Bach goes paradise

Experience the majestic sounds of the organ in a landmark building that has fascinated visitors for 700 years. Let yourself be uplifted by the timeless works of Johann Sebastian Bach, performed alongside masterpieces by other great composers, in the awe-inspiring setting of Storkyrkan, Stockholm.
Tjark Pinne (Oslo domkyrka)
Program
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Preludium & fuga G-dur BWV 550
Egil Hovland (1924-2013)
Herre Gud, ditt dyre Navn og Ære (Koralpartita)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Passacaglia & fuga c-moll BWV 582
Kåre Nordstoga (f. 1954)
Eg veit i himmerik ei borg
Ghislaine Reece-Trapp (f. 1992)
In Paradisum
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Dieu parmi nous ur La Nativité du Seigneur
Today’s program places Johann Sebastian Bach in dialogue with Norwegian composers, journeying from the grounded Passacaglia to heaven, ending with Messiaen’s “Dieu parmi nous”.
Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G major opens with radiant energy, fanfare-like gestures, and dancing rhythms. At the center of the program stands the monumental Passacaglia in C minor, built on a repeating bass line that wanders through different voices - unusual for a passacaglia - unfolding into inventive variations and culminating in a grand fugue.
Between these Bach works are pieces by Norwegian composers Egil Hovland and Kåre Nordstoga, both based on famous Norwegian hymns. Hovland’s “Herre Gud, ditt dyre Navn og Ære”, written for the inauguration of a Norwegian organ at Coventry Cathedral in 1967, consists of seven variations. Nordstoga’s “Eg veit i himmerik ei borg” was premiered at the Oslo International Church Music Festival in 2021.
Ghislaine Reece-Trapp’s “In Paradisum” creates a calm, luminous atmosphere, before Messiaen’s brilliant toccata “Dieu parmi nous” brings the program to a triumphant close.