Per Nørgård - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6 (John Storgårds)

Information

Composer: Per Nørgård

1. Symphony No. 6 "At the End of the Day": I. Moderato
2. Symphony No. 6 "At the End of the Day": II. Lentissimo
3. Symphony No. 6 "At the End of the Day": III. Allegro energico
4. Symphony No. 2 – In One Movement

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgårds, conductor

Date: 2016
Label: Dacapo

https://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recordings/norgard-symphonies-2-6

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review

The Finnish conductor John Storgårds has just recorded superb accounts of Per Nørgård’s Fourth and Fifth symphonies (review). I suppose one shouldn’t be surprised, given that his association with this composer goes back to a Finnish music festival in 1999; at the time Storgårds was still a violinist who had yet to become a very accomplished baton waver. In that latter capacity he went on to commission Nørgård’s Eighth Symphony, the world-premiere recording of which featured Sakari Oramo and the Wiener Philharmoniker (review). That, coupled with Nørgård‘s Sinfonia austera, is a musical and sonic marvel; indeed, the album was one of my Recordings of the Year in 2014.

I suspect some will fight shy of this music in the mistaken belief that the words ‘Danish’ and ‘contemporary’ add up to an acid bath. Nothing could be further from the truth. For instance Nørgård‘s opera Der göttliche Tivoli, a work that cracks a window on creativity and madness, has a deep humanity that alternately lifts the spirit and pummels the heart (review). We have Dacapo to thank for these splendid releases, all of which should appeal to those who want a challenge that includes a substantial reward at the end; as for audiophiles, they will know this label prides itself on top-notch sonics.

In the 1960s Nørgård broke the serial logjam with his ‘infinite series’, which managed to combine accessibility with what Jens Cornelius calls ‘modernist rigour’. It’s a fascinating concept that’s very well explained in the liner-notes. Indeed, it underpins the one-movement Second Symphony, composed in 1970 and revised a year later. It’s a startling piece, beamed in as if from a distant universe; it also calls for sustained concentration and a rock-solid technique, both of which the Oslo Philharmonic supply at every turn.

This radiant and all-encompassing sound world is truly celestial in character, and the tonal sophistication of this recording – engineered by Mikkel Nymand and Mette Due – is frankly formidable. No, this isn’t musical wallpaper: the symphony has a strong narrative – a Scheherazade-like compulsion – that enthralls to the end. Part of the work’s allure is its striking juxtapositions and subtle, intertwined rhythms, all of which create a finely honed, light-pulsing soundscape. As one might expect from all this wizardry the upshot is something quite wonderful.

Norgård’s Sixth Symphony, a millennial commission from three Scandinavian orchestras – the DNSO, the Oslo Phil and the Gothenburg Symphony – is a Puckish piece, witty and playful. And despite its subtitle there’s nothing clichéd about this music; it’s particoloured and packed with incident, the orchestration as vivid as it is virtuosic. The range of sonorities is impressive, its explosions arresting; and then there’s that familiar sense of other music filtered through a bespoke lens. I remarked on the Mahlerian echoes in the Fifth, and I fancy there are some here as well. After all, Mahler straddled another artistic divide – that between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries – but there’s a felicity and rhythmic fluidity to Nørgård’s Sixth that is more about openness than angst.

Not only that, there’s a delight in this propulsive din that’s hard to resist. Once again the sheer novelty of the work’s harmonic strands and sound blocks is a joy to behold. Also, the material is cannily structured and judiciously worked, so there’s much to engage the ear and mind. Even the slow, dark-hued central movement has commendable energy and purpose, while the restless, often jazzy finale brings to mind the urban landscapes of Bernstein and Daugherty; there’s even something of Ives in those contrary tunes and cross-rhythms. The all-important low brass are especially well recorded and the soundstage is both deep and wide.

There’s very little competition here. Jorma Panula and the Aarhus Symphony recorded No. 2 in 1986 (Point Classics 5070), as did Leif Segerstam and the Danish National Radio SO in 1995 (Chandos CHAN9450). Thomas Dausgaard and the DNRSO set down the only other recording of No. 6 in 2001 (CHAN9904). The Segerstam Second is leaner and less colourful than Storgårds’, but the bells and big moments are still mighty impressive. As with the Fifth he displays a masterly grasp of the work’s architecture. His account of the Second is coupled with the Sinfonia austera.

Dausgaard’s Sixth, pithily precise, has its own rewards; the recording is pin sharp and there’s pleasing mix of detail and weight. Indeed, this is one of those Vesalian performances, where the flesh is flayed to expose the veins and sinew beneath the skin. Despite this surgical approach the symphony evolves naturally, emerging as a complex but coherent whole. Excellent playing, very good engineering by Jorn Jacobsen and a fine pairing – Terrain Vagues – complete a most desirable release. And that’s why I suggest anyone interested in these wonderful scores acquire all these recordings; there is so much to explore, and one’s excursions are made all the more interesting by the contrasting landscapes on offer here.

Another triumph for John Storgårds and the Oslo Phil; spectacular sound, too.

-- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

More reviews:
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/n%C3%B8rg%C3%A5rd-symphonies-nos-2-4-5-6
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/15/norgard-symphonies-cd-review-oslo-philharmonic-orchestra-storgards-da-capo
http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=13890
https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/per-norgard-symphonies-nos-2-4-5-6-oslo-philharmonic/
https://www.allmusic.com/album/per-n%C3%B8rg%C3%A5rd-symphonies-nos-2-6-mw0002942477
https://www.amazon.com/Norgard-Symphonies-Oslo-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B01E6B1958

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Per Nørgård (born 13 July 1932 in Gentofte, Denmark) is a Danish composer. He studied with Vagn Holmboe at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and subsequently with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Nørgård has composed works in all major genres: six operas, two ballets, eight symphonies and other pieces for orchestra, several concertos, choral and vocal works, a very large number of chamber works and several solo instrumental works. Nørgård's music often features the use of the infinity series, a method takes its name from the endlessly self-similar nature of the resulting musical material.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_N%C3%B8rg%C3%A5rd

***

John Storgårds (born 20 October 1963 in Helsinki) is a Finnish violinist and conductor. Storgårds studied violin with Esther Raitio and Jouko Ignatius, and study conducting with Jorma Panula and Eri Klas at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He was Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2015. Storgårds was also Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 to 2009. He has made a number of international recordings for Ondine, Sony and BIS Records, including recordings of music by Andrzej Panufnik, John Corigliano, and Per Nørgård..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Storg%C3%A5rds
http://www.johnstorgards.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLAC, tracks

Links in comment

Enjoy!