Fanfare US 4. review
Five stars: Magical chamber works by the modernist Danish composer Axel Borup-Jørgensen
≈ BORUP-JØRGENSEN Intrada for solo percussion, op. 149. Trio for clarinet, cello and piano, op. 1341. Ricostruzioni for woodwind quintet, op. 71. Malinconia, for string quartet, op. 68. Distichon, for violin and piano, op. 671. Rapsodi, for viola solo, op. 114/3. “mikroorganismer” - short sketches for string quartet, op. 20b  Esbjerg Ens; 1Kristoffer Hyldig (pn)  OUR RECORDINGS 8.226925 (Streaming audio: 65:58) https://www.ourrecordings.com/stream-music

Esbjerg Ensemble & Christopher Hyldig, Piano, Playing Axel Borup-Jørgensen presents solo and chamber works by the modernist Danish composer. Born in Hjørring, Denmark, Axel Borup-Jørgensen (1924-2012) spent most of his first two decades in Sweden, where his family lived on the island of Björkö in Lake Sommen. In his liner notes for the new Our Recordings issue, Joshua Creek explains: “As a youth Axel would often go cycling through the Swedish countryside, or spend hours rowing, no doubt captivated by the ever-changing play of light refracted upon the surface of the water.” With regard to the influence of Borup-Jørgensen’s Swedish years, Creek also quotes fellow Danish composer Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: “Borup has found his own poetic beauty. He is a composer’s poet. He has a Swedish quality in his music, and one can almost hear the Swedish forests and the special melancholy, which is also found in Swedish art.” Borup-Jørgensen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, and later attended the Darmstädter Ferienkurse on a few occasions, which, according to Creek, was “more a confirmation than a revelation.” Far more influential was his encounter with the music of György Ligeti…” Borup-Jørgensen described himself as an “autodidact,” one who pursued a mode of expression decidedly modernist and individual. Joshua Creek observes these qualities of Borup-Jørgensen’s music, that include an:
“organic, almost crystalline process of motivic development and a preference for the upper tessituras…his later works were particularly characterized by a preference for minimalist textures and works composed almost exclusively in the mid- and upper ranges. Melody progressively disappears from his music, replaced by meditative spaces and instrumental resources. Indeed, as Axel was fond of saying: ‘Silence is music too.’”
The opening work on the Our Recordings Borup-Jørgensen survey exemplifies these qualities. Intrada, for solo percussion (1993-4) combines traditional instruments (tom-toms, bongos, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and marimba), with “junkyard” items “such as glass bottles, suspended strings, an anvil, pieces of glass and the rather unusual inclusion of the steel pan drum.” From this eclectic and curious instrumental mélange, Borup-Jørgensen conjures a magical sound world, radiating a brilliant kaleidoscope of textures and colors. The composer’s preference for the upper registers of instrumental sonority, his arresting episodes of silence, and an overarching poetic voice embody an elegant, life-affirming voice. It should also be noted that the composer provides the performer with ample opportunity for improvisation. I found the magic of Intrada to be reprised throughout the recital. The works, spanning the years 1956-1994, embody similar qualities and strengths. The Esbjerg Ensemble and pianist Kristoffer Hyldig fully embrace Borup-Jørgensen’s glittering sound world, and their marvelous performances are captured in warm, detailed sound. A vibrant and immensely gratifying sonic journey, one that may even appeal to those who don’t normally gravitate toward contemporary expression. Recommended with enthusiasm. Ken Meltzer, November 2024
Five stars: Magical chamber works by the modernist Danish composer Axel Borup-Jørgensen