SKU: HL.14042519

ISBN 9788759826935.

Jordens Vej for SA Choir and Organ by Per Nørgård (1981). Text by Ole Sarvig.

Manuscript copy.

Programme note

When in 1975 I had finished composing my 3rd Symphony (begun in 1973), I wrote three simple melodies for two psalm texts by Ole Sarvig: “The Year” and “Choral Hymn”. These three tunes were derived from the same material as the second movement of the 3rd Symphony and could be harmonized together in several different tempo relationships at the same time - like fractals – which inspired me to write several choral and instrumental works in the following decade based onthese melodies: “Frost Psalm”, “Winter Cantata”, “Cantica” a.o. 
One of these ‘Sarvig melodies’ is now in the Danish Hymnbook, nr. 720, under the title 'Året'(The Year). 
Jordens vej for choir and organ was the basis of the work Korsalme (1982) for mixed choir and instruments (ad lib.).

Per Nørgård

SKU: MN.12-128

UPC: 688670121289.

The three movements that make up Nocturnes, Book I are programmatic pieces that take as their points of departure a painting, the rhythms of a great city, and a poem. 1. The Starry Night is a written down improvisation based on Vincent van Goghs famous picture of the same name. The tonal material is a quite literal transformation of the visual elements of the painting: the melismatic cadenzas mirror van Goghs swirling starlight, and the powerful chords were suggested by the sinister trees that shoot upward to puncture the skys patterns. 2. Stovers Rag is a product of the ragtime revival of the early 1970s, when many composers tried their hand at writing concert rags. The New York night, which was not without its sinister element in those days, is expressed in an updating of the classic ragtime format. The piece looks backward as well, with the old French Baroque basse de trompette making an appearance in the trio section. 3. The Song of Shadows taps the nostalgic mood typical of the poetry of Walter de la Mare. The poem of the same name pictures a lone musician on a winter night, an dog sleeping before a sinking fire, and, at the end, the spirits that are summoned by music. The opening melody, played on an 8 flute with tremulant, suggests the blues-tinged sound of an alto saxophone, and throughout the movement the organs capacity for sustained tone is used to suggest and atmosphere of dreamy timelessness. The pieces were written in 1971 and first performed on July 2, 1972 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, with the composer at the console.

SKU: MN.20-723

UPC: 688670207235.

As with the previous Christmas Carol Trilogy releases by Rudolph, rather than simply written for solo instrument with organ accompaniment, the organ and trumpet (in this case) are coequal participants. This release is a medley of My Dancing Day, Coventry Carol, and lastly, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, which, once you hear arranged in 7/8 will never sound the same.

SKU: HL.14024513

UPC: 884088488635. 9.0x12.0x0.049 inches.

The Fountain Reverie features soft, rippling arpeggios with a contrasting middle section. As with the Festival Toccata, published at the same time, the brilliance of Fountain Reverie disguises the fact that one does not need to be a virtuoso to play it well and effectively, and it plays well on many different Organs.Percy Fletcher was an English composer, conductor and Orchestrator of prodigious output who made his career in the lively world of the London music theatre of the years of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was music director at many theatres, including His Majesty's Theatre for the last seventeen years of his life. He was the Orchestrator and conductorfor the big budget spectacular theatre piece Chu Chin Chow which ran for five years, a record that remained unbroken for forty years. In addition to his myriad works of light music, Fletcher also wrote a serious church cantata, The Passion of Christ, as well as the delightful children's work, The Walrus and the Carpenter.

SKU: HL.49006915

ISBN 9790001074056.