Så kort ein sommar menneska har - Songs by Gisle Kverndokk

Melody is something I have been passionate about throughout my career as a composer. Crafting a melody that is captivating yet simultaneously original and unpredictable. What, exactly, makes a melody "good"? I've been looking into this for years. From studying Palestrina's strict rules, all the way to studying the American songwriters who created the great “Evergreens” catalogue. Writing for the voice is of great interest to me – especially musical drama. Throughout my years as a composer, I've composed songs. Everything from opera arias to simple songs. This album unites several of the genres I've worked on. The songs are based on opera, musicals, theatre, folk song programs and poetry evenings. What unites them is my love for poetry. And on this album, you will make the acquaintance of some of the poets I admire the most. Summer is the main theme you’ll sense here. The bright summer. The light that gives life, but which eventually turns into darkness – the summer that passes into autumn. The cycle of life and nature. Liv Holtskog’s poem «So short is the summer we all have» tells us that everything is perishable. Summer is short. Life is short. But as Ruth Maier writes: "The days get brighter when you’re in love with someone." Shakespeare writes "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?", while in sonnet 33 he describes how the sun is darkened by clouds when his beloved deceives him. In his poem "Don't Ask For Love" Wildenvey writes: «After a spring and a summer, autumn crushes it all – heavy and hard and cold.» I've been really looking forward to this album. It is a gift for a composer to have his songs performed by such wonderful artists as Marianne Beate Kielland and Nils Anders Mortensen. I am grateful, proud and happy! Gisle Kverndokk