The International Rostum of Composers 2019 – NRK, The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Herman Vogt (b. 1976): Solsangen (Canticle of the Sun) (2018) Duration: 16’03 Oslo Philharmonic; Vasily Petrenko (conductor). Recorded in Oslo Concert Hall, 23. August 2018 (Première) Solsangen (Canticle of the Sun) The orchestra piece Solsangen (Canticle of the Sun) by the Norwegian composer Herman Vogt borrows its title from the famous poem by Francis of Assisi from ca. 1225. The text, which is dictated from the sickbed by a nearly blind Francis, is a praise of God and a personal tribute to His creations – the sun, the moon, the stars, the four elements, love, life, and finally death. In the piece Vogt is inspired by the vitality and the life affirming exuberance in the poem, alongside a sober atmosphere which reflects a wondering over life and our part, as humans, in the world. Vogt has given a musical expression to the duality between rejoicing on the one hand and fragile contemplation on the other. Ambiguity is a central aspect in the musical treatment of the poem, it is reflected in bitonality and shifting tonal centers which so to speak ‘slip through the hands’. In this double-sidedness lies the drama of the poem: a rejoicing of our existence and life itself, while death simultaneously is embedded in it all. Solsangen was commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic and was first performed under Vasily Petrenko in August 2018. Herman Vogt Herman Vogt studied composition from 1999 to 2004 at The Norwegian Academy of Music with Bjørn Kruse, Lasse Thoresen and Henrik Hellstenius as teachers, and finnished a master’s degree in 2018 under the tuition of Asbjørn Schaathun. In 2003 Vogt studied composition at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Martijn Padding and Louis Andriessen. Vogt studied the violin from 1995-97 at The Norwegian Academy of Music. Vogt’s music has been performed at the World Music Days (ISCM Festival) in Sydney and Belgium, the Transit Festival in Belgium, Nordic Music Days in Copenhagen and Stockholm, ULTIMA Festival in Oslo, Borealis Festival in Bergen, as well as various other festivals. His music has been performed by Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, CIKADA, BIT20 Ensemble, Oslo Sinfonietta, Athelas Sinfonietta, pianist Ian Pace, conductors Vasily Petrenko, Pierre-André Valade, Baldur Brönniman and Christian Eggen. Scores available at: The National Library of Norway (Nasjonalbiblioteket), NB noter. Tel: +47 23 27 63 03 E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://nb.bibits.no/wsSearchAdv.Asp?DocGrp=2&language=Eng .