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Koch: Choirbook / Windekilde, DR VokalEnsemblet
Dacapo Classical

Koch: Choirbook / Windekilde, DR VokalEnsemblet

$17.99

Details

Composer
KOCH, JESPER
Artist
Windekilde
Format
SACD
Label
Dacapo Classical
Released
Jun 25, 2021
Catalog #
6220627
UPC
747313162765

About

A lyrical suite of seven chapters for mixed choir a cappella, Jesper Koch’s Choirbook is a meditation on nature, complex and yet simple, communicating openly with the listener. Sincerity and a sense of timelessness pervade this large-scale work based on the poetry of Frank Kjørup, highly accessible and deeply immersed in the mysteries of its own beauty. Danish composer Jesper Koch (b. 1967) wrote very little vocal music until he reached his mid-40’s, primarily focusing on music for symphony orchestra. But in 2012, something unexpected happened. Jesper Koch suddenly felt a strong urge to write for the human voice and go back to the basic principles of melody and tonality, after having written rather complex orchestral music. The music in the vocal project Choirbook is melodic, concise and transparent: ‘When I write purely melodically, nothing must stand in the way of clarity. So everything superfluous is stripped away’, says Jesper Koch.

REVIEW

It is hard to imagine any ensemble such as this sounding better, and this is truly state-of-the-art high definition multichannel sound.

The notes accompanying this recording turned out to be quite illuminating...relating how in 2012 something unexpected happened regarding Koch’s approach to composition: “I suddenly had a strong urge to write for the human voice, and deal with ‘old school’ stuff like melody and tonality. These two things are, for me, closely connected...I wanted to go back to something completely basic, which I missed after having written some rather complex orchestral works.”

Koch’s Choirbook is organized in seven so-called “chapters,” each of which consists of a number of short sub-sections. I am loath to call these “movements” as they don’t really act as such. Chapter 4—at the center of the cycle—contains perhaps the most concentrated music as well as the fewest internal tracks (three). The other six chapters each contain between four and six tracks, none of which are more than three minutes long. The entire Choirbook is only a fraction over 51 minutes, spread over 31 tracks.

[The music] can be seen as a sort of personal journey, and has emotional as well as natural and even mystical overtones. The style is, as Koch set out to achieve, melodic in essence, and also features many familiar tonal gestures, not all of which go quite where the listener might expect.

The real attraction of this new recording...is the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, and the singing here is simply spectacular. I have recently had the occasion to begin to consider for review a new CD by the well-known English specialist vocal ensemble The Sixteen, and while that is a fine group, it is not even in the same cosmos as this Danish group, of much the same size. The singing here is about as close to perfect as anyone could expect, especially in terms of blend, intonation, balance, and ensemble...everything sounds just gorgeous.

The recording matches the singing in every way, and the sound presented here is luxuriously nuanced and detailed, with a massive dynamic range that never sounds anything but totally real. There is a lovely overall bloom to the sound, but also great detail, and the ensemble’s sound fills the room in such a way as only a very few choir recordings I have ever heard can manage. Enthusiastically recommended.

--Fanfare Magazine (William Kempster)

Tracklist 31 tracks

  1. 1 No. 1. Mælkevejens birkebark 02:05
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Mælkevejens birkebark
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  2. 2 No. 2. Lukker du øjnene 01:24
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Lukker du øjnene
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  3. 3 No. 3. Nu er det juni 01:37
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Nu er det juni
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  4. 4 No. 4. Hybenrosen 02:31
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Hybenrosen
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  5. 5 No. 1. Strande er forstenede 02:07
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 1. Strande er forstenede
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  6. 6 No. 2. Barndom 01:23
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 2. Barndom
    Duration
    01:23
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  7. 7 No. 3. Og blæsten 01:05
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 3. Og blæsten
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  8. 8 No. 4. Husk fugle 02:07
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 4. Husk fugle
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  9. 9 No. 5. Vinteren, den evige 00:59
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 5. Vinteren, den evige
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  10. 10 No. 1. Nåleskoven 02:07
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 1. Nåleskoven
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  11. 11 No. 2. Det siges 01:09
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 2. Det siges
    Duration
    01:09
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  12. 12 No. 3. Kosmos, du 02:16
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 3. Kosmos, du
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  13. 13 No. 4. Husk 03:00
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 4. Husk
    Duration
    03:00
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  14. 14 No. 1. At lægge sig med øret ned 03:07
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 1. At lægge sig med øret ned
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  15. 15 No. 2. Mælkevejen 04:53
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 2. Mælkevejen
    Duration
    04:53
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  16. 16 No. 3. Endnu en nat i verden 02:33
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 3. Endnu en nat i verden
    Duration
    02:33
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  17. 17 No. 1. Himlens hinde 01:59
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 1. Himlens hinde
    Duration
    01:59
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  18. 18 No. 2. Digtet om Rusland 00:57
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 2. Digtet om Rusland
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  19. 19 No. 3. Solens helnode 02:14
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 3. Solens helnode
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  20. 20 No. 4. Som sagt 01:11
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 4. Som sagt
    Duration
    01:11
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  21. 21 No. 5. Slutaugust 01:27
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 5. Slutaugust
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  22. 22 No. 1. Galaksens sommerfugle 01:00
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 1. Galaksens sommerfugle
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  23. 23 No. 2. Nu falder galaksen 00:50
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 2. Nu falder galaksen
    Duration
    00:50
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  24. 24 No. 3. Ligesom en tallerken 01:15
    Track
    24
    Title
    No. 3. Ligesom en tallerken
    Duration
    01:15
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  25. 25 No. 4. Universet skælver 01:27
    Track
    25
    Title
    No. 4. Universet skælver
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  26. 26 No. 1. Verden hvor den gynger når du går 00:31
    Track
    26
    Title
    No. 1. Verden hvor den gynger når du går
    Duration
    00:31
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  27. 27 No. 2. Og natten tager notater til din dag 01:00
    Track
    27
    Title
    No. 2. Og natten tager notater til din dag
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  28. 28 No. 3. Under aftenens loft 00:48
    Track
    28
    Title
    No. 3. Under aftenens loft
    Duration
    00:48
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  29. 29 No. 4. Vild erindring 00:43
    Track
    29
    Title
    No. 4. Vild erindring
    Duration
    00:43
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  30. 30 No. 5. Og 00:47
    Track
    30
    Title
    No. 5. Og
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde
  31. 31 No. 6. Over 00:36
    Track
    31
    Title
    No. 6. Over
    Duration
    00:36
    Composer
    Jesper Koch
    Ensemble
    DR VokalEnsemblet
    Conductor
    Flemming Windekilde