Search - Per Nørgård, Tamás Vetö, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Per Nørgård: Gilgamesh; Voyage into the Golden Screen

Tribal Ritual Opera

Christopher Forbes | Brooklyn,, NY | 02/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Norgard's music of the 60s and early 70s is really quite in the spirit of the times...trippy, mystical and almost psychedelic. It is also indescribably beautiful. His mathematically based techniques are wedded to an ear for harmony and tone color that match even Gyorg Ligeti in brilliance. But his name was made mostly for his symphonic works. His operas are little known outside of Denmark. Judging by this CD, that is a shame. He is an original stage voice. His work combines theater, choreography and singing into a powerful retelling of the Babylonian epic that is haunting. Knowledge of Danish is not important in this opera. Most of the libretto consists of short phrases and repeated names from the original text. Rather than telling the story through words, the story is told through choreography, stage pictures and music. The piece is scored for small orchestra and a small corps of singers. They move freely around the performance space, rather than using traditional space. The work begins with an electronic swell in which the orchestra enters in Norgard's trademark undulating fashion. The music unfolds in an exact depiction of the Babylonian creation myth as arresting as the opening of Das Rheingold. Most of the great scenes of Gilgamesh are included, the killing of the wild bull, the jealousy of Inyanna. Particularly stunning are the death of Enkidu and Gilgamesh's descent into the underworld. Norgard's language becomes appropriately dark as it's hero plumbs the greatest depth of human mystery. Norgard's music is wonderful. He has a beautiful mix of an intellectual rigor that would rival any of the Darmstadt group, married to a lovely harmonic aestetic, which is neither in the tonal or atonal camp, but based rather on Norgard's fractal discoveries. The performances on the CD seem good, if occasionally a little forced. The hardest thing with this though is that the visual aspect of the piece is particularly important. Unfortunately, there is not even a picture of a production to help you visualize how this piece looks. I would welcome a DVD of this in the future. The second disc in this boxed set is rounded out by another seminal Norgard work, Journey Into the Golden Screen. This piece is Norgard's most clear unfolding of his infinity series. The infinity series is a compositional manipulation that creates a series of notes which have a fractal self-similarity. The series is given to clarinets in running eighth notes, while other instruments hold out every fourth note, or every 8th note. The result is a gentley undulating work in which the slower layers mirror exactly the faster layers. The result is truly hypnotic. Though this work is a one shot deal...later Norgard works had to disguise the infinity series more artfully as Norgard learned to use his technique with subtlety, this is still a lovely and very effective piece and deserves a place next to the wonderful 2nd and 3rd symphonies."

The Babette's Feast of Classical Music

Junglies | Morrisville, NC United States | 10/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a reviewer of this music I am handicapped by my lack of knowledge about the music itself. For this album I was also handicapped by my lack of knowledge of the language also but here goes.I first heard of this composer about four months ago through the BBC's monthly 'Music' magazine. Intrigued by the review of a piece by the composer to be played at the annual 'Proms' I ordered a copy of his most "accessible" work, Gilgamesh which recently arrived and has graced my car CD player for almost two weeks.At first I found the music a little difficult to listen to. In fact I was considerably frustrated especially with the language. Repeated listenings eased my way into this music considerably. After all music is universal. In my youth I had been very fond of the operatic 'Magma' with it's artificial language. Gilgamesh reminded me of those albums. I was struck also by similarities with some of the modern British composers such as Finnissy, Barret and Brian.Norgard is not the easiest of composers to listen too, the music harsh and strident at timesyet offset by the creative use of the voice. It often proposes a bleak and dour landscape much like Kurt Vonnegut's earlier novels. The structures are sheer like cliffs against which thunderous tides smash against with tremendous force.Yet there is also an inner serenity about this music. A somewhat rareified lunar soundscape if you will much like the eye of a hurricane contained within the whirl of the instruments. It is this which I find to be so reminiscent of Babette's Feast. The bleak landscape is only brightened by the trancendental nature of the feast. With Norgard it is the music which carries within itself the trancendental inner core of peace and beauty.It certainly is a challenge to come to grips with this music intellectually but the struggle is well worth it. I approach his other compositions with mixed emotions, trepidation and exhilirating anticipation. I will let readers know what I find but in the meantime this composer has certainly captured my imagination."