Tributes - Album For Strings (1994-95) by Per Nørgård. Parts are available on hire: hire@ewh.dk I: FOUR OBSERVATIONS – FROM AN INFINTE RAPPORT – hommage a Bartok (1995) II: OUT OF THIS WORLD – hommage a Lutoslawski (1994) III: VOYAGE INTO THE BROKEN SCREEN - hommage a Sibelius (1995). Programme note “TRIBUTES – album for strings” (1994-95) includes three hommages which might also be performed separately.The shared point of departure was the hommage to three major composers of the 20th century – Bartok Lutoslawski and Sibelius.In FOUR OBSERVATIONS the hommage is to Bartok (on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death 1995). Hungarian Radio asked me to write a piece in his honor but apart from the very last unison string figure which is - I think - very Bartokian the work in no way intends to evoke even less to imitate the musical style of the great Hungarian master. This would be an act of impudence against a composer who was such an exceptionally integrated personality and who has himself shown (in 'Mikrokosmos') the worthy way to pay a personal tribute to highly respected colleagues: In 'Hommage á J.S.B.' and 'Hommage à R. Sch.' Bela Bartok composes in his own manner but lets the music reflect some qualities of the said composers as perceived in Bartok's mind. In a similar way my 'Observations from an infinite Rapport' reflects as well the timeless proportions of the 'golden section' - which seem to have inspired Bartok so much - in his great respect for perceptive structural patterns. 'OUT OF THIS WORLD' was composed at the request of a group of Lutoslawski's friends as a symbol of parting to a great composer and a noble man. The title quotes a poem by Yunus Emre the Turkish 14th century poet. The opening line of the poem 'Biz dünyadan' reads as follows in English translation: 'We are on the way out of this world we

Par BARTOK BELA. With the “ Concerto for Orchestra , ” Henle inaugurates a series of affordable study scores based on the text of the Bartók Complete Edition. When Bartók received the commission to compose this piece from Serge Koussevitsky in May 1943, it meant not only financial support, but also an important creative impetus for the gravely ill composer. By October, the five-movement concerto, which Koussevitsky enthusiastically dubbed “the best orchestral work of the last 25 years, ” was already complete. The first performances in the winter of 1944–45 were also very successful. Nevertheless, Bartók was moved to set down an alternate ending, which thecomposer, who passed away in September 1945, would never be destined to hear. Bartók specialist Klára Móricz includes both versions in her edition and summarises the history and transmission of the “Concerto for Orchestra” in a fascinating foreword. A brief commentary section provides information about the principles underlying the edition. / Móricz, Klára / Répertoire / Orchestre