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  • Arne Nordheim

  • Aftonland (1959)
    (Evening Land)

  • Edition Wilhelm Hansen Copenhagen (World)
  • perc/cel/str(1.1.1.1.1)
  • Soprano
  • 14 min
  • Pär Lagerkvist
  • English, German, Swedish

Programme Note

Aftonland (1957) for soprano and chamber orchestra, the work to give Nordheim his breakthrough in the Northern countries, is written on the basis of four poems by the Swedish Nobel prize-winner, the writer Pär Lagerkvist. The original version is for soprano accompanied by five strings, harp, celesta and percussion. The second version (1965) is for soprano and chamber orchestra with 22 strings. The work is dedicated to the memory of the composer’s father, Erling Nordheim.

Transition, transformation and existential wonder, as evoked by these lines in the second movement, resonate, sympathetically, seemed to be etched into the very musical fabric as well. Nordheim's free-tonal language with its dissonant intervals is employed effectively to punctuate Aftonland's powerful expressivity. Beyond the contours and importance of the lines, however, the instrumentation too probes broad expressive registers and is highly foregrounded in its own right. (Morten Eide Pedersen)

Scores

Score preview

Discography

Arne Nordheim

Arne Nordheim
  • Label
    Aurora
  • Catalogue Number
    NCD-B 4933
  • Conductor
    Miltiades Caridis
  • Ensemble
    Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Soloist
    Elisabeth Söderström (soprano)

Magic Island

Magic Island
  • Label
    Aurora
  • Catalogue Number
    ACD 4990
  • Conductor
    Ingar Bergby
  • Ensemble
    BIT 20 Ensemble
  • Soloist
    Siri Torjesen (soprano)

Listen - the Art of Arne Nordheim

Listen - the Art of Arne Nordheim
  • Label
    Aurora
  • Catalogue Number
    ACD 5070
  • Conductor
    Ingar Bergby
  • Ensemble
    BIT 20 Ensemble
  • Soloist
    Siri Torjesen (soprano)