Nathalie Forget, one of the leading exponents of the ondes Martenot, was awarded First Prize for her performance on the instrument at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris.
Composition History
Niels Rønsholdt's "Songs of Doubt" was commissioned by Intro in Situ, an innovative production house for contemporary music performances based in Maastricht, Netherlands.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Niels Rønsholdt's works are characterized by an insistence on the sensual, sensory, and sensitive, engaging with breathing, moaning, and skin without irony.
Critical Reception
The music on this album, "Songs of Doubt," is described as shamelessly original and difficult to categorize, with a distinctive soundscape that blends classical choir, amplified solo voice, and electronic sounds.
Compositional Technique
In "Songs of Doubt," composer Niels Rønsholdt uses a technique where performers sing phonetic transcriptions of text backward, creating a unique sound effect without electronics.
Instruments
The album features the ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument invented in the 1920s that can produce precise notes like synthesizers or glissando like a theremin, often blending with or extending human voices.
Recording & Production
This recording of "Songs of Doubt" was made at the Danish National Opera's rehearsal hall in Aarhus in May 2016.
You might also enjoy...
East of Eden (II)
Lully: Air. Scocca pur tutt'i tuoi strali, LWV 76/3
Niels Rønsholdt: Country
The Drop That Contained the Sea
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Glow
Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir: Blóðhófnir
Raff: Zwei Scenen für Singstimme und Orchester, Op. 199
Dan Redfeld: A Hopeful Place
Michael Hersch: I hope we get a chance to visit soon
The Epilogue - The Age of Not Believing (From "Bedknobs and Broomsticks")
