Description
Landið
This recording presents works by three composers in the Faroe Islands: Pauli í Sandagerði (b. 1955), Kristian Blak (b. 1947) and Sunleif Rasmussen (b. 1961). It contains four original compositions with a total length of 65 minutes.
Tracklist:
I. Landið
1. Landið
2. Intermezzo
3. Nationalisma
II. Gerandisdagur í Havn
4. Á Sandi
5. Úr neyðardýpi
III Grave
6. Grave
IV. Klarinettkonsert
7. 1. movement
8. 2. movement
Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Slovak Radio, Bratislava, October 1993.
Released on the following formats:
LP, CD and digitally on all major platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.).
You can check it out by using this link: https://bfan.link/landid
I. Landið
1. Landið
In the rain, the clouds that move, and behind the spray of sea and sea-weed, in the haze, in the sounds of fog and bog, in the rainfalls of light, up through low rainbows into the day – here is the land.
3. Nationalisma
The Atlantic Ocean waves and breaks, as a steady heart works and beats. Up and down, on land and sea, away and at home – people laugh and tell lies, love and work, cry, go to bed, listen to the radio and gossip. Children come toddling with slices of bread in their hands and see that everything is new under the sun. My native country is adorned with wrongdoings, blossoming with pure love, overloaded with quarrel. Steadily and gently, through blows and toil, my native country disappears.
II. Gerandisdagur í Havn
4. Á Sandi
»Á Sandi« (On the Beach) describes the mood on the beach of Eystaruvág (East Bay) in Tórshavn on a calm, moonlit night: Busatangi black; Tinganes in the golden moonlight; Skansatangi dark; everything as in a fairy tale; a boat; the running stream; and the moon slipping slowly away, shining among the slumbering ducks.
5. Úr neyðardýpi
A hymn by Martin Luther. This is a prayer to God to help us, to lead us out of temptation and to save us from danger.
Gerandis (Secular)
Everyday life in old Tórshavn was not characterised by excitement and change. The days simply rolled by, undoubtedly, one after another; but perhaps small deviations then gave stronger feelings of change than do the daily major changes occurring in our time. This music was inspired by the events described in the novel »Barbara«, by Faroese author Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen.
The rhythm of everyday life is altered suddenly when a ship is seen on the horizon. Ships were rarely seen, and it was difficult to determine whether these were peaceful visitors or pirates. The people are disturbed and prepare to flee to hiding places in the mountains. Fortunately, however, the visitors are friendly. The chaos and disturbance changes gradually to happiness and, later, to celebration. Already the next day, the peaceful rhythm of everyday life is back, and we are again in good old Tórshavn.
– P. Í SANDAGERÐI
Heilagt (Sacred)
The Faroese have always made a sharp distinction between the secular and the sacred, but they have lived by their faith in God, wherever they have travelled. Faith in God was the rock upon which the old Faroese built their lives. This is clearly sensed in the fervent hymns that have arisen on these islands. The second movement is based on the old, Faroese hymn »From the Depths of Despair, God, to Thee.
– P. Í SANDAGERÐI
III. Grave
Grave is a piece dedicated to the memory of Faroese poet Karsten Hoydal (1912- 1990). The musical material is based on a melody I composed to Hoydal’s poem »Út frá grýtutum strondum« (»From Rocky Shores«). I was inspired by the poet’s words »I in everything / everything in me« from the poem »Mikið var mær givið« (»Much was I Given«).
– S. RASMUSSEN
IV. Klarinettkonsert
The clarinet concerto is written for one of the young, talented Faroese musicians, Anna E. Klett.
The concerto is in two contrasting movements. The first movement is characterized by conflict, both in the musical material and with regard to the interaction between the soloist and the orchestra. The concluding movement is, on the whole, lyrical and, as opposed to the first movement, the orchestra and the solist support each other.
– K. BLAK
