Klinge skal et jubelkor by Oslo Domkor

Various composers

Oslo Domkor

Klinge skal et jubelkor

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: Lawo Classics
UPC: 7090020182940
Catnr: LWC 1272
Release date: 24 November 2023
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Label
Lawo Classics

UPC
7090020182940

Catalogue number
LWC 1272

Release date
24 November 2023

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

The annual Christmas concert series at Oslo Cathedral, ‘Klinge skal et jubelkor’, has long been a highlight of the pre-Christmas period in Norway’s capital city. Once every year, all of the choirs associated with the cathedral come together to perform a programme of Christmas music, from the youngest fledglings in the boys’ choir to the veteran choristers who have sung at the cathedral their whole lives. Together with brass, timpani, harp, and two organs, the choirs perform Christmas carols central to the traditions of the Church of Norway.

For more than a century, Oslo Cathedral has been an important centre for choral music, and some of the greatest works in the history of Norwegian church music were given their first performance here. The architect behind the cathedral’s rich offering of choirs was Terje Kvam, who became Cantor (choirmaster) at the cathedral in 1982. With tireless passion and ambition for sacred choral music, Kvam founded the adult Cathedral Choir, the Youth Choir, the Boys’ Choir, the Girls’ Choir, and the Consortium Vocale, which performs medieval plainchant. Ever since, the cathedral has been a flourishing centre for the performance of choral music, where all age groups are represented.

Considering this, it made perfect sense to bring all of the choirs together for an annual Christmas concert. Over time, the concert series generated its own traditions by utilising all areas of the cathedral’s cruciform design (the form of the Holy Cross). In the first half of the concert, the choirs stand separately in the four wings of the cathedral (the nave, north and south parts of the transept, and the chancel) recalling the multi-choir sound of great Italian churches circa 1600. Later in the programme, all of the choirs process towards the chancel, where they sing the most famous Christmas carols, culminating in the much-loved Norwegian carol ‘Deilig er Jorden’ (‘Pleasant is the Earth’). Composer Trond H.F. Kverno reworked several carols to be used in the annual Christmas programme, including powerful settings of the medieval carol ‘Resonet in Laudibus’ to the Norwegian text ‘Klinge skal et jubelkor’ and the Norwegian folk tune ‘I denne søte juletid’—these arrangements have always formed part of the programme. The inclusion of Widor’s famous Toccata for organ also became inextricable from the yearly concerts.

This recording of Oslo Cathedral’s Christmas programme demonstrates that the cathedral continues to thrum with its rich musical tradition. Vivianne Sydnes, who succeeded Kvam as Choirmaster in 2015, has brought the quality of the cathedral’s choral music to new heights. While maintaining a strong sense of tradition, Sydnes has invigorated and developed the musical activities of the cathedral.

The album begins with ‘Veni, redemptor gentium’ (‘Come, Saviour of mankind’), an ancient church hymn for Advent and Christmastide. Bringing new generations together to sing these ancient melodies is one of the finest and most meaningful things a church can do. The concert culminates triumphantly with the last verse of ‘Deilig er jorden’, where the choirs sing of the Angels’ wish for peace from Bethlehem: ‘Fred over jorden, menneske, fryd deg! Oss er en evig Frelser født’ (‘Peace on Earth, men, rejoice! Unto us a Saviour is born’).

– Kåre Nordstoga,
Organist at Oslo Cathedral

Artist(s)

Vivianne Sydnes

Vivianne Sydnes is Cantor (choirmaster) at Oslo Cathedral and artistic director of Oslo Cathedral Choir. She regularly directs both unaccompanied choral repertoire and large-scale compositions for choir and orchestra, and has given world premieres of compositions by Lasse Thoresen, Torbjørn Dyrud, Andrew Smith, B. Morten Christophersen, and Gisle Kverndokk among others. Her work with the choir has enhanced the choir’s reputation and position in the musical life of Norway, and she is involved in developing the Church of Norway’s cultural and liturgical programme. Sydnes is a Professor of Choral Conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She is responsible for the undergraduate programme in Choral Conducting at the Academy and teaches students on the Church Music programme. She has...

Vivianne Sydnes is Cantor (choirmaster) at Oslo Cathedral and artistic director of Oslo Cathedral Choir. She regularly directs both unaccompanied choral repertoire and large-scale compositions for choir and orchestra, and has given world premieres of compositions by Lasse Thoresen, Torbjørn Dyrud, Andrew Smith, B. Morten Christophersen, and Gisle Kverndokk among others. Her work with the choir has enhanced the choir’s reputation and position in the musical life of Norway, and she is involved in developing the Church of Norway’s cultural and liturgical programme.
Sydnes is a Professor of Choral Conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She is responsible for the undergraduate programme in Choral Conducting at the Academy and teaches students on the Church Music programme. She has also developed a free web-based educational resource for choral conductors, accessible at vivianne.no. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Church Music from the Norwegian Academy of Music and a Master’s diploma in Choral Conducting from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Between 2002 and 2012 Sydnes was Cantor at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim and has previously conducted Oslo-based chamber choir Kammerkoret NOVA and the Norwegian National Youth Choir. She is regularly engaged as a guest conductor by choirs in Norway, including the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, and elsewhere in Europe.
Sydnes has directed several recordings, including Nidaros Cathedral Choir’s recording of “Out of Darkness” by Tor-bjørn Dyrud, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 in the category ‘Best Choral Performance’.
A dedicated and admired conductor, Sydnes is widely recognised for her ability to bring out the best in singers. She is well known for her insightful engagement with the music and for her powerful performances that remain in the memories of students, performers, and audiences alike.

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Oslo Domkor

Consortium Vocale Oslo

Consortium Vocale Oslo, founded in 1985, is a male vocal ensemble based at Oslo Cathedral. Since 1998 the ensemble has specialized in Gregorian chant under the direction of Alexander M. Schweitzer. Under Schweitzer’s guidance the group has dedicated itself to the palaeographic study of medieval manuscripts, to an appropriation of the theological-spiritual dimension of the Gregorian repertoire, and to an interpretation of Gregorian chant according to semiological principles.
The collaboration with Schweitzer has led to numerous performances in Norway and Europe. In 2003 and 2015 Consortium Vocale Oslo was invited to perform at conferences held by AISCGre, the International Association for Studies of Gregorian Chant. In 2004 the ensemble was awarded first prize in the prestigious Guido d’Arezzo International Choir Competition in the category for Christian plainchant, as well as the “Domenico Cieri” special prize. In 2008 the ensemble received the Guidoneum Award presented by the Fondazione Guido d’Arezzo for outstanding artistic achievements in the field of Gregorian chant. Activities in subsequent years have included concerts in Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Slovakia, Italy, the Vatican, and Greece, and appearances with Trio Mediaeval, Berit Opheim and Kåre Nordstoga, among others.

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Oslo Domkirkes Guttekor

Oslo Cathedral Choir is a pioneering organisation in Norwegian church music, whose reputation is a result of thoughtful programming and consistent effort towards development over the choir’s forty-year history. The choir was established in its present format by Terje Kvam, who was succeeded as Choirmaster by Vivianne Sydnes in 2015. At around forty singers strong, the choir is very active and makes around eighty appearances each year in concerts, festivals, and cathedral services—frequently in collaboration with professional soloists, musicians, and orchestras. The choir is known for its performances of large-scale sacred compositions (often with orchestra) within regular cathedral services. Also important to the ensemble is the continuation of Norway’s musical heritage, and the choir’s many recordings often draw on the...

Oslo Cathedral Choir is a pioneering organisation in Norwegian church music, whose reputation is a result of thoughtful programming and consistent effort towards development over the choir’s forty-year history. The choir was established in its present format by Terje Kvam, who was succeeded as Choirmaster by Vivianne Sydnes in 2015. At around forty singers strong, the choir is very active and makes around eighty appearances each year in concerts, festivals, and cathedral services—frequently in collaboration with professional soloists, musicians, and orchestras. The choir is known for its performances of large-scale sacred compositions (often with orchestra) within regular cathedral services. Also important to the ensemble is the continuation of Norway’s musical heritage, and the choir’s many recordings often draw on the rich treasury of Norwegian church hymns.
Thanks to its work in broadcasting and upholding sacred musical traditions from Norway and abroad, Oslo Cathedral Choir has taken root as one of the foremost institutions in Norwegian church music. Through its activities, the choir reaches out to many parts of society and preserves an important part of Norway’s cultural heritage for future generations.

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Trefoldighet Jentekor

Oslo Domkirkes Ungdomskor

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Sindre Hugo Bjerkestrand (conductor)

Edle Stray-Pedersen (conductor)

David Maiwald (conductor)

Kåre Nordstoga (organ)

Kåre Nordstoga is considered to be one of the foremost concert organists in Europe. He made his debut in 1978 in Oslo Cathedral, where he became Assistant Organist in 1984, and taught for a time at the Norwegian Academy of Music before becoming the cathedral’s full-time Organist in 1994. Nordstoga has released several solo recordings and has participated in a number of releases. As a highly valued accompanist and soloist, he regularly collaborates with some of Norway’s best-known musicians, and is invited to give solo performances on the largest and most renowned organs in Europe. In 2016 Nordstoga was appointed by His Majesty The King of Norway as a Knight (first class) of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olaf...

Kåre Nordstoga is considered to be one of the foremost concert organists in Europe. He made his debut in 1978 in Oslo Cathedral, where he became Assistant Organist in 1984, and taught for a time at the Norwegian Academy of Music before becoming the cathedral’s full-time Organist in 1994. Nordstoga has released several solo recordings and has participated in a number of releases. As a highly valued accompanist and soloist, he regularly collaborates with some of Norway’s best-known musicians, and is invited to give solo performances on the largest and most renowned organs in Europe. In 2016 Nordstoga was appointed by His Majesty The King of Norway as a Knight (first class) of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olaf for his contribution to Norwegian church music.

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Teodor Berg (percussion)

Sidsel Walstad (harp)

Harpist Sidsel Walstad describes playing Ginastera’s harp concerto as “climbing a mountain.” Whether it feels like that for most harpists, Walstad has the best qualifications for tackling Ginastera’s demanding rhythms and complexity. As solo harpist in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra she is exposed to a wide variaty of genres, compositions and arrangements that take the harp far from classical music’s beaten path.
Sidsel also does this of her own accord, as, for example, when she collaborates on electric harp with percussionists, expanding her repertoire and the boundaries of what a harp is good for.
Just as Walstad is in frequent demand as a classical musician in concerts and at festivals in Norway and abroad, the list of artists she has worked with in pop, jazz and folk music, among others, is strikingly long — and she is likewise a groovy principal artist with her electric harp over her shoulder.
Walstad studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, the University of Indiana, and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. She was Principal Harp with the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet Orchestra before she accepted the much sought-after soloist position with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK), with which she performs a broad stylistic palette. In her continuing encounters with new composers and arrangers, she shares invaluable knowledge of how a harp can be used and ought to sound.
In the harp concerto she comes face to face with her own personality, delighting in the contrasts and especially the rhythmic quality — the dance. And it doesn’t hurt to have danced ballet when playing a malambo …

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Marcus André Berg (organ)

Tormod Åsgård (trumpet)

Gry Aubert Bang (trumpet)

Marie Nøkleby Hanssen (trombone)

Joar Lemme (trombone)

Silje Haugan (violin)

Guro Asheim (violin)

Inga Byrkjeland (cello)

Vivian Ellefsen (flute)

Composer(s)

Max Reger

Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 1873 – 11 May 1916) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher. Born in Brand, Bavaria, Reger studied music in Munich and Wiesbaden with Hugo Riemann. From September 1901 he settled in Munich, where he obtained concert offers and where his rapid rise to fame began. During his first Munich season, Reger appeared in ten concerts as an organist, chamber pianist and accompanist. He continued to compose without interruption. From 1907 he worked in Leipzig, where he was music director of the universityuntil 1908 and professor of composition at the conservatory until his death. In 1911 he moved to Meiningen where he got the position of Hofkapellmeister at the court of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1915 he moved to Jena, commuting once a week to teach in Leipzig. He died in May 1916 on...

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Andrew Smith

Charles-Marie Widor

His father was organist in the St-François-de-Sales church and his grandfather was a builder of organs for the Callinet firm, and so the young Charles-Marie received organ lessons from an early age. He did so well that at the age of 11, he could already replace his father at the church organ. In 1863, he moved to Brussels to study with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens at the request of the French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Widor moved to Paris in 1870, where he became the titular organist of the Saint-Sulpice, again aided by Cavaillé-Coll, who built the organ, and requested Widor for a trial period; a trial period which ended up lastig 64 years. Widor succeeded Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély, who died earlier. With this new state-of-the-art organ,...

With this new state-of-the-art organ, Widor thought it called for a new kind of organ music, and so he invented the so-called organ symphony. He wrote ten of them, of which the last two were called the "Gothic" and the "Roman" symphonies. He made particular clever use of Gregorian theme's to give them a religious character. With his symphonies, he drove both the organist and the organ to its furthest corners. And as a renowned musician, he also attracted a group of followers. Being a teacher himself, he was more than happy to transfer his skills and knowledge. His most famous students are Louis Vierne, Charles Tournemire, Henri Mulet, and Marcel Dupré. The last of whom succeeded him at the Saint-Sulpice.

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