Tales from the North – Complete Works for Solo Guitar by Per Nørgård

Stefan Östersjö

A play on words based on the well-known playing card-inspired suite Tales from a hand (Lad kortene fortaelle) has provided the title of this diamond of a double CD containing the complete guitar works of Per Nørgård.

Since 2002, guitarist Stefan Östersjö has been engaged in an artistic research project at the Malmö Academy of Music, in which he has studied his own collaboration with a number of composers. He has devoted many of these studies to one of the most significant composers of our time, Per Nørgård (b. 1932), and his complete works for guitar.

Stefan Östersjö writes in his lengthy introductory essay to this anthology that “musical interpretation is a complex, multi-layered artistic labour…” and that “the work I’ve put into the studies on these CDs has been an important artistic journey for me…” The collaboration between musician and composer begins the process whereby a kind of performance praxis emerges, a creative process which departs from the relationship between the composer and the one interpreting the identity of the work and the meaning of the words.”

The CD was released to coincide with Östersjö’s public defence on 14 October 2008. The artistic research project is entitled SHUT UP ’N’ PLAY! and includes interactive installations and public concerts.

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Show playlist
    • CD 1
      • Libra (version for 10-string guitar) Music: Per Nörgård
        • 1.
          I Preludio
          1'27
        • 2.
          II Aria
          2'03
        • 3.
          III Aria accompagnato
          5'51
        • 4.
          IV Toccata
          3'37
        • 5.
          V Epilogo
          1'53
        • 6.
          VI Postludio
          1'02
      • 7.
        Returns/Genkomster Music: Per Nörgård
        9'34
      • 8.
        Papalagi (version b) Music: Per Nörgård
        10'09
      • Early Morn/Morgenstund (Five Preludes to a Serenade) Music: Per Nörgård
        • 9.
          I Lyssnen Music: Per Nörgård
          2'06
        • 10.
          II Lytten
          1'22
        • 11.
          III Noch sanft von Schlaf
          1'51
        • 12.
          Opvågnen
          0'50
        • 13.
          V Scherzo depressivo. Almindelig morgensang/Morgensang med..
          3'08
        • 14.
          VI Serenade
          2'15
      • 15.
        In Memory of...version for 10 string guitar Music: Per Nörgård
        10'02
    • CD 2
      • 1.
        Rondino Amorino Music: Per Nörgård
        3'12
      • 2.
        Papalagi version a, for guitar and clockwork Music: Per Nörgård
        10'10
      • Lad kortene fortaelle (Tales From a Hand) Suite I, ”Spar Konge, Dame og Es” Music: Per Nörgård
        • 3.
          I Spar Konge Music: Per Nörgård
          1'08
        • 4.
          II Spar Dame
          1'27
        • 5.
          III Spar Es
      • Suite II Hjerterdametur
        • 6.
          I Høvisk dans
          1'50
        • 7.
          II Unhøvisk motiv (med variationer)
          6'00
      • Suite III: Klør mellem Jokere
        • 8.
          I Ubundet (Klør 1)
          1'10
        • 9.
          II Første Cadence (en Joker)
          1'40
        • 10.
          III Forenet (Klør 2)
          1'30
        • 11.
          IV Anden Cadence (En Joker til!)
          1'58
        • 12.
          V Ophøjet! (Klør 3)
          2'02
      • Suite IV: Da Ruder Konge var Knægt
        • 13.
          I Presentation: Så er jeg på!
          3'18
        • 14.
          II På sporet
          0'36
        • 15.
          III Kom ud å' leg!
          1'09
        • 16.
          IV“The Entertaining of a Shy Girl”
          2'24
        • 17.
          V På sporet
          0'37
        • 18.
          VI “Sad Eyed Lady. Empathy with a Queen”
          4'52
        • 19.
          VII Af-sporet...
          0'49
        • 20.
          VIII Vendepunktet: ”Den rette” Who are YOU
          3'22
  • Total playtime 110'16

Compact Disc // CAP 22064 // Classical // Releasedate: 15 October, 2008