Description
Artists
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Past & Presence is devoted entirely to the orchestral music of Henrik Hellstenius, focusing primarily on vocal works composed for mezzo-soprano Tora Augestad. Hellstenius and Augestad have worked together for many years, from 2005, when the opera Ophelia’s Death By Water Singing (LWC1098) was premiered, to this release. In the album’s magnum opus, “As If The Law Is Everything,” both the music and lyrics were written specifically for Augestad. Together with poet Øyvind Rimbereid, Hellstenius constructed a series of portraits based on Tora Augestad’s singing and stage persona. The work addresses law – laws of society, love and the universe. Augestad interprets various “roles” and scenes in the piece, which is constructed as a song cycle. Rimbereid’s texts were translated into English by May-Brit Akerholt. “Dichterliebe” presents Hellstenius’ newly composed versions of several songs from Robert Schumann’s famous work. Here, Schumann’s lines and Heinrich Heine’s lyrics meet modern instrumentation and compositional flair. Hellstenius evokes his composer’s imagination to interpret these eternal songs in our time. The clarinet concerto “Still Panic” was written for Diego Lucchesi. The work is a journey undertaken in a state of constant flux seized by panic. From a group of hysterically rotating figures, the work unravels into a long, organic form. In the interplay between orchestra and soloist, Diego Lucchesi’s bass clarinet cultivates an expressive quality that ranges from a subliminal and subdued restlessness to an eloquent sense of panic. Henrik Hellstenius is one of Norway’s most distinctive composers, with a career spanning three decades. Hellstenius is always eager to explore and develop his artistic practice, which encompasses everything from opera and dance music to dance, theater, orchestral works and chamber music. |
