• Ørjan Matre
  • Memento
    (for choir and orchestra)

  • Henry Litolff’s Verlag GmbH & Co. KG (World)
  • mixedch + 2.2.2.2/2.2.2.0/2perc/str
  • SATB
  • 21 min
    • 10th April 2025, Domkirke, Tromsø, Norway
    • 11th April 2025, Domkirke, Tromsø, Norway
    View all

Programme Note

Memento revolves around themes of transience and memory, explored through text, archival recordings, and music. The text, Memento homo, quia pulvis es et in pulverem reverteris ("Remember, human, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return"), is often used in churches in connection with Ash Wednesday.

Musicians positioned in galleries and among the audience create an immersive sound experience, where unsettling signals and comforting tones move through the space. A recording of Ola M. Vanberg (1869–1968) from Stryn is played, featuring him singing the religious folk tune "Alt forvandles skal til støv" ("All shall turn to dust"). The choral music never directly quotes this melody but reflects its contours and harmonic colors, creating a subtle link between tradition and innovation, between the transient and the timeless.

More Info

  • World premiere of Ørjan Matre’s Memento in Norway
    • World premiere of Ørjan Matre’s Memento in Norway
    • 3rd April 2025
    • On April 10, Ørjan Matre’s new work for choir and orchestra Memento receives its world premiere in Tromsø, Norway. Renowned Norwegian conductor Grete Pedersen is directing the Norwegian Soloist’s Choir and the Arctic Philharmonic.