Episode 7: Pär Lindh Project

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE EPISODE!
(35.6 MB MP3) and visit the Pär Lindh website for news and to order CDs.

Pär Lindh Project:
Dresden Lamentation, from the 1994 album "Gothic Impressions"

Antonio Vivaldi:
Oboe Concerto in A Minor (complete)

Baroque Impression, from 1997 album "Mundus Incomperticus"

Adagio con flauto et clavicembalo, from 2001 album "Veni Vidi Vici"

Gunnlev's Round, from the album "Gothic Impressions"

Claudio Moteverdi:
A'un Giro Sol De Bell' Occhi

Chorale from "Mundus Incomperticus"
Hymn,
River of Tales, both from Veni Vidi Vici

Concerto written in the Baroque style (excerpt, from the Pär Lindh website)

Fugue for Organ, excerpt from "The Cathedral" on the album "Gothic Impressions"

Johann Sebastian Bach: 
Concerto for Flute, Violin, Harpsicord, & Orchestra in A minor
i. Allegro

Excerpt from "Gradus ad Parnassum"
The Premonition, both from "Veni Vidi Vici"


Notes:

Pär Lindh is a Swedish concert harpsichordist, organist, and pianist, and has given numerous recitals all over the world for each instrument. As a composer, he is most heavily influenced by the Baroque and Classical musical periods, and has composed a number of classical works for keyboard instruments as well as orchestra. However, he also has a taste for progressive rock bands like Emerson, Lake, & Palmer and Yes. In the Early '90s he formed the Pär Lindh Project (PLP) as an outlet for his compositions. The subsequent four studio albums and other related live and side project recordings employ a rich mix of acoustic and electronic keyboards, as well as traditional and rock instruments, and choir. Many notable musicians have been featured on PLP's recordings, the most obvious being the talented vocalist Magdelena Hagberg.

"Dresden Lamentation" is an excerpt of a symphony that Pär Lindh is composing, taking as its theme the needless Allied bombing of Dresden at the end of WWII.

"Baroque Impression" is based on a theme from the first movement of the Vivaldi concerto heard in our program. In fact, Pär directly quotes the concerto, first with an oboe playing the melody later with violin.

The melody that concludes this episode is first heard in "Hymn," where it is introduced as a haunting violin solo. In "Premonition" it returns with a vengeance and brings the piece (and this program) to it's exciting conclusion.

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was an Italian composer, violinist and singer. His work marks the transition from Renaissance to Baroque music. During his long life he produced work that can be classified in both categories, and he was one of the most significant revolutionaries that brought about the change in style (from wikipedia.org).

The madrigal featured in our program, A'un Giro Sol De Bell' Occhi, well represents choral music at the transition point between Renaissance and Baroque styles. Hence, it is played in our program following the Renaissance-flavored Gunlev's Round, in conjunction with the similarly styled chorale from Mundus Incomperticus, and before the more modern choral structures found at the beginning of "Hymn."

The mood and lyrics of this madrigal also seemed to fit the with of much of PLP's music. A translation of the lyrics are as follows:

At but one glance from those sparkling eyes,
the air, surrounding, laughs.
The sea quiets down, and the winds,
and the sky glows with a different light.
Only my eyes are tearful and sorrowful.
This had to be! When you were born,
cruel one,
born also was my death.

One of Par Lindh's most impressive recorded choral compositions, Le Grande Chambardement, is not found in this episode, but will be featured in next week's "Choral Prog" episode.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) And
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) are perhaps the two most well known Baroque composers; Bach's year of death is often used to mark the end of the Baroque period.

Pär cites Bach as one of his favorite composers. I chose this particular selection because of how well it tied in with the other music for this episode and of course because of the prominence of the harpsichord.

Bach brought the musical form of the fugue to it's full fruition; Pär Lindh's fugue has been performed in numerous organ recitals and received with the highest praise.


More Information:

Wikipedia:
Claudio Monteverdi
Antonio Vivaldi
Johann Sebastian Bach
fugue

Websites:
Par Lindh Project