Nordic Voices

February 2, 2008 at 8pm

Tone Elisabeth Braaten, soprano
Ingrid Hanken, soprano
Ebba Rydh, mezzo soprano
Per Kristian Amundrød, tenor
Frank Havrøy, baritone
Trond Olav Reinholdtsen, bass  

Reges Terrae

Reges terrae 
Pierre de Manchicourt (1510 - 1564)

Regina caeli
Christobal Morales (1512 – 1553)

Laudate Dominum
Pierre de Manchicourt

Ave Maris Stella
Trond Kverno (b. 1945 )

Exaltata est
Christobal Morales

INTERMISSION

O Virgo Virginum
Pierre de Manchicourt

O Magnum Mysterium
Clemens non Papa (ca. 1510 - 1555 or 1556)

O Magnum Mysterium
Henrik Ødegaard (b. 1955)

Hei mihi
Domine Guerrero (1528 - 1599)

O Magnum Mysterium
Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963)

Reges Terrae

Carlos V was the last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He ruled from 1519 to 1556, and at the peak of his power he governed an area covering Spain, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, parts of France, Italy, and North Africa, and the newly conquered South America. His period as ruler was marked by wars on all fronts against Protestants, and against Turkish Muslims; and his deeply religious Catholic Spain was the setting for the infamous Inquisition. It was only towards the end of Carlos' life that he accepted that his dream of conquering the entire world would not be fulfilled, and he retired to a monastery to prepare for a buen morir .

Carlos V had a gentler side: his uncompromising thirst for power went hand in hand with an exceptional interest in art. His sponsorship of musicians and composers from all over Europe, who came and worked at his court, laid the foundations of the so-called “Golden Age” of Spanish Renaissance music. In stark contrast to the bloody politics of contemporary life, this church music was amazingly harmonious and beautiful. For example, Pierre de Manchicourt's motet "The Ruler of the World" was written for both God and for Carlos in his position as ruler. Cristobal Morales, the great 14 th century master of vocal music in Spain, wrote wonderful intertwined melodies and solemn harmonies that were later admired and imitated by both Palestrina and Victoria. In the Netherlands at the time, both economy and artistic life were flourishing, and composers like Nicolas Gombert and Clemens Non Papa (who got his surname to stress that he was not the other Clemens, the Pope) were among the most prolific composers of the day. In the music of this period, the broad-sounding six-voice texture was put to full use, sometimes in an almost Brahmsian chordal fullness. With such an overwhelming arsenal of sounding Divinity, it is maybe not so strange that Carlos felt that he had the support of God in his fight against heretics all over the world. -- Trond Olav Reinholdtsen

(NB: 2008 is the 450 th anniversary of the death of Carlos V.)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Nordic Voices

Tone Elisabeth Braaten, soprano * Ingrid Hanken, soprano * Ebba Rydh, mezzo-soprano
Per Kristian Amundrød, tenor * Frank Havrøy, baritone * Trond Olav Reinholdtsen, bass

Nordic Voices is a six-voice a cappella ensemble whose singing is a blend of the solo and the unified, the analytical and the affectionate. Their vast repertoire ranges from medieval to modern music, featuring works of composers from Orlando di Lasso and Monteverdi to Ligeti and Messiaen. They are dedicated to different and exciting programming, and their programs always follow a specific concept. Their performance style is smart and stylish, employing a playful yet sophisticated approach that enhances their already remarkable singing.

Since its formation in 1996, Nordic Voices has toured extensively in Norway and abroad, performing at major festivals and on prestigious series. One of Norway 's best-loved ensembles, they tour throughout the country and have garnered considerable acclaim through frequent radio and television appearances. In 1996 they made their international debut in Edinburgh , Scotland in a concert with the renowned French Ensemble Clèment Janaquin. Since then, they have performed in South Africa , Lithuania , Latvia , Estonia , Spain (where they won two first prizes at a vocal competition in Tolosa in 1999), Germany , Finland , Sweden , Iceland , and the USA .

In addition to their acclaimed performances of early, classical and romantic repertoire, Nordic Voices is known for championing 20 th Century and new music. Not only do they include works of Ligeti, Messiaen, Berio, Petrassi, Webern, Nielsen, Reger, Schoenberg, and Poulenc in their programming, but they also have commissioned and performed many new works. Nordic Voices has also been involved with several interdisciplinary projects, including a performance of music accompanying a film projection of paintings by Henry Darger and Joe Coleman at the Bergen International Festival in Spring 2001; performances with the National Ballet of Norway in a new work, “Kyrie and Gloria,” written for the ensemble by Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk; a documentary music video made by young composer Lars Petter Hagen; and a series of concerts entitled “The Chamber Tone of the Body” in collaboration with jazz pianist Mikhail Alperin and the Norwegian author Lars Saabye Christensen.

Nordic Voices' first commercial CD, “Sense and nonSense” was released by Jonathan Digital Recordings in late 2002. The CD celebrates a focus on different approaches toward text in vocal music, from the use of abstract phonemes to pictorial storytelling. Scheduled for release this coming fall on Chandos is a CD of early music, “Reges Terrae” featuring works of Morales, Manchicourt, Gombert, and Clemens non Papa.

Nordic Voices' 2006 US tours included concerts in St. Paul , Duluth , and at the National Gallery of Art in Washington , DC . The ensemble's appearances in 2006 also included festivals in France , Greece and the final concert at Oslo 's Ultima Festival, Norway 's largest contemporary music festival. Other recent events include a concert at the Ilios Festival of Contemporary Music in Harstad, Norway for amplified voices and live electronics called “Nordic Voices Plugged;” the ensemble's Japanese debut in Kyoto, where it represented Norway at the 7 th World Symposium on Choral Music; a performance at the SEMF Festival for Early Music in Stockholm combining early and modern music; a collaboration with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra; a Canadian tour starting with the Soundstreams/Northern Encounters Festival; and the project ”Concresence,” a collaboration with six composers and three voice experts in the fields of microtonal Norwegian folk music, Tuvan overtone and subharmonic singing traditions, and contemporary singing studies to develop new performance techniques and new repertoire.

Upcoming events include a concert with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, concerts in Berlin and Munich, visits to several Norwegian Festivals, and North American tours including visits to Calgary, Vancouver, Washington, D.C., and cities in Maine, Vermont, Kansas and Alberta.

Based in Norway , the members of Nordic Voices were educated at the State Academy of Music in Oslo and the National Academy of Operatic Art in Oslo , where they specialized in opera, composition, church music, choir conducting and pedagogy.