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Cover: The Lights of Heaven

The Lights of Heaven

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra · Kari Pappinen · Pirkko Järvelä · Ritva Talvitie

2009 · ABCD 269

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Credits

Conductors and other contributors
Juha Kangas — Conductor

About this release

"Nordgren's main work brings the myths to the present day. Taivaanvalot is an exceptional large-scale work already because of its special performance composition: horn, hissing tree, lepen board, saman drum, juihiko, five-string and 36-string kantels, children's and mixed choir, soprano and tenor soloist, harpsichord and piano together with a classical chamber orchestra reinforced with percussion instruments. The work has been performed a few times now captured on record in all its power."
Helsingin Sanomat / Jukka Isopuro

Tracks

  1. 1.Introductioncomp. Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)ISRC FIABA08004923:05
  2. 2.Yön ja päivän lintu (The Bird of Night and Day)comp. Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)ISRC FIABA080049314:43
  3. 3.Kuunnielijäin karkotusmenot (The Banishing of the Moon Swallower)comp. Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)ISRC FIABA08004947:08
  4. 4.Pahan voimat kätkevät valot Manalan uumeniin (The Forces of Evil Hide the Lights in the Depths of the Underworld)comp. Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)ISRC FIABA08004956:41
  5. 5.Auringon, kuun ja tähtien vapauttaminen (The Freeing of the Sun, Moon and Stars)comp. Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)ISRC FIABA080049614:46
  6. 6.Intermezzo – Taivaankappaleiden kosminen tanssi (Intermezzo – The Cosmic Dance of the Heavenly Bodies) for singer, bowed lyre & sampled tapecomp. Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)ISRC FIABA08004977:12

Reviews

  • Happily, our soprano soloist, Merja Wirkkala, is superb in voice control, pitch, diction and musicianship, thus contributing rather than detracting from the whole.

    The Art Music Lounge · Lynn René Bayley ·

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  • ” Nordgrenin pääteos noutaa myytit nykyaikaan. Taivaanvalot on poikkeuksellinen suurteos jo erikoisen esityskokoonpanonsa vuoksi: pukinsarvia, suhistuspuu, lepenälauta, samaanirumpu, jouhikko, viisikielisiä ja 36-kielisiä kanteleita, lapsi- ja sekakuoro, sopraano- ja tenorisolisti, cembalo ja piano yhdessä lyömäsoittimin vahvistetun klassisen kamariorkesterin kanssa. Muutaman kerran esitetty teos on nyt saatu levylle kaikessa voimassaan.”

    Jukka Isopuro · Helsingin Sanomat

  • Fascinerande himlabro från urtid till nutid

    ”Pehr Henrik Nodrgrens Taivaanvalot är, som Kalevi Aho även understryker i sin utmärkta verkpresentation, inte bara ett av Nordgrens centrala verk utan ett unikum i finländsk musikhistoria. Inget har låtit så här, vare sig förr eller senare.”

    Mats

    HBL · Mats Liljeroos

  • Nordgren’s Taivaanvalot Op.63 (“The Lights

    of Heaven”) is based on the Kalevala. It turns its back

    on heroic - and not so heroic - deeds and instead focuses on

    those parts of the epic dealing with the myth of Creation. In

    doing so it taps into universal echoes throughout the world. “My

    intention was not therefore nationalistic” (P. H.

    MusicWeb International

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Details

Catalogue number
ABCD 269
EAN
6417513102697
Recording year
1999
Release year
2009
Format
CD

Categories

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