Arne Nordheim was Norway’s most significant and respected composer until his death in 2010, and one of the few figures in contem­porary western music who proved himself able to move beyond traditional harmonic re­lationships while maintaining a distinct ability to communicate widely through his striking, physical music.

The Bergen Philharmonic has been far from immune to that music’s power, championing it throughout the composer’s lifetime and premiering his first orchestral work, Canzona, as well as his last, Fonos. It has given multiple performances of Nordheim’s orchestral works and has recorded Tenebrae (Cello Concerto), Aurora and Wirkli­cher Wald. In 1992, Nordheim was the subject of a special focus at the Bergen International Festival, where the orchestra premiered Magic Island – a revised version of Be Not Afeard (the starting point for The Tempest).

Nordheim’s music for The Tempest is the conjuring of a musical realm as elusive as Shakespeare’s stage equivalent – one in which time as we know it, along with so many other anchors (including text) barely exists. It is a world of ‘transfigured, consonant lyricism’ to quote on critic, in which we clearly hear Nordheim’s central creative urge to reconcile simple, lucid material with his own protracted schemes and techniques. For conductor Edward Gardner, the process draws us into a ‘beautiful, seductive world’ and music possessed of ‘a glow that can only be Nordheim’s.’ Norwegian soprano Beate Mordal and English baritone Jeremy Carpenter contribute as soloists to this contemporary masterpiece.

The Bergen Philharmonic
Edward Gardner – Conductor
Beate Mordal – Soprano
Jeremy Carpenter – Baritone