Performed by Ensemble Allegria

Recorded and mastered by Håvard Christensen

Performed at Nordland Musikkfestuke, August 2021

Remnants of Confetti Unexploded (2020)

Performed by Edvard Erdal, Guro Kleven Hagen, Eivind Ringstad and Amalie Stalheim at Norsjø Kammermusikkfest, May 1st 2021

Abrasjon II (2021) for string quartet

Anna Berg's piece Synchondrae (2021) was written for Det Norske Blåseensemble (The Norwegian Wind Ensemble). It was premiered by Det Norske Blåseensemble in January 2021 with conductor Kai Grinde Myrann. Mastered by Mats Claesson.

Synchondrae (2022)

Recording from the world premiere of Anna Berg's piece Accrétion (2021) for choir. 
Written for and performed by Ensemble 96 and conductor Nina T. Karlsen. 
June 7th, 2021, Fagerborg kirke. 

Mastering: Audun Strype

Accrétion (2021)

Litio (2020) was created for Ensemble Ernst and premiered by the same ensemble in Oslo, May 2021, with Thomas Rimul (conductor).

Litio (2020)

"Earthward, Ever Circling" (2023) is the first piece in Anna Berg's trilogy that revolves around the ancient Vietnamese Buddhist funeral ritual of playing music for the deceased to help the soul in the reincarnation process. 

About the piece: 
"The living need light, the dead need music". The quote is from a Vietnamese Buddhist funeral ritual, where different forms of music are used to prepare the soul of the newly deceased for reincarnation. Funeral music is an important part of Vietnamese cultural heritage and tradition, that along with many rites across the world is about to disappear. 

The string trio Earthward, Ever Circling (2023) is the first piece in a series where I'm interested in how funeral music is used as a means of communication between living and dead, between the present and eternity. In the piece, this is reflected in the way the phrases move through different registers. 


They reach down towards the earthly and up towards the divine and eternal. The music constantly alternates between these stages. Like the soul's possible movements to its next life, the different elements in the music have different speed and weight, some parts swirling more hectically, while others parts are more static,
waiting.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) is one of the Western thinkers who embraced the idea of reincarnation. In his poem "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", he writes about how the human soul resembles water; coming from heaven, to heaven it rises, and again it returns to earth, in an eternal, alternating movement. I discovered an English translation of the poem done by the American writer Adam Sedia (b. 1984), where the last verse reads "earthward, ever circling", which is the background for the title of this piece.

The piece was commissioned by Guro Kleven Hagen, Eivind Ringstad and Amalie Stalheim, with support by The Norwegian Composers’ fund. 

The recording is from the premiere February 25th 2023 at Interpuls festival. The mastering is by Mats Claesson. 

Performers
Guro Kleven Hagen, violin
Eivind Ringstad, viola
Sverre Barratt-Due, cello

Score:
https://www.nb.no/noter/produkt/earthward-ever-circling-for-string-trio/

Earthward, Ever Circling (2023) for string trio

"Earthward, Ever Circling" (2023) is the second piece in Anna Berg's trilogy that revolves around the ancient Vietnamese Buddhist funeral ritual of playing music for the deceased to help the soul in the reincarnation process.

Performed by Ensemble NEXT and Simon Proust, conductor

Ensemble NEXT
Minaya Chapelain, flute
Jasmine Daquin, oboe/English horn
Akiho Nishimura, clarinets (Bb and bass)
Miho Kiyokawa, tenor and soprano saxophone
Reika Sato, violin
Sengyun Kim, viola
Yi Zhou, cello
Vincent Alves De Palma Delia, double bass

The recording is from the premiere in Paris, 21.03.2023.

Credits from the team at CNSMDP.
Alexis Ling, responsable du service audiovisuel
Frédéric Martin, réalisateur
Théo Clavere, chef monteur – assistant réalisateur
Jean-Marc Lyzwa, ingénieur du son
Julien Aléonard, projection sonore
Jacques Warnier, régie informatique
Jacques Warnier, Olviier Montagnon, conception, fabrication des jouets
Caroline Christiaens, conseillère musicale
Nathan Robain, direction artistique

Mastering by
Mats Claesson

Twirling, Revolving (2023) for chamber ensemble

Xymene II (2024) performed and commissioned by Trio KAMÖ / Le Bestiaire

Alexina Cheval, flute
Ulysse Junek, viola
Emma Prieur-Blanc, harp

Performed at Maison de Norvège, Paris, November 30th 2024. 

Recording: Hermod Ringset Bentsen and Rune Rebne
Master: Mats Claesson

Photo: Gorm K. Gaare

Xymene II (2024) for harp trio

For eight voices. Performed in Majorstuen kirke, April 2019.

Conductor: Erlend Leinan Lund

ZERRISS (2019)

Anna Berg is a composer from Kolbotn, Norway, based in Innlandet/Oslo/Paris.

Berg composes chamber music for a wide range of ensembles, from large ensembles and string orchestras to quartets and duo- and solo works. In addition she has a passion for new music for choir and she also composes electroacoustic works and music for film. Her music has been performed at concerts and festivals in the Nordic countries, among them at Ultima and Ung Nordisk Musikk.

Anna Berg

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