Interesting review in Kulturen Nu
January 15, 2025
Evanthore Vestergård
Interessant musik. Nu er turen kommet til vokalmusikken, der udgør, en mindre del af hendes produktion.
Efterhånden ved vi, hvordan Pades elektronmusik lyder. Hvad med korværkerne? – Tja.. Cd’ens tre første Pade-satser er traditionelle, så det nærmer sig det kedelige. Den syv minutter lange sats ”Völo spa hoc est” fra 1956 bygger på et uddrag af ”Vølvens spådom” og er mere interessant med sin middelalderstemning.
Det er dog først i storværket ”Maria” fra 1980 med den besynderlige besætning sangsolister, talekor, syv basuner og elektronik, at det for alvor bliver spændende.
Velsagtens fordi Pade her er på hjemmebane. Det er et religiøst, dramatisk, mytologisk værk også med middelalder inspiration og med massive, elektroniske klangflader.
Albummets titel er ”O Listen” efter en sats af pladens anden komponist, slovakiske Uroš Krek (1922-2008), som var ukendt for denne anmelder.
Når hans musik bringes på bane, hænger det nok sammen med, at dirigenten Martina Batič også er slovak. Kreks var én af Slovakiets store modernister, og hans otte korsatser fra 1990’erne er udpræget østeuropæisk vokaltradition og tonesprog, mere gedigent end Pades og bestemt lytteværdige.
DR VokalEnsemblet er et af ganske få professionelle kor i Danmark. Det har flere gange været truet, men har overlevet Danmarks Radios sparekniv hver gang, om end det lever på usikre vilkår.
Det repræsenterer den ypperste korsang i dette land. Det høres naturligvis i koret som sådant, men også når de enkelte medlemmer træder frem som solister.
Vellykket korsang hænger snævert sammen med dirigenten, og der er ingen tvivl om, at Martina Batič, der har været chefdirigent siden august -23 gør et stort arbejde for VokalEnsemblet.
AI Translation:
Interesting music.
Now it’s time for vocal music, which constitutes a smaller part of her output. By now, we know what Pade’s electronic music sounds like. But what about her choral works? – Well... The CD’s first three Pade movements are traditional, almost to the point of being boring. However, the seven-minute movement “Völo spa hoc est” from 1956, based on an excerpt from “Völvens spådom” (The Prophecy of the Seeress), is more interesting with its medieval atmosphere.
It is in the grand work “Maria” from 1980, featuring the unusual ensemble of vocal soloists, a speaking choir, seven trombones, and electronics, that things truly become exciting. Presumably, this is because Pade is in her element here. It’s a religious, dramatic, and mythological work, also inspired by the medieval era, with massive electronic soundscapes.
The album is titled “O Listen”, after a piece by the album’s second composer, Slovakian Uroš Krek (1922–2008), who was unfamiliar to this reviewer. His inclusion likely has to do with the fact that the conductor, Martina Batič, is also Slovak. Krek was one of Slovakia’s prominent modernists, and his eight choral movements from the 1990s are steeped in the Eastern European vocal tradition and tonal language. They are more solid than Pade’s works and definitely worth listening to.
The DR Vocal Ensemble is one of the very few professional choirs in Denmark. It has faced threats of closure multiple times but has survived Danmarks Radio’s budget cuts each time, albeit under precarious conditions. The ensemble represents the pinnacle of choral singing in Denmark. This is evident in the choir as a whole but also in the moments when individual members step forward as soloists.
Successful choral singing is closely tied to the conductor, and there is no doubt that Martina Batič, who has been chief conductor since August 2023, is doing exceptional work with the Vocal Ensemble.