REFLECTIONS ON A SONG BY DOWLAND STUDIENPARTITUR - STP - VIOLA AND STRING ORCHESTRA COMPOSER: BRITTEN, BENJAMIN SÉRIE: HAWKES POCKET SCORES (HPS 904)

Per Nørgård's Helle Nacht (Light Night) - Violin Concerto No. 1 dating from 1986-87. Programme note: This is my third work for solo string instrument and orchestra the other two being 'Between' for cello and 'Remembering Child' for viola. The title 'Light Night' refers to the caracteristics of each of the four movements. The 'light' translucent quality of the melody sound and rhythm woven into a fine filigree; the Night revealed in the multi-layered possibilities of interpretation like/constantly/changing the aspect of a turning prism with each performing appearing differntly to the listeners. Ofcourse this is more or less the case with every musical work but in HELLE NACHT the ambiguity is made innermost principle. The first and last movements form a symphonic frame for the inner two more static interludes though even in these light is constantly breaking through. I wrote the concerto during 1986-87 at the request of Anton Kontra. Per Nørgård