Version for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble. Aftonland (1957) for soprano and chamber orchestra the work to give Nordheim his breakthrough in the Northern countries is written on the basis of four poems by the Swedish Nobel prize-winner the writer Pär Lagerkvist. The original version is for soprano accompanied by five strings harp celesta and percussion. The second version (1965) is for soprano and chamber orchestra with 22 strings. The work is dedicated to the memory of the composer s father Erling Nordheim. Transition transformation and existential wonder as evoked by these lines in the second movement resonate sympathetically seemed to be etched into the verymusical fabric as well. Nordheim's free-tonal language with its dissonant intervals is employed effectively to punctuate Aftonland's powerful expressivity. Beyond the contours and importance of the lines however the instrumentation too probes broad expressive registers and is highly foregrounded in its own right.
