Denmark Revisited - Danish Choral Works (SATB)

Denmark Revisited - Danish choral works for mixed voices a cappella. Edited by Jakob Faurholt and Jesper Grove Jørgensen. Transl. by Edward Broadbridge and Mikael Gjesing. The present release contains a number of Danish choral works with Danish lyrics translated into English. For many years now there has been a broad international interest in performing Danish choral works, not least from the 20th century, but often the Danish lyrics have been a hindrance in realising this goal outside Denmark. With this in mind we have thought it important to make Danish choral music more available through the release of selected works in which the Danish text is translated into English. With the present choice we have endeavoured to present works which fully demonstrate the wide range and originality of Danish choral music: the particular, lyrical Danish tone of Svend S. Schultz and Jørgen Jersild; the original simplicity of Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen; the characteristically Danish late romanticism of P.E. Lange-Müller and Rued Langgaard; and the music of composers with their own particular musical idiom, such as Vagn Holmboe, Bernhard Lewkovitch, and Bo Holten. We have also tried to choose works with lyrics by writers that are specifically Danish in origin, including Hans Christian Andersen, Johannes V. Jensen, and Tove Ditlevsen. Finally, we have at all times been aware of the musical degree of difficulty, so that the collection contains both easily approachable works as well as relatively complex ones. We hope that this release will help to spread knowledge and understanding of Danish choral music outside Denmark and thus offer the opportunity to expand the current choral repertoire that many choirs have wished. (Jesper Grove Jørgensen)   Contents P. E. Lange-Müller: 3 Madonna Songs Rued Langgaard: 3 Rosengaard Songs Svend S. Schultz: Denmark Revisited Vagn Holmboe: Songs Towards the Deep of Spring, op. 85 Jørgen Jersild: Three Danish Love Songs Bernhard Lewkovitch: 3 Motets, op. 11 Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: 6 Simple Danish Songs Bo Holten: Rain and Rush and Rosebush