This artistic team-up between the Women’s Choral Society of the University of Oslo, directed by conductor Marit Tøndel Bodsberg Weyde, and composer and double cellist Ellen Andrea Wang explores the first choir composition by the latter, and in doing so we are given a work of extreme tenderness, delicacy, and pure musicianship.
Based in Oslo, the team’s output, titled ‘There is a Place’ burrows words from the Gospel of Luke and Catholic Liturgy. As it tells the powerful story of the Virgin Mary’s emotions while giving birth to Jesus, such holy and poignant text is given proper treatment from the masterful choir of young women, and by the heart-stopping beauty of the composition. Written for the double bass, main vocals, and choir, the simplistic arrangement is written with impunity. Every note of every passage for each voice is calculated and purposeful, and the results are a work of extreme musical smoothness and ease. Indeed, ‘There is a place’ is close to five minutes long, and in practice felt much, much shorter, at least to me.
The wonderful performances from all those involved do a great service to the wonderfully melodic composition and display reverence for the historical story being told. ‘There is a Place’ is a wonderful piece of work that binds classical music, with choir, jazz, pop, and worship music with such eloquence that I’ve positively not experienced before.