The Nidaros Cathedral Girls’ Choir is about much more than musical excellence. It is about “gathering treasures for the cup of life,” about life skills in a challenging, fragile phase of life, about faith and doubt, about belonging, feeling seen and included, and forming lifelong friendships. With their album “LUX,” the conceptual sequel to the acclaimed “MAGNIFICAT,” the choir, conducted by Anita Brevik, once again underscores this deeper mission.

At the heart of “LUX” is a unique requiem composed by Andrew Smith on commission from the choir. It is loosely based on the traditional Catholic Mass for the Dead, but replaces several texts with biblical references to the tragic fate of children: Rachel’s despair over the children taken to Babylon, King Herod’s massacre of the boys after Jesus’ birth, and Mary weeping at the cross. This selection reflects the all-too-frequent conflicts of our time, in which children and young people are innocent victims. Musically, Smith draws on the depths of Gregorian chant, whose melodic fragments subtly resonate in the background. The haunting voices of the choir enter into a fascinating dialogue with Trygve Seim’s improvising saxophone and Ståle Storløkken’s organ.
The requiem is complemented by Ståle Kleiberg’s “Hymn to Love” and “The Light,” performed by the renowned TrondheimSolistene on strings and Petra Bjørkhaug on organ. These works, masterfully set to music by Kleiberg, seem to echo the Requiem, bringing in dimensions of faith, hope, and love—a ray of light when everything seems dark. As the poet Helge Torvund says: “Lyset du treng finst” (The light you need exists).

The Norwegian label 2L, known for its audiophile excellence, is responsible for the recording, which took place in the impressive acoustics of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Typical of 2L, the highest priority was given to sound fidelity: the original recording was made in ultra-high-resolution DXD format (352.8kHz/24bit) to authentically capture every detail and the natural spatial image. This technical mastery was rewarded: “LUX” won the 2020 Grammy Award in the “Best Immersive Audio Album” category. The Pure Audio Blu-ray brings this award-winning sound experience directly into your living room. The immersive mix allows the subtle nuances of the voices, the room-filling organ, the expressive saxophone, and the warm strings to be precisely located in the room, creating a listening experience of extraordinary depth and emotion.