Recording from 30. Apr 2020

Craig Farr Alrekr – The Towering

Being the tallest of Bergen’s seven surrounding mountains, Ulriken (Norse: Alrekr) towers above the coastal town with an ominous and eerie presence and was prominent in the view from the composers office window .Alrikstad, at the foot of the mountain, was once home to many Viking kings who ruled from there including Bergen citys founder King Olafr III who was present at the battle of Stamford Bridge in England, 1066.

To me (Craig Farr), Mount Ulriken symbolises the prominence of the Bergen Philharmonic, who commissioned this piece to celebrate its 250th anniversary, and their solid presence in Bergens potent cultural scene past and present. The piece also depicts a journey in time and space for which the timpanist puts on skis! The journey is also of spiritual and transcendental nature, guiding the orchestral percussionists to an elevated state augmented by electronics. Here they connect with the spirit world, represented in this case by strings from the orchestra. This is a nod to the trance inducing role of drumming in Sami (indigenous nordic people) tradition one can also find in Native-American cultures as well as animist cultures worldwide.

This piece pays homage to the history of orchestral percussion as well as casting a glance to the roots of drumming and in fact the origins of music itself and is dedicated to Bergen Philharmonics longest serving percussionist, Peter Kates.

The composition of this piece was made possible with funding from the Norwegian Arts Council, The Composers’ Remuneration Fund and TONO.