A passion for John Donne

Description

Testimony of Ketil Bjørnstad's passion for the English metaphysical poet John DonneIn the past, the composer had included verses by Donne in recordings such as The Shadow, Grace, and the ECM album The Light.Even though I have been working on texts by John Donne for over twenty years, I still find new ways to approach his work that allow me to understand it better and to find even more music in it. It is in the language he uses, in the rhythms, in the silences between the phrases that I hear a passionate quest for meaning and reconciliation. Donne's dramatic life is reflected in his texts, and everything in them vibrates with passion, melodies, and sounds.Bjørnstad wrote A passion for John Donne for the Oslo International Church Festival during the winter of 2011/2012, and the premiere of the work that is the subject of this recording took place at Sofienberg Kirke in Oslo in March 2012. One can hear the Oslo Chamber Choir conducted with great sensitivity by Håkon Daniel Nystedt, and the entire passionate dimension of the piece is masterfully embodied by Håkon Kornstad, both a tenor saxophonist and singer (classical tenor), who makes his ECM debut here and whose performance is exceptional.