Helene Gjerris - Per Nørgård: Songs from Evening Land (2012) CD-Rip

Per Nørgård (b. 1932) is regarded by many as Denmark's greatest living composer, with some of his music being hard edged and difficult to approach. This music on this disc will not suit everyone, it is quite difficult to understand where the composer is going at times, and in the case of the "Plutonian Ode", which is for soprano and solo cello, I found little to like, perhaps it is because the first two sections are for recitation, but I found it just grates with me! This is not to say that there isn't anything to like here, on the contrary, the disc opens with his "Two Recitatives Op. 16" which sets texts by the Swedish poet, playwright and novelist, Pär Fabian Lagerkvist. They are scored for alto and obbligato and the interplay between Gjerris and the cellist Torke Møldrup is wonderful. The composer's settings of the French poets, Paul Éluard and Arthur Rimbaud, is quite effective, as is his handling of Ted Hughes' "A Kill", with its short staccato like music seeming to suit the words well, although I am not too sure of setting of Shakespeare's "How Silver-sweet Sound" from Romeo and Juliet. It is however, the work which gives this disc its title, "Sånger från 'Aftonland'" Op. 17 (Songs from Evening Land), which is the highlight of this disc. It is another setting of Lagerkvist, taken from the same collection of poems as his Op.16, although this time the six poems are divided into three sections and a Prelude to Part 2, and are scored for alto, flute, violin, viola, cello and harp. The frisson between singer and ensemble is excellent and offers the listener some beautiful music making.
Good notes and recorded sound make this a recommendable disc, but only for those who are prepared to work at, and enjoy modern music, with most of the music well worth investigating.