8 symphonies

"Recommended: Let me first say that most of Per Nørgård's symphonies have been recorded earlier, but I am not in a position to write comparative reviews for most of them, and it could be a little tedious anyway. I will discuss this box set of previously issued discs, brought out to celebrate the 90th birthday of Denmark's great elder musical statesman. The symphonies cover the period between 1955 and 2012. The composer is from the generation right after that of the incomparable Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996), whose use of musical metamorphosis can, in part, be also discovered in Nørgård's music ... Coming to terms with Per Nørgård over these past weeks has been a fascinating and challenging experience. These works cannot be overlooked. They are complete statements by a man who, for better or worse, stands as a highly significant figure in twenty-first century musical Denmark ... I know only too well how respected Nørgård is. But the potential listener may ask how much time and effort they are prepared to give to music not always ready to meet one half way ... The performances and recordings are exemplary, and several were recorded in the presence of the composer. It is impossible to know how they could be improved".

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"Per Nørgård, a highly gifted Dane ... whose prolific output (so far) includes eight symphonies that have been recently gathered together, superbly performed and recorded by Dacapo. The most remarkable aspects of Nørgård's style are lyricism and a sound world that ranges from bright, at times near inaudible chirruping to Fafner-like growls from the low brass. More important is the narrative strain that runs through Nørgård's work, the sort that might serve as a soundtrack to you wildest imaginings ... If you're into Sibelius and other great Nordic tone poets, you'll likely love Nørgård".

"I anledning af hans 90-års fødselsdag udgiver Dacapo dette bokssæt med komponistens otte symfonier ... Hvis du endnu ikke er blevet fanget af Nørgårds symfonier, er dette den oplagte mulighed for fordybelse. Den mørke, turbulente Symfoni nr. 1 peger frem mod en ny æstetik, som bryder ud i Symfoni nr. 2 - komponistens mest rendyrkede version af sit eget algoritmiske system, uendelighedsrækken. Herfra åbner sig flere versioner i Nørgårds eksperimenter med fremdrift, det universelle og uendeligheden".