Les cinq pièces de Sphères sont une commande de Radio-France et ont été créées sur les ondes de France-Musique chacun des cinq jours de la semaine. La thématique de l'oeuvre découle directement des conditions de sa naissance puisque Séléné (la lune) a vu le jour un lundi, Mars un mardi, etc. jusqu'à Vénus un vendredi.L'évocation de ces noms fait d'abord tinter nos souvenirs mythologiques et, en effet, une partie de l'inspiration de ces pièces est redevable à la personnalité des dieux de l'Olympe: Vénus toute de grâce sensuelle - Jupiter figé dans son écrasante domination universelle - Mercure volatile, insaisissable - Mars symbole de guerre mais aussi de printemps, de renouveau, et surtout force vitale irrépressible - la lune enfin qui, lorsqu'elle se montre ronde et blanche - la pleine lune est l'une des facettes de Diane - a pour nom Séléné. Nous en ressentons régulièrement la puissance attractive figurée ici musicalement par une série de vagues dont la dernière, véritable marée montante, est comme un pan d'océan soulevé par ce satellite prédateur.Car ce sont bien les corps célestes qui ont stimulé la plus grande part des idées musicales (l'indifférence de Jupiter n'est pas que le fait d'Epicure - elle s'explique aussi par sa constitution essentiellement gazeuse).La période, source à la fois de fréquence et de durée, est ici l'élément générateur - le développement, un déploiement de spirales harmoniques et rythmiques - ces douze minutes d'orchestre, un hommage aux innombrables sphères qui virevoltent à travers l'univers dans une danse fascinante, un contrepoint cosmique aux proportions étourdissantes.Patrick Burgan / Orchestre

  Symphony No. 3 (1972-1975) by Per Nørgård. Per Nørgård's third symphony commissioned by The Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra (conductor Herbert Blomstedt) was premiered in Copenhagen in 1976 and received wide attention. The work gives comprehensive expression to a new realm of musical experience which the composer began to explore toward the end of the 1960s. While the first period in Nørgårds production in the 1050s represents his personal interpretation of the Nordic music tradition – evidenced for example in his “Piano Sonata No. 2” (1957) and“Constellations” for chamber orchestra (1958) – and the second period in the 1960s saw him working with serial techniques musical collage and a new sound-palette - especially in the orchestral works “Iris” (196-67) and “Luna” (1967) – with “Voyage into the Golden Screen” (1968) Nørgård arrived at a new compositional technique based on the use of a special form of a so-called “infinity series” a principle of musical motion to be applied to all kinds of scales (chromatic diatonic et cetera). It is characteristic that that Nørgård in the 1970s chose to cultivate diatonic infinity series already evident in the mythological opera “Gilgamesh” (1971-72). Thus the Symphony No. 3 begun directly after the opera combines the infinity series major and minor scales the partial series of natural harmonics and “sub-harmonics” (Nørgårds terminology) with rhythmic patterns based on the Golden Section (the Golden Mean) in a nexus of synchronous yet disparate elements which serve the composers vision of musical coherence.. The works which followed the symphony – the operas “Siddharta” (1975-79) and “The Divine Circus” (1981-82) and Symphony No. 4 (1981) – usher a new

Per Nørgård's Symphony No. 2 In One Movement - work for Orchestra dating from 1970. Programme Note: After the first performance of my chamber orchestra work VOYAGE INTO THE GOLDEN SCREEN (1969) I was very preoccupied with ‘voyaging on’ in the infinity series I had brought to fruition in the second movement of the work: instead of about 1000 notes of the series I wanted to use about 4000 in order to create the potential for further exploration of the many layers and interval combinations of the infinity series. Instead of the pristine progression of the notes and its orchestration in‘Voyage’ I now wanted to intervene: to create melodies lead up to climaxes darken enlighten etc. but all with respect for the continuous flow and the preservation of the special timeless objectivity characteristic of the infinity series. One can perhaps experience the many recurrences of motifs in tempo layers from fast to very slow as a successor to the fractal computer graphics of the eighties. At any rate this ‘Symphony no. 2 in one movement’ (which was the result) became the precursor of the other works of the seventies including my 50-minute long chorally integrated Third Symphony (from 1973-75) which is also based on the infinity series but in addition has incorporated the upper and lower harmonic series and rhythms with ‘Golden’ duration proportions. The Second Symphony lasts about 25 minutes and was given its first performance on13th April 1970 by the Aarhus City Orchestra conducted by Per Dreier. Per Nørgård August 1992

Par CASABLANCAS BENET. Shade and Darkness, lasting some 12:30 minutes, was co-commissioned by the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical and the Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada. The work is inspired by Turner's famous painting of the same name, subtitled 'The Night Before the Flood', although this does not imply any programmatic or even less descriptive intention, beyond the composer's admiration for the painter, and for the richness of tones and chiaroscuro, subtlety in the treatment of pictorial matter, and the dynamism and emotional force present in his work, to whose depth John Ruskin alludes: 'Nuance is in Turner, first of all, a beautiful aid to the great impression to be conveyed, but it is neither the source nor the essence of that impression; it is little more than a visible melody... preparing the feelings for the reading of the mysteries of God.' The score, generous in expressive contrasts, explores the ductility and richness of possibilities of the strings, with a very diversified use of textures, densities and colours. The formal arrangement describes a wide ternary arc, consisting of two slow and often static sections - not without ominous foreboding - and a more lively central part, punctuated by occasional turbulence and dazzling flashes of timbre, culminating in a powerful climactic process. In the final bars the four voices of the classical quartet fleetingly emerge, as a tribute to Günter Pichler, founder and member of the Alban Berg Quartet, to whom the score is dedicated, and who conducted the premiere of the work in front of the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España on 24 and 25 June 2014 at the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid and in the Patio de los Mármoles del Hospital Real in Granada. / Date parution : 2022-03-15/ Répertoire / Petit Orchestre

Three Scenes for Percussion and Six Instruments (2009) by Per Nørgård. Preface / Programme Note Slagtøjssolisten er den gennemgående skikkelse og hovedperson i musikkens ”tre scener”. Begrebet ”scene” kan forstås flertydigt både som det fysiske sted platformen hvor man optræder og spiller musik og drama – og som betegnelsen for defortællende forløb og afsnit i en dramatisk forestilling. Mine musikalske ”scener” udfolder sig i tre forskellige sceniskefremtrædelsesformer og ensembler. Den førstescene er præget af diskrete ogmelodiske slagtøjsinstrumenter vibrafon og marimba med modspil fra de trestrygere. I den anden scene er spotlightet på slagtøjssolisten alene vi møder hovedpersonen/solisten i en monolog fremført hovedsageligt på ”syngende sav” der skal trakteresmed den yderste mikrotonale præcision. Vi hører også solisten spille på Kalimba ligeledes et folkeligt instrument men nu med afrikansk baggrund – i modsætningtil den hjemlige gårdsangers ”musikalske sav” – et ofte hørt lydbillede frakomponistens barndom på Nørrebro. I den tredje scene er det en blæsertrio der indledningsvis spiller op til slagtøjetsforskellige kraftfulde trommer. Efter en tromme-kadence sætter alle syv musikereind sammen for første og eneste gang. Værket afsluttes med en kort slagtøjssolo. I en ”programmatisk tolkning” kan de tre scener ses som repræsenterende tretilbagevendende stadier:det indadvendt/drømmendedet udadvendt/agerendedet daglige drama mellem os alle. Per Nørgård februar 2010

Per Nørgård's Symphony No.1 ' Sinfonia Austera ' Op.13 (1953-55) revised 1956 edition in full score. Programme Note: Although my first symphony plays for 30 minutes 2/3 of my third symphony the time for composing the work was the same: 3 years from 1953 to 1955 (Symphony No. 3: 1973-1975). One of the reasons probably was the challenge of a “symphonic work” for a 21 year old composer. And all the afterthoughts following every – more spontaneous sudden – bright idea in the long progress of forming thework. Important for the slow working process I remember that every section of the symphony came to me at strange moments in a ´complete vision´ like a sounding vision in time. The problem was in detail to analyze and notate my what I had actually had heard. For instance: with the polyphonic woodwind section in the first movement (with the “Tapiola”-birdcry a greeting to Jean Sibelius) I only knew in the beginning that it should be music in the high register and only for woodwinds. But of what they should play…I had no idea at all.  The severe character of the symphony (sinfonia austere) is with no doubt very juvenile. But as many things in both life and music has elements of youthfulness I think that my serious young symphony should live and stay the way it was composed in 1953-1955.  Per Nørgård   

Full Score-Full orchestra score for Per Nørgård's Symphony No. 5 (1987-90 rev.1991). Manuscript copy. Programme note: My 5th Symphony was commissioned by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and premiered on December 6th 1990 by and dedicated to the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.  After the premiere in 1990 I decided to revise the beginning (and only the beginning) of the work. The first pages of the score were discarded and about 20 seconds of new music was written in the summer of 1991. The new and final versionwas premiered on 1st of May 1992.  The symphony progresses without pauses between movements often in several layers of tempo with mutual ´golden section´proportions. The listener´s experience of form in the work will therefore depend on the directions of his own attention. But so far as overall divisions are concerned four sections (perhaps five) - running into each other - can be traced: an expansive cascading introduction a kind of scherzo an chaconne-like adagio and a kind of finale again with the phenomenon of ´cascades´ as a main idea. However as the course is from time to time thrown into chaos by convulsive twitching and crises other experiences of form are opened out within a spectrum from wild to cautious from dramatic to contemplative in a universe of tempi which can suggest the title of a book of poems by the Danish Michael Strunge (1958-1986): ´Velocity of life.´  A listener described the symphony as “a walk with a fire-breathing dragon” and a reviewer described it with words like “a pacifist in times of war”. Anyway words and programme note are – as Carl Nielsen said about titles – only “road signs” for personal experiences in the area of music itself.  Per Nørgård

Symphony No.7 was composed by Per Nørgård in 2004-06. Dedicated to Per Erik Veng.Comissioned by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR. Premiered by The Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DRconducted by Thomas Dausgaard at the inauguration of Copenhagen Concert Hall 29th of January 2009. Score revised 2013 by Per Nørgård and Thomas Dausgaard.Editor: Ivan Hansen

Per Nørgård's Aspects of Leaving - Episodes and Interludes for Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble (1997). Orchestral realisation by Simon Foxley. Commissioned by COMA for the ISCM Festival 1998 in Manchester England. Parts are available on hire: hire@ewh.dk

Symphony No. 6 'At The End Of Day' (1997-99) for Orchestra by Per Nørgård. Programme note: ”… with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day”  (New Testament 2 Peter 3:8)  My SYMPHONY NO. 6 was commissioned by the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra the Göteborg Symphony Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra to be premiered at the millenium 2000.  The subtitle AT THE END OF THE DAY can be understood literally or it can mean “when all is added up”. However in my opinion nothing ever quite adds up there is always “something” missing any ending will be provisional ...  This symphony appears to end only a few minutes into the first movement the first passage as the music fades away to almost-silence after a start of flying colours. But then there is still “something” a small motive (first heard in the initial sound-waves) which reappears hesitant but persistent and this embryo is what leads on the musical progression. An agitated section of many instrumental voices comes next until all the voices become obsessed with the same phrase a see-saw motive based on thirds. This section evolves into almost martial ferocity when broken off by a tutti descent into an extreme bass-world (a bass-world which actually permeates the whole symphony emplyoing instruments that I have never used before: double-bass tuba double-bass trombone double-bass clarinet and bass flute).  The second movement the second passage apparently takes off where the first passage ended but now the events are more ambiguous and the same music may be perceived as fast-moving one moment and slow-moving the next. This section is a kind of passacaglia the characteristic baroque bass-variation.  Without a break follows the third and last passage in a

Intonation/Détonation by Per Nørgård - (A gold- and silver waltz with snaps of champagne) For Arne Nordheim on his 70 years birthday (20 June 2001). Composed at the request from the Norwegian Radio.

Per Nørgård's Symphony No. 4 (1981) - Indischer Roosengaarten und Chineesischer Hexensee (Indian Rose Garden and Chinese Witch See). Programme Note: This symphony in two movements entitles “Indischer Roosen-Gaarten und Chineesischer Hexensee” was inspired by Adolf Wölfli’s works - consisting of 20.000 pages of prose poetry and pictures -. An English translation of the title would read: “Symphony no. 4 - Indian Rose Garden and Chinese Witch See; after an idea by Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930) and dedicated to him.”  Wölfli was from 1895 (31 yearsold) until his death in 1930 confined to the mental hospital at Waldau near Bern Switzerland. Although he had no technical knowledge of music he considered himself to be a great composer and his paintings were almost always covered with long festoons of six-lined (!) music staffs. In 1912 Wölfli ordered paints and paper for a planned ´Musikbüchlein´ which was to be published in 1920 under the title “Indischer Roosen-Gaarten und Chineesischer Hexensee”. (Wölfi uses his characteristic illustrative phonetic spellings with double vowels). The work was never completed and I took it upon myself to realize Wölfli’s idea according to his vision but of course within my own preconditions.  The double and suggestive title is typical of Wölfli´s polarized conception of the world which shifts between idyll and catastrophe. This polarization is of almost Chinese nature in that no idyll exists without catastrophic disturbances just as there is a black “spot” in the white “fish” and vice versa in the famous Yin/Yang symbol.  One might explain this idea with a quote by the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun: “A prisoner on his tumbrel is wheeled to the scaffold. A nail chafes at his behind; he moves over and feels more