Fifteen years after 'Himmelrand - Tusenårsoratoriet', which Ketil Bjørnstad wrote together with Stein Mehren, Bjørnstad is presenting a new, modern oratorio. This time he has written both the music and the text. 'Sanger om tilhørighet' (Songs of Belonging) was commissioned by the St Olav Festival, and had its world premiere at a very special concert at the Nidaros Cathedral on 27 July 2014. The critic for the newspaper Adresseavisen gave the concert a glowing review: "With this world premiere the St Olav Festival was given a worthy opening. Ketil Bjørnstad emerges here as a full-fledged oratorio composer." The Nidaros Cathedral Oratorio Choir, under the direction of Petra Bjørkhaug, sings all the choir parts on the album. As in the past, Bjørnstad displays here an impressive ability to choose his musical collaborators. Håkon Kornstad (saxophone and vocals), Tora Augestad (vocals), Anja Lechner (cello) and Birger Mistereggen (percussion) assist the composer, each in his or her own way, in imbuing the work with life and giving it wings. Composer and pianist Ketil Bjørnstad must be regarded as one of Norway's most productive artists. His list of accomplishments is impressive, and he is a prize-winning author and musician. He has a large audience both in Norway and abroad. Up to now he has managed to publish more than 40 books, and has released over 60 records in a variety of genres. The concert recording from the Nidaros Cathedral was made by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), and was later mixed by Jan Erik Kongshaug at Rainbow Studio. The album was produced by Ketil Bjørnstad.
