John Persen: Over Cross and Crown
MIC’s Listen to Norway series continues with John Persen’s monumental work 'Over Cross and Crown'.
This monumental work is based on a huge opera written by John Persen, a composer of Saami origin hailing from the Finnmark County. ‘Over Cross and Crown’ depicts the Kautokeino uprising in 1852 – a revolt among the Saami population directed against the oppressive representatives of the central Norwegian government the local sheriff, priest and alcohol vendor. The original opera took ten years of Persen’s life to compose, this recorded work is an updated version performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under the leadership of conductor Christian Eggen, who tackle the difficult and complex passages masterfully. The orchestra and its conductor add colour to a gigantic orchestral drama that shakes and tears the listener through violent sonorous cascades and propel you into a world of beautiful melodic lines that are torn apart.
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Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
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