Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.)
CD with free bonus DVD
The Will-o'-the-Wisps in Town is an extraordinary fairy tale cantata created by the Danish composer Per Nørgård and his close friend, author Suzanne Brøgger, on the basis of a little known fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. This world première recording of the chamber version focuses on the charismatic "Marsh Witch", sung by mezzo-soprano Helene Gjerris who also premiered the work in Birmingham at 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth.
The CD is accompanied by the half-hour documentary “A Journey in Fairy Tales and Music” following Nørgård, Brøgger, Gjerris and the Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen's work with The Will-o'-the-Wisps produced by a Danish national TV station.
Per Norgard: Lygtemaendene tager til byen (The Will-o'-the-Wisps Go to Town) (version for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble)
Prelude: Eventyrene, der slap op (The Fairy Tales that Came to an End)
Narrative: Manden, som engang vidste eventyr (The Man Who Used to Know Fairy Tales)
Narrative: Skovpastorale (Woodland Pastorale)
Aria: Hvor blev eventyret af? (Whatever Happened to the Fairy Tale?)
Narrative: Eventyrjagt (Fairy Tale Hunt)
Aria: Solnedgang og dampende enge (Sunset and Ground Mists Rising)
Narrative: Det var ud pa aftenen (It Was Late in the Evening)
Aria and Narrative: En dyster invitation (An Ominous Invitation)
Narrative: Det forstar jeg ikke et ord af (I Don't Understand a Word of All This!)
Tolv sma lygtemaend (Twelve Little Will-o'-the-Wisps)
Narrative: Nu er det en gammel, medfodt lov (It Is an Ancient Birthright and Favour)
Aria: 365 men'sker pa et ar (365 Humans in a Year)
Chorus: De kunne slet ikke … (They could not … )
Aria: Finale 1: Rapport fra Eventyrland (Report from a Fairy Tale Land)
Aria: Finale 2: Er der noget der ringer? (Is There a Sound Ringing?)
Per Norgard: Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking
I. Poco allegro
II. Vivo
III. Soffiato, marcato
December 2012
“[Will-o'-the-Wisps's] appeal grows with repetition and, as a bold statement by one of today's leading composers, it clearly earns its place on the specialist collector's shelves. [Out of the Cradle gives] the impression of a stream of musical imagination emerging at full pressure, which still eludes me in parts of the Andersen cantata. Superb performances”
15th August 2012
****
“It's a fascinatingly approachable piece, sometimes recalling Pierrot Lunaire or The Soldier's Tale, but more often conjuring up its own, rather quirky fairytale world, full of typical Nørgård gestures and slithering harmonic allusions.”
Prelude: Eventyrene, der slap op (The Fairy Tales that Came to an End)
