No. 81 Makaronisk (Dog Latin) is written in a style reminiscent of the Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 – 1594). The «Palestrina» style (also called «Renaissance polyphony») has been taught in higher music education since the middle of the 18th century.
The style is characterized by dynamic and «flowing» parts, not static, homophonic chords, and there are numerous strict rules for the treatment of leaps and dissonances. Do check out Palestrina’s beautiful Missa Papae Marcelli, one of the highlights of the Renaissance period.
The piece was recorded by 60 singers from the St. Laurentius choir on April 28th. Their rehearsal room distinguishes itself by having one of the squeakiest floors ever (!), and Anders had to do quiet a lot of work in Isotope RX to salvage the recording. If you listen carefully, you can still hear some reminiscences of the floor squeaks, but now more as atmospheric (and slightly ghost-like) sounds 🙂
The St. Laurentius choir is one of the best non-professional choirs in Northern Europe. It was founded in 1965 by the late Kjell W. Christensen, and consists of 115 singers, both children and adults.
The choir has participated in several blockbuster productions through the years: Jesus Christ Superstar (2014), Kristina Från Duvemåla (2016), Chess (2018) and Bjørn og Benny (Thank You for the Music) 2021, with professional soloists and musicians.
Every other year they go on tour in Europe, and have visited most, if not all, European countries. They’ve also done operas, operettas and several other musicals, and dramatized works such as Carmina Burana. The choir’s singers fill almost all roles in these larger productions (soloists, dancers and actors). In addition, a formidable effort is made with choreography, direction, PR and scenic work.
The choir has its base in Lørenskog, Jarle’s home ground, and he has participated on several of their great productions. So it was REALLY cool to get them on board the Stiløvingar-project – we are forever grateful.
Performed by the St. Laurentius choir
Composer and conductor – Jarle
Recording engineer – Anders (Decca tree! 🙂
Mix & master – Jarle
Panzerpappa 