Bjørnstad, Ketil - The Light
LIRA GILLAR"Det blir inte vackrare än så här"
(Lira)
"The work of the English metaphysical poet John Donne has provided a rich source of inspiration for Ketil Bjørnstad. ... With this new album he returns once more to the poet's works, albeit in the more formal setting of a trio than a septet, setting a further 11 of Donne's works to music that comprise the song cycle 'The Light'. Conceived for the voice of Randi Stene ... and Lars Anders Tomter's viola, Bjørnstad creates an album of wonderfully understated passion. Donne's poems are included in the liner notes, and given their depth and complexity, it is wholly absorbing the way Bjørnstad has gone about his task. ... Once again his melodies allow the voice to invest each word with rich, personal meaning in an album that, like so much of Bjørnstad's work, an not be easily set aside."
(Jazzwise)
Subtitled "Songs of Love and Fear", "The Light" brings together Ketil Bjørnstad's "Four Nordic Songs", compositions for female voice and accompaniment written over a 30 year period, with a song cycle based on poetry of John Donne (1572-1631). Bjørnstad: "The intellectual energy in Donne's poetry, which was always receptive to the metaphysical, is also nurtured by emotional excitement, and it is this unique combination that has held such powerful appeal to me as a composer."
Randi Stene, mezzo-sopran
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
Ketil Bjørnstad, piano
Recorded February and March 2007