The music of
Per Nørgård sounds unlike that of quite any other composer. His aesthetics have developed and evolved over his long career, starting in the 1950s, but his uses of the vocabularies of contemporary composition have always borne the distinctive stamp of his fecund and innovative imagination. The three vocal works recorded here date from the mid-'70s, at a time when he used what he describes as an "infinity series," a formula for generating pitches related to fractal geometry, that, while fully chromatic, creates an easily discernible, free-floating tonality and the possibility of long-breathed melodic lyricism. In Nova Genitura, for soprano, violin, cello, lute, recorders, harpsichord, and crotales; Seadrift, for soprano, violin, cello, Baroque guitar recorders, crumhorn, percussion, and harpsichord; and Fons Laetitiae for soprano and harp,
Nørgård, in a musical language as individual, mystical and sensual as
Messiaen's, weaves fabrics of exquisite delicacy and ethereality. The melodies are often as simple and straightforwardly appealing as those of the "holy minimalists," but the timbral eccentricity and otherworldly harmony of the accompaniments add layers of mystery that set the music apart from that of any other composer. Soprano
Bente Vist gives a breathtaking performance; she sings angelically, with piercing purity, and makes
Nørgård's stratospheric, punishingly extended lines seem like effortless emanations. The instrumental ensemble plays with comparable virtuosity and radiance. Dacapo's sound perfectly captures the luminosity of the music and the performances. Highly recommended.