Whirl's World

The prolific and popular Danish composer Per Nørgård has written over 400 works, four of which are performed here by Ensemble MidtVest. His music for Gabriel Axel’s film Babette’s Feast, an Oscar winner in 1987, is presented complete. The wind quintet Whirl's World (1970) has become a classic of the genre, and Spell (1973) is a hypnotic trio for clarinet, cello and piano. Trio breve (2012) for violin, cello and piano is the most recent work, never before recorded.

Featuring

Tommaso Lonquich
Jonathan Slaatto
Martin Qvist Hansen
Charlotte Norholt
Peter Kristein
Neil Page

Yavor Petkov
Ensemble MidtVest
Per Nørgård

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

In works like Whirl's World, Nørgård creates complete melodies from 'difference tones' – a third tone produced by the interaction of two notes played by separate musicians.

Composer Biography

Per Nørgård, a Danish composer, has created a vast body of work including six operas, eight symphonies, 11 solo concertos, and over 400 pieces in other genres.

Compositional Technique

Nørgård's music from the 1970s often features a characteristic rhythm that mimics a table tennis ball, starting slowly and becoming increasingly intense, which musicians must interpret by ear.

Performer Biography

Ensemble MidtVest, founded in 2002, performs over 100 concerts annually and has appeared at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall in New York and Kings' Place in London.

Compositional Technique

A key element in Nørgård's music is his discovery of the 'infinity series' in 1959, a melody with hierarchical properties that can sound vastly different each time it is played.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Nørgård's music aims for an 'expansion of consciousness while fully conscious,' often driven by a longing for a secret condition.

Compositional Technique

In some works, Nørgård uses a technique where one instrument plays a melody, and other instruments 'fill it in' with the exact same melody, often utilizing the infinity series.