Kim André Arnesen
About the composer
Kim André Arnesen, born in 1980, is a classical musician from Norway. He is one of the most frequently performed composers today. Arnesen grew up in Trondheim, where he was a chorister in the Nidaros Cathedral Boys’ Choir, and later studied at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim. Choral music became his greatest passion.
As a composer, he had his first performance at the age of 18 with the Boys’ Choir. Since then, his music has been performed by choirs all over the world. His albums Magnificat (2014) and Infinity reached the top of the iTunes classical charts.
Among his most popular and globally performed choral works are Even When He is Silent, Cradle Hymn, and Flight Song. Other large works include The Wound in the Water (2016), Tuvayhun – Beatitudes for a Wounded World (2018), Nordic Christmas, and Nordlys for the World Choral Fest 2020. In December 2020 and January 2021, Kim released four piano singles: Light a Candle, December Night, Snow Light, and Winter Moon.
About the Stabat Mater
| Date: | 2020 |
| Performers: | SSAA choir, mezzo spran0 and chamber orchestra or organ |
| Length: | 48.12 minutes |
| Particulars: | We came across Arnesen's composition through our contact with the Dutch Zingis Choir in Zeist, The Netherlands, which will perform this work in 2024/2025. We are impressed by the wonderful orchestral parts that introduce or answer the choral parts. This composition, despite its relatively large scoring, has, in our opinion, a character appropriate for liturgical performance in a church. |
| Textual variations: | All stanzas have been sung. The Analecta version has been used. There are nine movements. Arnesen added English texts to his Stabat Mater composition. In the booklet, Arnesen writes: "I wanted to add new poetry in English that focuses on all parents who are grieving the loss of their own child. My Stabat Mater is dedicated to them." The third movement is the first addition, sung by a soloist, with lyrics by Euan Tait: "A Mother’s Prayer." Movement eight is the second addition, sung by a soloist and choir. It is a moving poem about a child hospitalized with cancer and their nurse. In it, they wonder: "What are children to the Lord when one of those children dies?" It is a poem about loss and acceptance. Both texts create a bridge between past and present, emphasizing that the pain of loss is universal and timeless, regardless of language and culture. |
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Information about the recording
| CD: | N©B HSA008 Stabat Mater Kim André Arnesen |
| More info: | World premiere live recording. We came across Arnesen’s composition through our contact with the Dutch Zingis Choir in Zeist, The Netherlands, which will perform this work in 2024/2025. It was recorded live at Alsion Concert Hall (DK) on August 26, 2020. |
| Orchestra: | South Denmark Philharmonic |
| Choir: | Haderslev Cathedral Girls Choir, Denmark |
| Conductor: | Thomas Berg-Juul |
| Soloists: | Kristin Mulders, mezzo soprano |
| Code: | ARN 01 |
