Christian Præstholm: Siseby-suite, arr. for chamber orchestra [World Premiere]

Details

Description

As performed by in Skt. Lukas Church, Aarhus on April 6th 2025 by ourselves and conductor Magnus Plejdrup.

Christian Præstholm’s Siseby Suite was composed in the spring of 2019 for the Marcussen & Reuter Siseby organ in Haderslev Cathedral, commissioned by cathedral organist Henrik Skærbæk Jespersen. The occasion was the 200th anniversary of this remarkable organ’s creation. It was since transcribed for chamber orchestra in 2022 and premiered in its' full length by Aarhus Chamber Orchestra in 2025.

From the preface:
The music is generally freely composed, without any melodic model; however, Holger Lissner and Christian Præstholm’s hymn Når du vil (When You Will) is quoted in its entirety in the fourth movement, Air–Choral. Lissner’s text won first prize in 2015 in the international competition organised by the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, calling for a new Reformation hymn to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Præstholm’s melody was awarded a special prize in the accompanying melody competition.

'Når du vil' also appears sporadically in the first movement, and especially in the final movement, where it is combined with a few lines from a well-known melody from the Reformation era. This is both a reference to Haderslev as one of the most important Danish cities of the Reformation period – sometimes called “the Wittenberg of the North” – and to two other works composed for the Siseby organ by Jesper Madsen and Peter Møller, both of which incorporate the same melody.

00:00 I Præludium
04:28 II Sarabande
08:18 III Gavotte
10:33 IV Air - Choral
12:58 V Bourrée
14:00 VI Menuet
17:41 VII Gigue

Video and sound by Kehlet Video

With support from The Danish Arts Council, Aarhus Kommune, Den Jyske Kunstfond, Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium, Det Obelske Familiefond and Knud Højgaard Foundation