Torá

Henrik Hellstenius's intense yet unassuming exploration of the interacting worlds of sound and time has spanned more than three decades. That hunger for discovery is perhaps the single most unifying feature across his life and work. It was already forming rapidly in his youth, from his teenage years spent listening to Keith Jarrett and Jan Garbarek to his studies of spectral music with Gerard Grisey in Paris.

When Tora Augestad releases a musical portrait together with the Oslo Philharmonic, there’s nothing less than Kurt Weill, Marcus Paus, and Charles Ives on the menu. Augestad's repertoire for “Portraying Passion” takes the musical qualities of modernist, individualistic composers and places them squarely within the context of the 21st century.

Patton/Tora! Tora! Tora! features some of the modern era's finest orchestral performances. Indeed, The General's March From Patton, a medley of the most dramatic cues from the soundtrack (and not on this CD), is a stirring piece that ranks with the 1812 Overture (by Tchaikovsky) and Fireworks Music (by Handel) as a power classic. The CD does feature all of the elements of the medley along with some cues and incidental music that were not used in the score. As a bonus, this disc also features some of the music from Tora! Tora! Tora!. While neither soundtrack is presented in its entirety, the music is ample evidence of Jerry Goldsmith's reputation as one of Hollywood's film music composers. This CD is an excellent addition to any orchestral collection – classical and/or contemporary.