Choralis (1982) and Cello Concerto (1983). Behind the titles and the music there unmistakably hovers a fundamental impression of the barren, bare Icelandic landscape. Jon Nordal, however, restricts the use of national elements in his music, and there is no trace of nationalistic fervour. Tvlsong- ur naturally enough alludes to the old Icelandic two-part style of singing and the enigmatic Lilja melody plays an important role in Choralis, being the source material for the work’s motifs. As far as this latter work is concerned, there may be a sort of symbolic function here since the work was written for the large-scale Scandinavia Today exhibit in the U.S.A. Choralis also differs from the other works in its relatively well developed use of wind timbre. The choral suite Alda- songur (1986) with its captivating monotony gives evidence of his spiritual bond with the Icelandic song tradition. Jon Nordal wrote his Cello Concerto in 1983 for the Danish-Icelandic cellist Erling Blondal Bengtsson, and it is one of his most important and most characteristic works. He makes no use of traditional Icelandic material, but there are certain aspects that can possibly be traced back to Icelandic tradition. As is normal for Nordal, the concerto is conceived in a single movement with a central scherzo section. It is interesting to note, however, that this scherzo and even the agile allegro sections in general are rarely allowed to establish themselves. They rarely grow into expositions in their own right but act rather as contrasting elements to the warm and elegiac declamatory cantabile music of expressive or meditative character. The cello and the strings are responsible for the main flood of the music, obviously representing a sort of vox humana that is threatened, dis- turbed, and interrupted by the destructive power of the wind and percussion that includes the colourful use of the xylo- phone, temple blocks and celesta. The winds are used for some aggressive entries, but they also answer the cellos in what could be described as a sort of stylized speech rhythm. And when Jon Nordal’s music adopts a livelier character it never runs away in a stirring allegro. At most it is a vision of a heavy-footed dance, where expression and not movement is most important. Jon Nordal’s short list of works is dominated by compositions for the orchestra. Chamber music plays a very

(1) Front Board
(2) Front Board
(3) Front Flyleaf
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