Kodály & Ligeti: Choral Works Danish National Vocal Ensemble & Marcus Creed

• György Ligeti (1923 - 2006): Lux Aeterna:
• 1 Ligeti: Lux Aeterna 09:11
• Éjszaka és reggel:
• 2 Ligeti: Éjszaka és reggel: No. 1, Éjszaka 02:21
• 3 Ligeti: Éjszaka és reggel: No. 2, Reggel 01:15
• Mátraszentimrei Dalok:
• 4 Ligeti: Mátraszentimrei Dalok: No. 1, Három hordó 01:19
• 5 Ligeti: Mátraszentimrei Dalok: No. 2, Igaz szerelem 01:22
• 6 Ligeti: Mátraszentimrei Dalok: No. 3, Gomb, gomb 01:36
• 7 Ligeti: Mátraszentimrei Dalok: No. 4, Erdőbe, erdőbe 00:54
• 3 Phantasien nach Friedrich Hölderlin:
• 8 Ligeti: 3 Phantasien nach Friedrich Hölderlin: No. 1, Hälfte des Lebens 03:46
• 9 Ligeti: 3 Phantasien nach Friedrich Hölderlin: No. 2, Wenn aus der Ferne 05:28
• 10 Ligeti: 3 Phantasien nach Friedrich Hölderlin: No. 3, Abendphantasie 03:42
• Zoltán Kodály (1882 - 1967): Esti Dal, K. 110:
• 11 Kodály: Esti Dal, K. 110 03:01
• Este, K. 18:
• 12 Kodály: Este, K. 18 04:55
• Mátrai képek, K. 73:
• 13 Kodály: Mátrai képek, K. 73 11:03
• Total Runtime 49:53

Info for Kodály & Ligeti: Choral Works

"For most of the 20th century, the two giants of Hungarian music were Bartok and Kodaly. Following his explosion on the international scene in the mid-60s, Gyorgi Ligeti, a student of Kodaly, was added to that list. Kodaly was one of the most significant early figures in the field of ethnomusicology. He also composed prolifically for choirs. All of the Kodaly works on this program were influence by folk music and chart the composer’s development from the world of late romanticism to the mini-cantata Matrai kepek (Matra pictures), including a shimmering performance of Esti Dal (Evening Song), his most beloved choral work. Most of music that Ligeti composed for a cappella choir was written in the mid- 50s while still in Budapest. Alongside numerous folk song arrangements, like Mátraszentimrei Dalok, were pieces like Éjszaka – Reggel (Night – Morning) which were already pushing the sonic boundaries with clusters and onomatopoeic sounds. Ligeti’s mature style can be heard in the shimmering and justifiably famous Lux Aeterna while the late Drei Phantasien (on texts by Friedrich Holderlin) described by Ligeti himself as 'emotional, «onomatopoetic», overwrought, 16-voiced pieces (not micropolyphonic!)' is an example of his late Post-Modernist style. For this very special and demanding repertoire, both teacher and student are in good hands with the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and conductor Marcus Creed. Audiophiles will also be richly rewarded with the vivid imaging and 'as real as it gets' sonic presence thanks to producer Michael Emery and technician Mikkel Nymand. A Dolby Atmos release is being planned."

Danish National Vocal Ensemble
Marcus Creed, conductor

Danish National Vocal Ensemble
Since its debut in 2007, the Danish National Vocal Ensemble’s sound has been called transparent, bright and pure, and the ensemble sings with a technical precision that has placed it among the top tier vocal ensembles in Europe.

The Danish National Vocal Ensemble’s repertoire spans nearly 500 years of music, from Renaissance polyphony to the latest avantgarde explorations and even folk songs, bringing the essence of the famous Nordic choral style to perfection.

Each season the Danish National Vocal Ensemble appears in both a cappella concerts and with The Danish National Symphony Orchestra. The group also appears with other ensembles, including the baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen and international orchestras like the Radio Symphony Orchestra from Hamburg, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic.

In 2014 Marcus Creed succeeded Swedish-born Olof Boman and Stephen Layton as the ensemble’s chief conductor and principal guest conductor respectively. DNVE received both an ECHO Klassik Award, nominations for 2 Grammy’s, a Gramophone Award and for the Danish Radio P2 Prize. Their CD L’amour et la foi received in June 2015 Diapason d’Or.

Marcus Creed
The English conductor, Marcus Creed, began his studies at King's College in Cambridge, where he had the opportunity to sing in the famed King's College Choir. Further studies took him to Christ Church in Oxford and the Guildhall School in London.

Marcus Creed began living in Berlin in 1976 (or 1977). Stations along his way have been the Deutsche Oper Berlin (where he worked as opera coach and choir director), Hochschule der Kunste (lecturer on song), as well as the Gruppe Neue Musik and the Scharoun Ensemble (pianist and conductor). In 1987 he was appointed artistic director of the RIAS-Kammerchor, which won numerous international awards under his direction (including the Edison Award, the Diapason D'Or and the Cannes Classical Award). His work together with the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Concerto Koln formed an important part of his concert activities.

Marcus Creed has been invited by several early music festivals. He gave performances of Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232), Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, and his cycle of Handel oratorios (Solomon, Messiah, Jephtha, Israel in Egypt, Alexander's Feast, Theodora, etc.) set an exemplary criterion in Germany. He conducts Belshazzar at the Gottingen Handel Festival in 1996. In the performance of new music with the RIAS-Kammerchor, he is also closely associated with the Berlin Scharoun Ensemble as a pianist and conductor. He regularly appears at the Berlin Festwochen as well as at festivals like the Warsaw Spring, Wien Modern, the Salzburg Festspielen, the Venice Biennale and at festivals in Montreux, Edinburgh, Lucerne and Innsbruck.

In partnership with Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker Marcus Creed conducted Stockhausen's orchestral Gruppen. He has worked with other orchestras like the Berlin Staatskapelle and the Berliner Symphoniker. In 1998, he accepted a call to take up the position of professor of conducting at the Musikhochschule in Koln. Since January 1, 2003, he has been artistic director of the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart.

Booklet for Kodály & Ligeti: Choral Works