Per Nørgård

Remembering Child

Remembering Child - Version For Violin Solo, Violoncello Solo And Orchestra by Per Norgård (2015). To be premiered by Peter Herresthal (violin) and Jakob Kullberg (cello) with Bergen Philharmonic on June 6th 2015 in Bergen, Norway. The original version was premiered by Pinchas Zukerman and the St. Paul' s Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Arturo di Mecke, on September 12th 1986. Programme Note: The news of the tragic death of Samantha Smith reached me in the early stages of preparation for the commissioned work for viola and chamber orchestra. Already an admirerer of this childworker for peace and nuclear disarmament, I completed my work strongly inspired by this unique and uniquely symbolic fate of our time. Music from humble sources - including my composition Beach Poppy, a choral work from 1960 - are woven into the texture of the composition. I was guided by the original meaning of the word 'remembering' (making whole, healing) in opposition to 'dismembering' (tearing apart): The healing power of the child. (Per Norgård)