There is something here for everyone interested in twentieth-century repertoire, the most ardent of serialists aside. In the course of a very distinguished career Per Norgard has encountered most of the styles and ‘isms’ this century has produced – and invented one or two himself – and the four works for clarinet and/or cello with piano collected on this CD reflect his diversity of experience. The Trio was written in 1955 during his final year in Holmboe’s composition class. Already one can hear hints of the composer’s mature concerns, as in the second movement’s initial Philip Glass-like pattern a full decade before minimalism appeared. This style would be explored more fully – perhaps too much so for the minimalist label to stick – in his second trio, Spell (1973). Here different types of motion were fused together in the course of 16 minutes, a process reversed in the more recent Lin (“Approach”, 1986). Cao Shu (“Letters of grass”, 1992-3), a beautiful, rather meditative duet written for Jens Schou and Erik Kaltoft, shares with Lin the oriental connection common to much of Norgard’s recent output.
Norgard’s journeys have always been interesting, even when they needed time to be fully appreciated. I find that the more I get to know these pieces the more compelling they become, especially in such committed and persuasive performances as are given here by the LINensemble (originally the Funen Trio until Norgard suggested they rename themselves after his third trio). The recordings are very clear.'