Norwegian Radio Orchestra - Helge Iberg: Songs from the Planet of Life (2019)

An impressive bundle of Norway's foremost soloists, together with the Broadcasting Orchestra, is behind this recording by Helge Iberg's great work: SONGS FROM THE PLANET OF LIFE.

Concerto Grosso and cooperation with China
"Big concert" is no exaggeration in this case; The work consists of 9 sets that contain both solo concerts and bets where the soloists perform together! Elise Båtnes makes a formidable interpretation of Tale of Sorrowful Song. Christian Ihle Hadland's piano play is gracefully elegant in Lotus Dance, while the singers Marianne Beate Kielland and Frank Havrøy enthrall us in Long Autumn night contrasted by Tom Ottar Andreassen alto flute; all safely guided by conductor Kai Grinde Myrann. The vocational artist Sidsel Endresen recites the poems along with LiuTiegang, actor and leader at China's National Theater in Beijing - and Ibsen's acquaintance!

"In the shadow of a climate crisis"
Helge Iberg's thought-provoking article to this release reflects on human life conditions today. He writes, among other things: "Through the history of the human race, nature was the great mother and breadwinner who provided rules of order with unpredictable mercy. We had to subordinate ourselves and accept. Nature was the source and connection, the natural background and the all-encompassing canvas on which everything unfolds forever. Today, Nature is "overcome". It is worn out and has difficulty breathing. And it has suddenly become man's responsibility! ”- Will our heavily afflicted planet in the future also give us new songs from the earth of life? - Iberg asks at the same time as he emphasizes: “My musical journey through landscapes of melancholy and joy of life is first and foremost that (musical), but thus also deeply human. Perhaps the difference is that the music can offer a type of reconciliation or meaning that is not in real life. "

An unforeseen opportunity?
Iberg's work has a melancholy undertone, but his comment ends in a cautious optimism: "The major lines of conflict in the world are becoming ever sharper, our technological capacity can wipe out the world in a matter of hours, and in the slightly longer term, the climate can make the earth uninhabitable for humans. . But here is a paradoxical opportunity: can the growing global natural disasters bring the world together? Divert other destructive attention, aggression and instincts. A little in the same way that the class conflicts in a country are sharply dampened in the cohesion of an outer enemy … For this is not us against other people or ideas. This is not us against anyone else! It's about our existence jointly here on the "planet of life". "

Tracklist:

01. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: I. Prelude – endless the white clouds
02. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: II. Tale of Sorrowful Song (part 1) –
03. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: III. Tale of Sorrowful Song (part 2) –
04. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: IV. Parade - a Spectacle of Clowns and
05. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: V. The Great Banquet – A Garden Party
06. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: VI. Lotus Dance – Scenes of Delight an (NOLFA1993060)
07. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: VII. Long Autumn Night – Weaving Till
08. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: VIII. If Life Were Just a Dream – Awak
09. Songs from the Planet of Life. Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, Five Soloists and Recitation: IX. Adieux – Spring Grass Green Again