MESTERMØTER

«Past & Presence» er i sin helhet viet til orkestermusikk av Henrik Hellstenius, med hovedvekt på vokalverk skrevet for mezzosopran Tora Augestad. Hellstenius og Augestad har samarbeidet over mange år, fra operaen «Ophelias: Death By Water Singing» (LWC1098), som hadde premiere i 2005, frem til verkene som er på denne utgivelsen.

Hovedverket «As if The Law is Everything» er skrevet til Augestad, både tekstlig og musikalsk. Sammen med poeten Øyvind Rimbereid har Hellstenius bygget en serie med portretter rundt Tora Augestads sceniske og sanglige personlighet. Verket kretser rundt lov som tema – samfunnets lover, universets lover og kjærlighetens lover. Augestad fortolker ulike «roller» og scener i stykket, som har form av en sangsyklus. Rimbereids tekster er gjendiktet til engelsk av May-Brit Akerholt.

«Dichterliebe»  er Hellstenius’ re-komponerte versjoner av noen av sangene i Robert Schumanns berømte verk. Her møter Schumanns linjer og Heinrich Heines tekst en moderne instrumentasjon og kompositorisk blikk. Hellstenius tar i bruk sin kompositoriske fantasi for å fortolke disse evige sangene i vår tid.

Klarinettkonserten «Still Panic»  er skrevet til solist Diego Lucchesi og Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, her under ledelse av sjefdirigent Edward Gardner. Verket er en reise i en panisk tilstand som er i konstant endring. Fra et sett med hysterisk roterende figurer vikler verket seg ut i en lang organisk form. I spillet mellom orkesteret og solisten Diego Lucchesis bassklarinett utvikles et rikt uttrykk som spenner fra en underliggende og dempet uro til ekspressive følelser av panikk.

Henrik Hellstenius er en av våre mest markante komponist-er, med en karriere som spenner over tre tiår. Hellstenius viser en konstant appetitt på utforskning og utvikling av sitt kunstnerskap, som omfatter alt fra opera og musikk til dans og teater til orkesterverk og kammermusikk.

Tora Augestad føler seg like hjemme i konsertsaler som på teater- og kabaretscener og samtidsmusikkarenaer. Hun søker stadig nye utfordringer sammen med sine ulike ensembler. Resultatet er en oppsiktsvekkende variert meritt-liste og et imponerende omfattende kunstnerskap.

MEETINGS OF THE MASTERS

Past & Presence is devoted entirely to the orchestral music of Henrik Hellstenius, focusing primarily on vocal works composed for mezzo-soprano Tora Augestad. Hellstenius and Augestad have collaborated for many years, from 2005, when the opera Ophelias: Death By Water Singing (LWC1098) had its premiere, up to this release.

In the principal work here, As If The Law Is Everything, both the music and the lyrics were written specifically for Augestad. Together with the poet Øyvind Rimbereid, Hellstenius has constructed a series of portraits based on Tora Augestad’s vocal and stage personality. The work addresses law as a theme – laws of society, love and the universe. Augestad interprets a variety of “roles” and scenes in the piece, which is structured as a song cycle. Rimbereid’s lyrics have been rendered in English by May-Brit Akerholt.

Dichterliebe presents Hellstenius’s re-composed versions of some of the songs from Robert Schumann’s famous work. Here Schumann’s lines and Heinrich Heine’s lyrics encounter modern instrumentation and compositional flair. Hellstenius invokes his composer’s imagination to interpret these eternal songs in our times.

The clarinet concerto Still Panic was written for soloist Diego Lucchesi and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, here under the leadership of chief conductor Edward Gardner. The work is a journey undergone while in a panic-stricken state of constant flux. From a group of hysterically rotating figures, the work untangles itself into a long, organic form. In the interplay between the orchestra and the soloist, Diego Lucchesi’s bass clarinet cultivates a richly expressive quality that ranges from an underlying and muted disquiet to an eloquent sense of panic.

Henrik Hellstenius is one of Norway’s most distinctive composers, with a career that has spanned over three decades. Hellstenius is always keen to explore and develop his artistic practice, which encompasses everything from opera and dance music to dance, theatre, orchestra works and chamber music.

Tora Augestad feels at home in concert hall settings as well as on theatre and cabaret stages and at contemporary music venues. She is constantly seeking new challenges to share with her various ensembles. The result is a remarkably varied list of accomplishments and an impressively extensive artistic practice.

ANMELDELSER/REVIEWS:

"Henrik Hellstenius (born 1963) has been one of Norway’s most important composers for 30 years. And he is also among the most versatile, as he dabbles in every genre, whether opera, orchestral works, dance or chamber music. Past & Presence focuses mainly on vocal works he composed for mezzo-soprano Tora Augestad. The two have been working together for over 15 years, so the singer can be considered his muse and ideal interpreter. In As If The Law Is Everything, both the music and lyrics were written specifically for Augestad. Together with poet Oyvind Rimbereid, Hellstenius has here created portraits based on Tora Augestad’s singing and stage persona. The work thematizes law (laws of society, love and the universe). In his recomposition of Dichterliebe, Hellstenius deftly blends old with new, and his modern instrumentation and slightly altered vocals offer an exciting and contemporary look on the work. Still Panic is an expressive, quasi-hysterical clarinet concerto with the superbly playing soloist Diego Lucchesi. Musically, this production is first-rate. Tora’s Augestadt compelling interpretations show how intensely contemporary music can be shaped. Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra deliver an excellent accompaniment." Alain Steffen, pizzicato.lu, 15.02.2022