Canto Ergo Sum

  • LWC1004
  • Released CD and Streaming/download 15th May 2009

Benjamin Isachsen (Soprano) | Magne H. Draagen (Organ) | Berit Cardas (Violin)

CLASSICAL BOY SOPRANO WITH SOLO RECORDING

When the time came for Benjamin Isachsen to find a title for this CD, he suddenly lit on the idea of putting a slightly new twist on Descartes’ famous maxim on doubting, thinking, and being. You see, singing for Benjamin is about being alive, being free, fully realizing himself. He sings, therefore he is. “When I sing,” Benjamin says, “I feel an inner calm, as though I am floating, floating in full control.”

The CD presents a broad repertoire within the classical music genre with reference both to musical periods and to language and tradition. Descartes proceeded from doubt to thought and concluded that he existed. Good art which survives does not create itself. Art is born out of a disruption we may call doubt. The musical works presented here originate perhaps from a different kind of doubt and inner struggle than that with which Descartes was so absorbed. Yet, the sustainability of the songs suggests that they are capable of encompassing doubt and disruption in a way that can also fortify us and give us life. These pieces leave us with the feeling of being alive.

Listen

Tracks

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759)

Messiah, HWV 56, Part II

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen | Berit Cardas

1 Aria: How beautiful are the feet of them (arr. for voice, violin and organ) 2:41

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

2 Ich Halte Treulich Still Bwv 466 (From Geistliche Lieder)Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen 1:44
3 Ave Maria (version for voice and organ)Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen 3:07

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)

Requiem, Op. 48

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen

4 Pie Jesu (arr. for voice and organ) 2:55

Trond H.F. Kverno (*1945)

Jeremia

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen

5 Cantilena (arr. for voice and organ) 3:14

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

Mass No. 7 in B-Flat Major, Hob.XXII:7, "Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo", "Kleine Orgelsolomesse" (Little Organ Mass)

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen

6 Benedictus (arr. for voice and organ) 4:20

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Ellens Gesang III (Ave Maria!), Op. 52, No. 6, D. 839

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen

7 Hymne an die Jungfrau (arr. for voice and organ) 4:38

Kjell Mørk Karlsen (*1947)

8 Og Natta Ror Sin Lette Båt (arr. M.H. Draagen)Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen | Berit Cardas 3:02

Geoffrey Burgon (1941–2010)

9 Nunc dimittis (version for voice and organ)Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen 2:29

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

Hear my prayer, MWV B49

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen

10 Oh for the Wings of a Dove (arr. M. Neary for voice and organ) 5:13

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Anna Magdalena Notenbuch (Clavier-Buchlein III)

Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen

11 Bist du bei mir, BWV 508 (attrib. to G.H. Stölzel) 2:04

Traditional

12 I himmelen, i himmelen (arr. K. Nordstoga)Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen 3:29

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877–1933)

13 Sinfonische Chorale, Op. 87, No. 3, "Nun ruhen alle Wälder"Magne H. Draagen (organ) | Benjamin Isachsen | Berit Cardas 14:51

Reviews

A brilliant boy soprano: Benjamin Isachsen makes a beautiful debut with this CD.…

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A brilliant boy soprano: Benjamin Isachsen makes a beautiful debut with this CD. Through a wide range of music, we are treated to a brilliantly clear boy soprano voice. The voice has many dimensions to it, and there is a vulnerability in it, as if both Isachsen himself and everyone around him know that it is temporary.
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Strålende guttesopran Det er en vakker cd Benjamin Isachsen debuterer med. Gjennom et bredt spekter av musikk får vi presentert en strålende klar guttesopran-stemme. Stemmen har mange dimensjoner i seg, og det er en sårbarhet i den, som om både Isachsen selv og alle rundt ham vet at den er midlertidig.
Erik Steinskog | Bergens Tidende 5/6 Norwegian

Something as rare as a Norwegian boy soprano.…

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Something as rare as a Norwegian boy soprano. A sparklingly pure boy soprano. The recording demonstrates, first and foremost, just how vulnerable this vibrato-free child’s voice really is. It therefore also serves as an embodiment of the CD’s existential title, which perfectly captures what this recording is really about. You’d be hard-pressed to find purer intonation.
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Noe så sjeldent som en norsk guttesopran. En tindrende ren guttesopran. Innspillingen viser først og fremst hvor sårbar den vibratoløse barnestemmen egentlig er. Derfor blir den også et utrykk for den eksistensielle tittelen på cd-en, som er et meget godt utrykk for hva denne innspillingen egentlig handler om. Renere intonering skal man lete lenge etter.
Hroar Klempe | Adresseavisen Norwegian

The boy with the youthful voice. There is no doubt that this is a musician whose performance is underpinned by a solid musical instinct.…

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The boy with the youthful voice. There is no doubt that this is a musician whose performance is underpinned by a solid musical instinct. In Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’, for example, he shines in the high notes, and it sounds as beautiful as only a boy soprano can make it sound.
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Gutten med den unge stemmen. Det er ingen tvil om at dette er en musiker som har en solid musikalsk nerve i fremføringen. I for eksempel Schuberts «Ave Maria» glitrer han i høyden, og det låter så bra som bare guttesopran kan gjøre.
Tori Skrede | VG Norwegian

Now that he is about to retire as a boy soprano, someone has had the brilliant idea of releasing a CD on which he performs many of the best-known songs and arias for this voice type.…

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Now that he is about to retire as a boy soprano, someone has had the brilliant idea of releasing a CD on which he performs many of the best-known songs and arias for this voice type. And it has turned out to be a splendid testament. Benjamin impresses with his rich, full, clear tones. His intonation is flawless and he phrases like a mature musician, with beautiful lines. The highlights are Mendelssohn’s ‘Dove’ and Gabriel Fauré’s marvellous ‘Pie Jesu’, from the ‘Requiem’. It sounds so beautiful that it sends shivers down your spine.
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Nå som han er i ferd med å gå av med pensjon som guttesopran, har noen fått den glimrende ideen å utgi en CD, der han framfører mange av de mest kjente sanger og arier for denne stemmetypen. Og det er blitt et flott testament. Benjamin imponerer med store, runde, klare toner. Hans intonasjon er prikkfri og han fraserer som en moden musiker, med flotte linjer. Toppen er Mendelssohns «Dove» og Gabriel Faurés vidunderlige «Pie Jesu», fra «Requiem». Det er så velklingende at man fryser på ryggen.
Kjell Hillveg | Dagsavisen Norwegian

Credits

Performer
Benjamin Isachsen (Soprano) | Magne H. Draagen (Organ) | Berit Cardas (Violin)
Composer
Georg Friedrich Händel | Johann Sebastian Bach | Gabriel Fauré | Trond H.F. Kverno | Joseph Haydn | Franz Schubert | Kjell Mørk Karlsen | Geoffrey Burgon | Felix Mendelssohn | Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Arranger
Magne H. Draagen | Martin Neary | Kåre Nordstoga
Lyricist
J.H. Till | Eivind Skeie | Åse-Marie Nesse | Laurentius L. Laurinus | Paul Gerhardt
Producer
Vegard Landaas
Engineer
Thomas Wolden
Editing
Vegard Landaas
Mastering
Thomas Wolden
Liner notes
Elisabeth Thorsen | Benjamin Isachsen
English translation
Jim Skurdall
Executive producer
Vegard Landaas
Booklet editor
Vegard Landaas
Cover photo
Anna-Julia Granberg
Artist photo
Benjamin Isachsen by Lars O. Flydal | Benjamin Isachsen by Gunnar Klingvall
Design
Anna-Julia Granberg | Blunderbuss
Recording location
Ullern Church, Oslo
Recording country
Norway
Recording year
2008
Recording dates
19.06.2008 | 20.06.2008 | 24.08.2008
Original source
96 kHz, 24 bit
Discs / tracks
1 disc | 13 tracks
Release year
2009
Label
LAWO Classics
Duration
53:47
EAN
7090020180045
ISRC
NOEHX0902010/130

Booklet text

Canto Ergo Sum

When the time came for Benjamin to find a title for this CD, he suddenly lit on the idea of putting a slightly new twist on Descartes' famous maxim on doubting, thinking, and being. For Benjamin, singing is about being alive, being free, fully realizing himself. He sings, therefore he is. "When I sing," Benjamin says, "I feel an inner calm, as though I am floating, floating in full control."

The CD presents a broad repertoire within the classical genre, drawing on different musical periods, languages and traditions. Descartes proceeded from doubt to thought and concluded that he existed. Good art which survives does not create itself. Art is born out of a disruption we may call doubt. The musical works presented here originate perhaps from a different kind of doubt and inner struggle than that with which Descartes was so absorbed. Yet, the sustainability of the songs suggests that they are capable of encompassing doubt and disruption in a way that can also fortify us and give us life. These pieces leave us with the feeling of being alive.

As a member of the Oslo Cathedral Boys' Choir over a period of ten years, Benjamin has acquired a rich musical vocabulary which has challenged and enriched his thinking, faith, and emotions. Of the repertoire he says: "These are the songs that have meant the most to me in the course of my development. Here you find everything I have loved to sing. It is music of such high quality that I feel I am a part of something greater than myself when I sing it."

One wonders quite naturally what it is about this musical tradition which continues to appeal to new generations. Why do new voices perpetuate it? Is it perhaps the transcendent character of the selected works, the experience that these melodies and texts put us in contact with something which is greater than, yet, at the same time, part of ourselves? Do we derive comfort from the melodies, or find courage in the words? Are our lives encompassed by hope as by the starry heavens? Is there contact with the past and the future, with heaven and earth, all at the same time? Do the songs contain the doubt within us and bear testimony that doubt can be transformed into song? No one knows entirely what it is, only that it exists. And we know that these selected works have life-giving power in themselves.

As a small boy Benjamin said that he "wanted to sing to make others happy." And precisely that is what he hopes to achieve with this recording: To share with others the joy which singing and music have brought to him.

— Notes: Elisabeth Thorsen & Benjamin Isachsen · English translation: Jim Skurdall