Release Date: 24 March 2023
Label: Simax
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 7033662013920
Genres: Classical Contemporary Country
Description
The Lapse of Time is an oratorio based on strikingly poetic excerpts from Darwin's revolutionary book On the origin of species, composed by the Norwegian composer Bjorn Morten Christophersen. The work is a tribute to the evolution of life on earth and intended for musical sharing between natural science, religion and art.
The Lapse of Time is a large-scale musical drama in which two soloists, choir and orchestra move through slow-building waves from the barely audible to magnificent climaxes. The work is full of life: we really feel the crawl and crabbing within the orchestra while the singers chant an astonishingly poetic text, taking its origin into consideration. Profound, playful, dramatic and humorous passages are woven together in a large organic musical course.
The Lapse of Time also has a sacred flavor to it by involving both the church organ and mimics of plainchant. Through this work, Christophersen hopes to create a basis for shared wonder and excitement between natural science and religion. Christophersen has set music to excerpts from The Origin of Species after carefully adapting them into singable phrases. Nevertheless, nothing is added, we hear only Darwin's own words in this oratorio.
"Christophersen's handling of large masses of time, the slow geological changes of 'Part 1: Watch The Sea At Work', is so original that any concern about rock-opera cliché quickly disappears. What makes the music urgent and sets it apart is that the whole scenario has shifted towards the spectre of extinction as the endgame of natural selection, something Darwin had not quite anticipated, but rendered all the more poignant and dramatic by the works preparation and premiere being played out against the background of global pandemic. The choir brings a thrilling commitment to the singing and Sean Lewis's sound design is immaculate." – Choir & Organ (4 STARS)
Tracklisting
Jonas Batstrand, Jorn Fossheim
Tone Kummervold
Per Kristian Skalstad, Telemark Chamber Orchestra
Ketil Bjornstad
Marius Neset, Leif Ove Andsnes
The Norwegian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Terje Boye Hansen
Bjorn Sagstad & Ila Brass Band
Yngve Slettholm
Bone Idle Bros
Ags Connolly
Red Hot Organization
Sara Evans
Hannah Ellis
Jimmy Rankin
Hank Wangford & Noel Dashwood
Patty Loveless
