Symfoni No.2 The Earth Anew hjá Sunleif Rasmussen hevur fingið eitt gott ummæli aftrat, hesa ferð verður útgávan “Sunleif Rasmussen: Symphony No. 2 "The Earth Anew"Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/John Storgårds (Da Capo)” stórliga róst á bretsku heimasíðuni Theartsdesks og enn einaferð fáa Føroyar eitt petti av heiðrinum, við tað, at føðistaður tónaskaldsins verður nevndur, umframt at symfoniin í millumyvirskriftini verður lýst sum føroysk.
Í ummælinum verða lýsingarorð sum “astonishing”, “brilliant” og “marvelous” brúkt og tá ummælarin eisini fær gásarhold av at lurta, er eingin ivi um hvussu hugtikin ummælarin er. Við orðum sum “tónamálarí” og “botnleys nýhugsan” lýsir ummælarin, Graham Rickson sterku úttrykksmegina hjá tónamálandi verkinum. Bæði útgávan og tónaverkið eru í uppskoti at fáa FMA-virðisløn, tær verða latnar leygarkvøldið 11.mars. Her er ummælið í síni heild:
Sunleif Rasmussen was born in the Faroe Islands. He studied in Oslo, and now spends his time shuttling between Copenhagen and the Faroes. His impeccable pan-Scandinavian credentials are further boosted by the work on this disc. The Earth Anew was commissioned as a companion piece to Sibelius’s vast choral symphony Kullervo, and is scored for similarly extravagant forces. Sibelius’s libretto came from the Finnish national epic Kalevala. Rasmussen sets a text in Old Norse, a heady creation myth involving trees, dragons, squirrels and a world sinking into the sea before being reborn. As a piece of musical tone-painting it’s frequently astonishing, the first movement’s “confusion of sounds” a brilliant depiction of pre-creation chaos, Rasmussen’s bass-heavy textures enlivened by shrewd use of a percussive orchestral piano. The arrival of soprano Cyndia Sieden and baritone Bo Skovhus near the movement’s close induces goose pimples, the pair portraying the first humans. Henrik Friis’s notes refer to Rasmussen’s deployment of Faroese folk tunes, though for non-natives they’re hard to discern. What hits home is the work’s theatrical flair and boundless invention, ensuring that the darkness never dominates. Several sections are very funny, notably Sieden’s squirrelly pyrotechnics in the third movement, sparring with gruff male voices. The symphony’s unsentimental, gently optimistic close is marvellous. Highly recommended, abetted by full-throated singing from the Akademiska Sångföreningen and Muntra Musikanter choirs. Superb recording, too.
