Norgard

This Finlandia disc, which sadly never got a US release and is hard to find there, surveys Per Nørgård's works for strings across a broad span of the Danish composer's output, from the 1950s to the 1990s. All of these express the perennial concerns of Nørgård's work: ambiguity, "infererence" and the development of the tonal tradition. Juha Kangas leads the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra.

Celebrating his 80th birthday in 2012, Per Nørgård is undoubtedly one of the most important Danish composers since Nielsen. This disc brings together his two violin concertos as well as the orchestral work Spaces of Time. The music of Helle Nacht (‘bright night’) has several transparent layers, and at each hearing the listener will be able to experience the work differently. The transparency of the music is even more pronounced in the version for chamber orchestra, created especially for Peter Herresthal.

Per Nørgård - String Quartets 7-10
FLAC + CUE + Cover, No Log | 302 MB | RS
Label: Dacapo | Catalog: 8.226059 | Year: 2008

The musicians can play each in their own keys or their own rhythms, but for the listener who encounters the totality what is manifested is a quivering figure, an oscillating but quite clear gesture, in descending or ascending motion or arches. - Liner notes

Celebrating his 90th birthday in 2022, Per Nørgård is undoubtedly one of the most important Danish composers since Nielsen. His important production that covers all genres is a highly personal travel document based on his endless incursions through the sonic labyrinths of this world.

Per Nørgård has been hailed as the leading Danish contemporary composer and has often been described as eclectic. With this recording, the reasons for that will likely be evident both to listeners who are familiar with this celebrated composer and those who are new to his stylings. Nørgård has written in many genres – chamber music, concertos, operas, and orchestral music, including eight symphonies – and has drawn inspiration from a myriad of sources, such as the symphonies of Sibelius and Vagn Holmboe, jazz, artist Adolf Wölfli, and serialism, even taking the latter to a new level with his "infinity row," which, in turn, inspired numerous composers that followed.

Per Nørgård - Symphony No. 3, Concerto in due tempi
APE/CUE + LOG + Booklet | 325 MB | RS
Label: Chandos | Catalog: CHAN 9491 | Year: 1997

Sounds organized in such a fashion are pretty much guaranteed to be aesthetically pleasing, and that's why "Symphony No. 3" (1972-1975) is a veritable triumph. Since the entire work is ingenious sculpted out of these perfect shapes, then I would even dare to say that if someone doesn't enjoy this, they lack a certain humanity. - Christopher Culver, Amazon reviewer

Now considered one of the most significant and influential Danish composers after Carl Nielsen, Per Nørgård has for a long time been one of the most respected names amongst his peers, as well as establishing a strong reputation in Europe and further afield. Extending a line which includes teachers such as Vagn Holmboe and Herman D. Koppel, Nørgård’s work is a mixture of the challenging and the deliciously gorgeous, aspects which are superbly poised in the works on this BIS recording.