Posts Tagged ‘ Esbjerg ’

Vor Frelsers Kirkes Kor, Esbjerg: Rachmaninov Vesper op. 37, Nïne otpushchayeshï

January 19, 2012

Sergei Rachmaninovs (1873-1943) Vesper fra 1915 er blevet fremhævet af mange som hans bedste værk. Det var også en af komponistens egne foretrukne, og han bad at den skulle synges til hans begravelse. Rachmaninov byggedei sit Vesper-Messe på gamle Russisk hymner men gav dem sin egen musikalske fortolkning. Det er meditativ og beroligende musick praget af skønne harmonier. Rachmaninov Vesper op. 37, Nïne otpushchayeshï sunget her ved Vor Frelsers Kirkes Kor, Esbjerg, tenor solo Jacob Heide Madsen, dirigent Mikkel Andreassen.

markfromireland

Kilde: Rachmaninov Vesper op. 37, Nïne otpushchayeshï – YouTube Uploaded by AndreassenMikkel on Aug 29, 2011

Treenighedskirkens Drengekor – Domine, non secundum – César Franck

By markfromireland

August 23, 2011

The boys of Treenighedskirkens Drengekor, Esbjerg, Denmark, (Holy Trinity Church Boys' Choir, Esbjerg, Denmark) singing César Franck's 'Domine, non secundum'. Although it's very popular with choirs here on the continent for some reason it's a piece that seems to have fallen out of favour with choirs in the English speaking world. I've no idea why, it's a very nice setting by Franck of some verses from Psalm 103. A nice setting with nice harmonics, not too challenging but it still showcases what a choir can do if they put their minds to it such as in this performance by the Treenighedskirkens Drengekor.

Treenighedskirkens Drengekor is a choir whose singing I've a lot of time for and have featured here before (see Saturday Chorale: Niels W. Gade | I Østen stiger Solen op | Københavns Drengekor). They were started in 1964 by Per Günther who was the organist at Treenighed kirk in Esbjerg. During his 25 year tenure as the choir's director the choir established itself firmly as a choir with high standards and a repertoire that went far beyond Danish psalmody and hymns. (It was Günther who introduced the English Service of Nine Readings and Carols to Denmark for example). The choir's current director is Lone Gisliinge who was appointed in 1990, their repertoire ranges from the renaissance to modern composers and some secular music, with the main emphasis on works by Palestrina, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Haydn, Mozart, Stanford, Fauré, Nielsen, and Holmboe. Their concerts and broadcasts are popular and they undertake a tour each year.

This recording of Franck's 'Domine, non secundum' is from the choir's 2007 CD "For Lo I Raise Up" recorded at Logumkloster. I hope you'll enjoy this recording as much as I do. They sing the piece very tenderly and with that clarity of tone that's so much a feature of Danish choral singing. The photo I've used to illustrate the video was taken during the recording sessions. The video together with lyrics and translations both to Danish and to English are below the fold. Enjoy :-).

markfromireland

Click here to listen to the music and read the rest of the posting ...

Saturday Chorale: Niels W. Gade | I Østen stiger Solen op | Københavns Drengekor

By markfromireland

March 12, 2011

The first time I heard Niels Wiggo. Gade's "Elverskud" ("The Elf King's Daughter") I fell in love. Gade (1817 - 1890) was a Danish composer who together with his contemporary and musical partner J.P.E. Hartmann set the tone of Danish music for fifty years. He taught both Grieg and Nielsen and you can hear his influence throughout their works. (If you like Nielsen and Grieg try listening to some of Gade's stuff I've put one playlist of his first symphony, and another of his overture "Efterklange af Ossian" ("Echoes of Ossian") at the bottom of the post).

Gade started out as Nationalist-Romantic composer, his First Symphony and the overture "Efterklange af Ossian" (Echoes of Ossian) are prime examples of Danish National-Romantic composition. (Don't let that put you off, it didn't put Mendelssohn off). Gade and his music were taken up by Mendelssohn with enthusiasm. Mendelssohn gave Gade's first symphony its first performance, and subsequently became his firm friend and musical mentor. Under Mendelssohn's influence Gade abandoned National-Romanticism in favour of a more classicised Romanticism — a style he stuck with for the remainder of his life.

Actually, that's not quite true, he reverted to Danish National-Romanticism for his choral work "Elverskud" (The Elf King's Daughter) which surely ranks as one of the best loved pieces Danish music of all time. The libretto by Edmund Lobedanz tells the story of a young bridegroom who was bewitched into visiting the elves in their hill. His visit takes place the night before his wedding and he manages to resist the enchantments laid on him by the Elf King's daughter. Infuriated by his successful resistance she lays a spell on him that so weakens him that he drops dead while greeting his wedding guests. Lobedanz used several old Danish folk ballads in his libretto and that, coupled with the fact that Gade scored it to be well within the capabalities of Danish orchestras and choral societies of his era, ensured its success and enduring popularity.

I've picked three performances of "Morgensang" ("Morning Song"), which every Dane calls "I Østen stiger Solen op" ("The Sun rises from the East") for you to enjoy. The first is by the Copenhagen Boys Choir (Københavns Drengekor) it's a nice performance rich and smooth. But to be truthful, I've picked their performance mostly because of very happy memories of attending their concerts. The second performance I've picked is by the Herning Kirkes drengekor it works really well both musically and as a video, but the third and final performance is my favourite it's performed by the Treenighedskirkens Drengekor in Esbjerg (Church of the Holy Trinity Boys Choir, Esbjerg). It's from their last performance of their Summer 2010 tour of England and was performed in St Mary Magdalene Church, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, and it's very beautiful singing.

Lyrics are below the fold. Enjoy :-)

markfromireland

Click here to listen to the music and read the rest of the posting ...