Many of the reed stops on the Aarhus Cathedral organ were built in France, following the principles of the renowned organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
Composer Biography
Karg-Elert was a child prodigy, writing motets for his church choir at age eight, despite having no formal musical education at the time.
Composer Biography
Sigfrid Karg-Elert, the composer, was born Siegfried Theodor Karg; he adopted the double-barrelled name Karg-Elert, combining his parents' family names, at the suggestion of a conservatory director.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording, located in Aarhus Cathedral, Denmark, is the largest organ in Denmark with 89 stops and contains historical pipework dating back to 1730.
Compositional Technique
Karg-Elert's organ registrations are highly original, creating a bright and transparent sound world with rich overtones and 'holes' in the timbre, distinguishing them from typical late-romantic styles.
Compositional Technique
Karg-Elert's musical style is fundamentally late-romantic but incorporates strong influences from Debussy's impressionism and Scriabin's colorful musical language, and even approaches Schoenberg's atonality in his later works.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Edvard Grieg, the famous Norwegian composer, advised Karg-Elert to focus primarily on composition and only play the piano as a sideline.
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