Oslo Cathedral Choir, Nils Henrik Asheim, Kare Nordstoga
Organ builders Ryde & Berg made both the main organ (with 53 voices) and the choir organ (16 voices), with the combination of the two becoming central to the concept of the work. The two instruments bathe the room in an immersive soundscape, with the choir representing the voice inside this.
The composer himself chose a selection of lines taken from 21 hymns, with the view to creating a holistic narrative through use of contrasts. Five "Allelujah" movements for organ complete each of the sections of the work.
In the 1998 version, these were improvised movements for solo organ, but in the revised version from 2019 the movements were re-composed as organ duos.
The titles of these five movements are taken from Psalm 150, v.1–3.
Harpreet Bansal, Cikada, Harpreet Bansal Trio
The Choir of Merton College, Oxford, Britten Sinfonia, Benjamin Nicholas
