but already then it had something of a varied existence. The work began as "Septet opus 20" for three wind and four string players. The transcription retains the clarinet part from the septet, while the cello part is imbued with an unusually independent quality, and the piano takes over for the missing instruments. The Trio was dedicated to Johann Adam Schmidt, the composer's physician, who tried in vain to inhibit the progress of his deafness.

Nidaros Cathedral's large German cathedral organ from 1930 represents the culmination and completion of the late Romantic German organ tradition of which Reger and Straube were prominent exponents. On this album, Nidaros Cathedral organist Magne H. Draagen presents a collection of organ works of Norwegian organists who either studied in Leipzig themselves for longer or shorter periods of time in the early 1900s, or were pupils of one of them who had studied there. A characteristic feature of the works is that the classical forms from the German Romantic school are combined with elements from Norwegian traditional folk music, and through this they are distinguished to a greater or lesser extent by a national tonal language. Organist Magne H. Draagen (b. 1974) holds a Bachelor's degree in Church Music and soloist diploma from the Norwegian Academy of Music. As organist he performs regularly at home and abroad, with a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the present day. He has contributed to numerous recordings as composer, arranger, conductor, accompanist and soloist. Since the autumn of 2012 he has served as Director of Music of Nidaros Cathedral.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

A tribute to one of the 17th century's great but virtually forgotten guitar heroes! Angelo Michele Bartolotti was the guitarist who composed and performed for Queen Christina of Sweden. His compositions are seldom played today, and a large portion of the music heard here has been recorded for the first time. Fredrik Bock is one of few guitarists in Scandinavia to have become a specialist on Baroque guitar. Over the past ten years he has worked as lutenist and guitarist while based in Malm� and Copenhagen. He performs regularly with some of Europe's leading ensembles and orchestras, including the Baroque Soloists, Concerto Copenhagen, Theatre of Voices, and Atalante.

Classical Music