Nordic Voices
North American Tour Programs
Program 1:
STUDIES AFTER NATURE
Nature in music as sound and metaphor
Nature has been one of the primal sources of inspiration for
artists trough history. Aristotle’s old claim that art should
mimic nature lives on in the hilarious renaissance-chansons by
Jannequin where birdcalls and gunshots appear in an almost
cacophonic polyphony. These pieces are paralleled by the
contemporary works by Ablinger and in the piece by Ore (which is
specially written for this program), where noise sounds from the
wood and the whirring of flies is the basic sound material. But
elements of nature is also frequently in use in poetry as
metaphors of human sentiments, in depiction of love and, in the
pieces by Poulenc written during World War II, as a picture of
political oppression.
nature morte I
Peter Ablinger (1959-): Studien nach die Natur 1,2,3 (Studies
after nature) 3'
birdsong
Clement Jannequin (c.1485-1558): Chanson des oiseux (song of the
birds) 8'
norwegian landscape
norwegian folktune (arr. Havrøy): trall over fjorden (song by the
fjord)
norwegian folktune (arr. Havrøy): skogssull (song to the forest)
6'
italian landscape
Luca Marenzio (1553/54-1599): Ecco che'l ciel a noi chiar'et
sereno (Look how the sky is clear and quiet)
Luca Marenzio: Per due coralli (to two corals) 10'
flies
Cecilie Ore (1954-): Schwirren (whirr) 12'
nature morte II
Peter Ablinger: Studien nach die Natur 4,5,6 3'
weather conditions
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): Un soir du neige (Night of snow)
1,2,3,4 5'
Johannes Ciconia (c.1334-c.1411): Le ray soleil (beams of the sun)
2'
more zoology
Johannes Ciconia: Una panthera (a panther) 4'
György Ligeti (1923-): The Lobster Quadrille 3'
György Ligeti: The cockoo in the pear tree 3'
nature morte III
Peter Ablinger: Studien nach der Natur 7,8,9,10 3'
epilogue
Jannequin: La chasse (the hunt) 7'
duration= 68'
Program 2:
Human Struggle - Divine Harmony
Throughout music history and in religious poetry the opposition
between the human sufferings on earth, the valley of tears, and
the divine afterworld where peace and harmony prevails, has been a
powerful picture. This program includes music by the medieval
composer Dufay, whose rigorous compositional systems are supposed
to mirror in sound the divine perfection, and depictions of
paradise trough blissful harmonies in the works by Messiaen,
Stravinskij and Poulenc. On the other hand we present the
expressive, pathos-laden mannerisms of Gesualdo, Monteverdi or the
modern composers Rihm and Huber in settings of texts that laments
the living conditions on earth, that ask God to spare his rage or
that shows the fear of death.
Guillaume Dufay (c.1400-1474): Ecclesie militantis 6'
Wolfgang Rihm (1952-): Tristis est anima mea 5'
Thomas Luis de Victoria (1549-1611): Lamentatio 6'
Carlo Gesualdo (1560-1613): Tristis est anima mea (from
Responsoria) 4'
Knut Nystedt (1915-): Peace I leave with you 3'
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): Domine ne in furore 4'
Claudio Monteverdi: Adoramus 3'
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): O magnum mysterium 3'
Carlo Gesualdo / Igor Stravinskij (1882-1971): Da pacem domine 3'
Robert White (c.1530-1574): Lamentatio 8'
Igor Stravinskij: Pater Noster 4'
Knut Nystedt: Jesus din søte forening å smake 3'
Guillaume Dufay: Nuper rosarum flores 6'
Klaus Huber (1924-): Benedictus (from Lamentations to the
responsoria of Gesualdo) 7'
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Trois beaux oiseaux de paradis 4'
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): O sacrum convivium 4'
duration = 73'
Program 3:
SENSE AND NONSENSEOrlando di Lasso:
- Cathalina, apra finestra
- S'io esca viuo de dubbio si scogli
- Chichilichi? Cucurucu!
Henrik Hellstenius:
- Fragment no. 1
Johannes Brahms:
- three songs from Fünf Gesänge
Henrik Hellstenius:
- Fragment no. 2
György Ligeti - from Nonsense Madrigals:
- The cockoo in the pear-tree
- The alphabet
- The Lobster Quadrille
Bo Holten:
- Nordic Suite
Henrik Hellstenius:
- Fragment no. 3
Goffredo Petrassi:
- Nonsense 1-5
Henrik Hellstenius:
- Fragment no. 4
Program 4:
LAMENTATIONS
John Dunstable:
- Preco Preheminencie
Thomas Luis de Victoria:
- Lamentationes
Gisle Kverndokk:
- Kyrie
Max Reger:
- Unser lieben Frauen Traum
- Nachtlied
- Das Agnus Dei
Robert White:
- Lamentationes
Henry Purcell:
- O God, thou hast cast us out
Giovanni da Palestrina:
- Lamentationes
Bjarne Sløgedal:
- Two religious folk songs from southern Norway
Olivier Messiaen:
- O sacrum convivium
"Gesualdo's Tenebrae factae sunt, was with an intense and pure
vocal sound which passed on the torment of the composer
perfectly." Dagbladet
|
Interview with Michael Huebner of the
Birmingham News 10/19/03
Nordic Voices more than just words, music
Listeners are well advised to listen closely to the words at a
Nordic Voices concert.
Some texts are Norwegian, of course, and others are Latin, German
and Swedish, so you may have tofollow along with the translations.
Still others, such as Henrik Hellstenius' "Fragments," aren't
words atall; they're more like percussive noises.
"We think it's important to distinguish between using text as
something that makes sense and something that's just an effect,"
said soprano Tone Braaten last week from New York, where the a
cappella sextet was starting its U.S. tour. "The `Fragments' use
words, but they don't always make sense."
The Norwegian ensemble will present several works from a new CD
titled "Sense and nonSense" today at Cathedral Church of the
Advent, as well as traditional Nordic music and newly composed
pieces. The program straddles centuries of music history, often
pitting modern sounds and syllables against the easier listening
of Gregorian chant and 19th- and
early 20th-century music.
Three of Hellstenius' "Fragments" will be interspersed throughout
the concert. Each of the series breaks words and sentences down to
their
basic vowels and consonants. They're typical fare for Nordic
Voices' concerts, which blend ancient and modern, sacred and
profane. Gregorian chant may be found on the same program as the "klukk
- klukk - klukk"of a hen.
"We like to come up with new concepts, and we're happy with the
type of program that's on the CD. It's got beautiful music, it's
got humor and it's got more serious things."
The sextet has presented innovative programming since 1996, along
the way earning acclaim from New York to South Africa. Their vocal
style is patterned after ensembles such as the Monteverdi Choir,
Anonymous 4 and Chanticleer - emphasizing spare vibrato and a
focus on purity and blend.
Each singer has considerable opera, oratorio and solo symphonic
experience as well. Among their collective repertoire are Mozart,
Bach, Orff, Handel, Durufle and Faure, but the singers' veneration
for their native Scandinavia comes through in this program.
In one offering, Bo Holten's "Nordic Suite," the texts take a
nostalgic look at rural life - the slow passage of time, the green
valleys, longing for a lost love.
"It's a medley of folk songs from Nordic countries," Braaten said.
"One is from Norway, one from Finland and one from Sweden."
Most of the concert's first half is devoted to sacred music and
Mass settings, from Bjarne Slogedal's "Herre Jesus gi meg nade"
("Lord Jesus, Have Mercy on Me") to three settings of religious
texts by Max Reger.
After the break, things lighten considerably. Three pieces in
Goffredo Petrassi's "Nonsense" series sing of a young lady with a
growing nose, a despairing old man and an old maid caught in a
crowd. Songs by Wilhelm Stenhammar reflect longingly on evening
breezes, a spring garden and
family dreams.
Braaten says that combining the old with the new have made
audiences more appreciative of both.
"They seem to love it," she said. "A lot of people say they've not
been much into modern music before, but after that program they
were really fascinated by it. The contrasts are much bigger. It
makes the older works more beautiful, the new works more
interesting."
For Booking Information:
Martha Woods
Jonathan Wentworth Associates, Ltd.
301-277-8205
mjws@Jwentworth.com
http://www.Jwentworth.com |
