A symphony of indescribable beauty and complexity, along wit
Christopher Culver | 05/28/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Chandos disc, another in the line of Per Norgard's symphonies, contains his great third symphony, often regarded as his masterpiece, and is filled out with his "Concerto in due tempi". The Danish National Radio Symphony performs, conducted by Leif Segerstam, with the Danish National Radio Choir on the symphony and pianist Per Salo as soloist on the concerto.
Per Norgard's first great invention of musical structure was the "infinity series", a striking method of serializing melody that creates self-similarity among orchestral parts, an unsuspecting application of fractal mathematics to music. This principle was first overtly displayed in the second movement of "Voyage into the Golden Screen" (1968), available on a fine Da Capo disc, and listening to this is the best way to grasping the concept at its simplest. A given melody is played by the flutes in what can be called "normal time", while the oboes play every fourth note, the trumpets every 64th note, and tubular bells, trombones, and piano every 256th note, and so on for 1024 notes. Norgard's second symphony, written in 1970, was simply a application of this same technique with a longer running time and expanded instrumentation.
In the years immediately following, Norgard began developing harmonic and rhythmic techniques that would augment his melodic serialisation. For harmony, he chose to use the natural overtone series, since this is itself infinite: any harmonic series also has a new harmonic series on each of its partials. For rhythm he chose to use the golden section, the ratio that the Fibonacci sequence approaches, praised since ancient times as the "divine proportion" and also used widely by Sofia Gubaidulina.
Sounds organized in such a fashion are pretty much guaranteed to be aesthetically pleasing, and that's why "Symphony No. 3" (1972-1975) is a veritable triumph. Since the entire work is ingenious sculpted out of these perfect shapes, then I would even dare to say that if someone doesn't enjoy this, they lack a certain humanity. The first movement is powerful but somewhat restrained, and consists of an introduction in two parts followed by two main sections. After an introduction of simple harmonic and melodic material over regular rhythms, the three infinity series are revealed in what is surely one of the most awesome moments in musical history. All things here are so audibly united, and one can even say that this music, with its natural inspirations (for overtones and the Fibonacci sequence were discovered, not invented) represents the glory of creation. It is in this spiritual ecstasy that we enter the second movement, where Norgard has the chorus sing "Alleluia" in ecstasy and then sets three Marian hymns and a Rilke poem. The composer had already set Rilke's "Singe die Gaerten, mein Hertz, die du nicht kennst" for chamber choir and eight instrumentalists earlier in 1975, but decided that it would make a perfect end for the symphony. And so, personal experience is united with the grandure of the universe in this amazing, epic piece.
Segerstam ensures a perfectly elegant pacing and feel here, and I think the performance could be seen as definitive. There's an earlier performance out there on Marco Polo with Herbert Blomstedt conducting the same ensembles, but it seems rather idiosyncratic and jerky in comparison and the recording quality is nowhere near as good.
Norgard's piano concerto "Concerto in due tempi" (1994/95) came after two decades of further experimentation where the infinity series was still an inspiration but other aspects had come to interest the composer. In this piece, Norgard sets out two musical lines that coexist alongside one another, but which move at different speeds, never meeting but sometimes "merging". Sometimes the slow line is foremost, while at other times the faster line is dominant. Per Salo races flawlessly through some tricky music, including a fiendishly complex solo in the middle, and this stands out as one of the finest piano performances I've ever heard--the piano is also recorded quite well. The concerto is indeed entertaining listening, and like the symphony does not alienate the listener in spite of its formidable theoretical basis (it's certainly not "modern" sounding like, say, Elliott Carter). I haven't become entirely comfortable with it yet since I don't grok its structural underpinnings, but I can say it sounds good.
Per Norgard has, I daresay, contributed to the technique of music in our time more than any other single composer, and this disc is a great opportunity to hear some emotionally moving and intellectually provocative concepts. Highly recommend."
Marvellous Musical Monolith
Christopher Culver | 08/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In Per Norgard's 3rd Symphony, one seems to be hearing some extraordinary natural process at work - as if a mountain were growing from a few initial tendrils of delicate sound. For all of the monumentality of the work's structure, the sound itself is often remarkably subtle and elusive - some of the piece's most striking auditory effects are at the very edge of audibility. At times it sounds as if one is hearing a gigantic aeolian harp, not an orchestra at all. All of this accords beautifully with the Rilke text set for chorus in the second movement, which muses on the delicate web of filaments that binds all creation together. Marvellous stuff, excellently played."
Norgard's Masterpiece
Christopher Forbes | Brooklyn,, NY | 03/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Symphony No. 3 is probably Danish composer, Per Norgard's most popular work, and justly so. This work is the crowning achievement in his third musical phase and the most brilliant work he wrote based on pure infinity series processes. Paired with the Concerto in Dui Tempi, an intriguing and witty work from the 90s and you have a wonderful portrait of this special Nordic composer. The Symphony No 3 of Norgard's is a monumental work. In it, the composer makes the greatest exploration of the unity behind all things that he percieved in nature and wished to express in music. Norgard made us of many of the formal structures from his Second Symphony and his opera Gilgamesh, most particularly the infinity series, a melodic construction based on "projection of intervals" a process resembling the self similar results of fractal algorhithms. In this work, Norgard experiments more freely with his melodic process, letting the infinity series recede into the background while other melodies based on various manipulations of the series and on his own intuition come to the fore. In addition, Norgard adds a beautiful harmonic element based on the acoustic scale and a new sense of rhythm derived from the Golden Section ratio. All of this sounds dry, but the result is anything but. The first movement of the symphony starts with descending scales based on the harmonic series which coelesce into lovely harmonies. The work then moves through a bewildering variety of textures and moods. Unlike his two previous orchestral works, there is no unbroken undulating statements of the infinity series. Rather the device crops up and disappears but is always present somewhere underneath the structure giving the entire work shape and direction. The second movement is even more stunning than the first. It begins with a long orchestral introduction, brimming with lyrical ecstasy. There are echos of Sibelius and Nielsen throughout the movement. Half way through the chorus enters, first wordlessly, but then to the text of the Ave Maria Stellis. Finally, the entire ensemble breaks forth into a complete setting of one of Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus, Singt die Garten meine Herz. This is an expansion of one of Norgard's most successful choral works (the original can be heard on the Chandos disc, Frostpsalm) and has all the power of the Mahler 8th or, dare I say it, the Beethoven 9th. As a final gesture, Norgard even quotes briefly from Schubert's Du Bist die Eine Ruhe...given a new and more sacred meaning in the context. It is a glorious and overwhelmingly positive faith statement. In fact, the score itself is dedicated to the glory of God. The Concerto is a wholy different affair. Written in the early 90s, it is more dissonant in style than Norgard's earlier work. In the intervening years, the composer had become fascinated by the work of schizophrenic artist, poet and composer, Adolf Wolfli and his music had taken on a much darker quality...more avant-garde and less tonal, though by no means serial. The Concerto partakes of this darker language, but is at heart a more bouyant work. The two tempi of the title represent the work's basic formal procedure. Norgard wished to experiments with the cumulative effect of music in two tempi based on non-rational numbers. All rhythmic and tempo relationships in the work are based on the square root of 2. Both tempi in each relationship are always present, though sometimes one predominates and the other fades into the background. The writing for the piano soloist is highly vituoso, with a slightly jazzy sound, unusual for Norgard. The resulting work is full of high spirits even in it's darkest parts. This is a wonderful continuation of the Norgard series on Chandos. Orchestra, soloists and conductor are all in top form. Even if you are not a fan of modern music, I can't imagine that the Symphony won't win you over. It is lush and almost romantic. Highly recommended CD!"
Surrender to Beauty
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 05/15/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't think I've ever underestimated a piece of music quite as much as I did the Third Symphony. Having never heard anything by Norgard before, ... I ordered it from Amazon and when it arrived I put it on the trusty CD player and sat at attention to try to get into it via its formal attributes. That's how I often first listen to a new piece of music: I try to understand what the composer is doing formally, to hear how it's constructed, so to speak. Well, it went right over my head. I was puzzled, frustrated, even a little angry. In fact, ... I couldn't hear the structure, even after reading the booklet notes.But I persisted by relaxing into the music - you know what I mean, just sitting back and letting it wash over me, listening with half an ear, so to say, right-brain-like - and that did the trick. It was then that I realized that this, in spite of whatever formal attributes it may have, is atmosphere music. And what atmosphere it is. It's very Romantic in sound, even though 19th century Romantic compositional processes are not particularly involved. There are gorgeous full brass chords, chiming and sparkling bell sounds, velvety strings, even an Ondes martenot, all creating the most delicious sounds that just wrap around you and make you feel GOOD. But even this doesn't prepare you for the stunning, ecstatic choral contribution in the second movement. Heaven! The moral of this story is that sometimes it's best to let your heart lead your head. [Not an original thought, I grant you!] Perhaps that's the way most people listen to music, but some of us with musical training tend to try to take the music apart and see how it's made. In this case that was not the path to understanding and acceptance. NOW, having let the music enter my blood stream, I can hear the composerly processes, but that's the least of it. My main appreciation is the sheer warm beauty of it. I won't comment about the Piano Concerto (Concerto in due tempi)... It is completely different, more edgy than the symphony, but it, too, is worthwhile.."
A cosmic epiphany that swallows up time!
R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 07/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first several times I listened to this disc it didn't impress me overly much. Composed 1972 -- 1975, first performed in 1976. Nice texture, uplifting, but vague and hazy, with a choir in the second movement (of two), and that was an obstacle -- I don't usually prefer to mix vocals in my symphonies. So I filed it away until recently. Then I discovered something amazing. I played it at high volume, and WOW! This wasn't just "Symphony No. 3," this is a recording of GOD CREATING THE UNIVERSE! The opening is a cascade of strings and woodwinds, streaming down, you can see it shimmer... Then, as if it pours into the Earth, giant redwoods of brass spring up, and mountain ranges, perhaps even planets and galaxies are forming out of the primeval chaos! The first movement (16'15") has been catapulted onto a cosmic level of mystical development. (If you do not catch that initial burst of energy and let it carry you, it can sound vague, hazy and less than totally convincing.)
Another powerful moment is reached as the first movement ends, and the second, longer movement (27'28") begins -- the listener who is properly attuned may at this point sense that, the Spirit having filled the world, it now flows back up toward the Eternal, taking the world and the listener with it. While lacking in his memorable melodies, nonetheless the overall effect could be described as Sibelius On Acid. I made a note, listening before I had the volume turned up high enough to trigger the whole range of effects, that the choral section sounded like "artificial ecstasy -- angels with ecstatic frozen zombie smiles." My experience, like an earlier reviewer, is that too much analysis will miss the mark. This section can go on interminably if you are outside looking in, but if you bring enough energy, an open mind and an open heart, (and enough volume!), you will be in tune with those angels, and you will be in tune with the cosmos, and time will end! Don't think I jest -- I'm serious, calling this "Per Norgard's Third Symphony" makes something utterly amazing and transcendental seem mundane, something that comes after Number Two and before Number Four. The only way to see whether I'm right is to open your ears!
The piano concerto, "Concerto in due tempi" (28'41") is from twenty years later, a 1990s composition first performed in 1996. Again, it requires tuning in, but it is a delightful, energetic work. No cosmic epiphanies, but hey, it can't be every composition that produces those, now can it?
I have to say, I know the packaging shouldn't matter, "don't judge a book," yes, yes, BUT... Is this not one of the lamest covers ever? What's with the little one-eyed stick figures? And the gloomy dark brown? Surely the GOD CREATES THE UNIVERSE Symphony deserves better! Well, you can now look past this packaging peccadillo, and go straight to the mystical heart of the matter.
I am intrigued by the fact that Norgard wrote an opera in the late 1970s based on the historic (Shakyamuni) Buddha, called SIDDHARTA. I've been listening to it for some time now, and one of these days I'll post a review."