Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg centres history and human feeling in “Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament,” a cycle of five works for orchestra performed by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under conductor Peter Szilvay. The album is 56 minutes long and features a sweeping three-movement symphony, with two works from earlier in his career, creating a programme that moves from personal remembrance to a wider story of migration and belonging. This album rewards close attention for those interested in modern classical music that has a strong emotional and historical focus.
The album starts with “Lamento – Cissi Klein in memoriam”, a very personal start. The work is a memorial to Cissi Klein, a young Jewish girl from Trondheim who was killed in the Second World War and brings to the fore the personal life behind the historical tragedy. Its placement at the beginning forces us to pause before entering the larger narrative, making remembrance an important part of the emotional foundation of the album. It gives weight to Kleiberg’s historical approach but does not lose sight of the person at its centre.
“The Town and its People” expands from a life to a group of people. The title of "Lamento – Cissi Klein in memoriam," following the intimate historical focus, suggests a portrait built around place and the people who imbue it with meaning. It precedes the three-part symphony, making the transition between the album’s two scales: specific memories and the sweeping motions of a population leaving home. The change of perspective lends the programme a natural sense of expansion.
The symphony’s migration story opens in the first movement, “Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament – Symphony No. 3: I. Espressivo e rubato. Andante,” with an expressive sense of reflection. Its musical directions suggest a flexible phrasing and unhurried tempo, appropriate to a work concerned with departure, longing and the uncertainty of a new life. It lets the larger story unfold in a slow burn, turning a historical movement of people into an intimate question of what it means to leave home.
"Symphony No. 3: II. Tranquillo. Drammatico." Over the Ocean Towards a Higher Firmament (Second Movement) Adds to the dramatic dimension, mysterious. Its sequence of signs, calm, dramatic, mysterious, frames a more unsettling chapter, showing how migration can be hopeful and fearful. Rather than depicting the crossing of the ocean as a simple passage from one space to another, this section continues to emphasise the uncertainty that comes with leaving a familiar world.
In “Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament – Symphony No. 3: III. Maestoso. Quasi corale” the symphony moves in a more expansive and ceremonial gesture towards its destination. 'Maestoso' implies 'majesty'. Quasi corale implies a choral character. The hymn-like conclusion of the movement brings the path towards resolution. The five tracks on the album have Kleiberg connecting individual memory, community and Norwegian emigration to North America in a programme that seems more carefully constructed than loosely assembled. His profile at NTNU reflects a career covering orchestral, choral and chamber music. Further release details: see LAWO Classics album listing. This is a contemplative orchestral release about memory, identity, and the ongoing quest for belonging for anyone who is attracted to contemporary classical music that places historical ideas next to human feeling.
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