Ludvig Irgens-Jensen

The Norwegian composer Ludvig Irgens-Jensen (1894-1969) was one of the towering creative figures of his native land, although his dignified and powerful music is only now beginning to receive the attention its quality deserves. The success of his dramatic symphony Heimferd (æHomecoming') in 1930 brought him national fame, but the post-War triumph of modernism, coupled with his personal modesty, pushed Irgens-Jensen's tonal music into the shadows: its contrapuntally based textures and its modally tinged harmonies were seen as things of the past. But a growing number of recordings is reminding listeners that he was one of the most distinguished and distinctive voices in twentieth-century music - a figure of international importance, writing music of striking nobility and strength of purpose with some meltingly lovely melodic lines.