Henrik
Colding-Jørgensen
FOUR BRITISH
SONGS
for female
youth choir, 1997
About the texts:
The British language always fascinates me. The deep
British humour, sometimes expressed in the turn of a single word only, the
passionate expressiveness in the hands of the poets of the 19. century, the raw
sensitivity of simple words. A language for young people.
So, when I endeavoured to write a series of serious
compositions for youth choir, the British poetry seemed to me the best source
of texts. The compositions do not give any regard to so called limitations in
the ability of young people. My own experience has shown, that young people may
overrate themselves, but most frequently they are seriously underrated by their
elders. So, this is the music, as it must be.
John Keats is chosen to show the skinless emotion and
deep despair, Shirley Brooks the overwhelming will of life, Edward Lear the
generous expressiveness, giving a whole letter of seemingly nonsense, with
various allusions, though, and finally Lewis Caroll to express the fake despair
of the mock turtle, crying out his missing heart over the youth he did not
have. And the final judgement: Come on!
Henrik Colding-Jørgensen, 2003