MARIN – An Animated Fantasy

A film by Morten Bartholdy

Borup-Jørgensen’s music exists on the margins of silence, punctuated with searing dramatic eruptions, all of which can be heard in his orchestral masterpiece Marin (1970). Borup-Jørgensen massive ‘sea symphony’ exists in its own unique world of sound—sometimes in as many as 55 separate voices—as is one of the most challenging and meticulously detailed orchestral textures every set to paper.

Such visceral music demands visual expression and as part of this very special DVD/SACD release, Lückow Film, and an international team of animators directed by Morten Bartholdy bring Borup-Jørgensen’s musical world to life.

Also included is the new film AXEL—a portrait of both the composer, and of mid-century Danish modernism featuring interviews with other composers, colleagues and friends, as well as excerpts from recent live performances of the music by Axel Borup-Jørgensen.

Born in Denmark and raised in Sweden, he was largely self-taught as a composer, emerging on the international spotlight in 1965 when his Nordic Summer Pastoral won first prize in the competition for a short orchestral work held by Denmarks Radio. While the avant-garde of the sixties exerted a strong influence on Borup-Jørgensen’s sound world, he always followed his own intuition and obeyed his extraordinary sense of organizing sound combined with a passionate, almost mystical regard for nature.

As Borup-Jørgensen himself once said: ‘To compose is not to do what one can; if anything good is to come out of it, one must surpass oneself’—all of the contributors to this special DVD/SACD release of Marin have surpassed every expectation and limitation!

with
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor

SACD:

Axel Borup-Jørgensen:
MARIN, Op. 60
Music for Percussion and Viola, Op. 18
Für Cembalo und Orgel, Op. 133:2
Nachtstück, Op. 118
Winter Pieces, Op. 30b
Pergolato, Op. 183
Sirenernes kyst (The Coast of Sirens), Op. 100

Elisabet Selin, recorder
Michala Petri, recorder
Tim Frederiksen, viola
Erik Kaltoft, piano
Jens E. Christensen, organ
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord

Percurama Percussion Ensemble
Århus Sinfonietta
Gert Mortensen, conductor
Søren Kinch Hansen, conductor

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 59 mins (film) + 78 mins (audio recording)
No. of Discs: 2 (x1 DVD + x1 CD)