A tribute to a young Jewish girl from Trondheim opens Ståle Kleiberg’s new orchestral album, Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament. Composed in 2001, Lamento – Cissi Klein in memoriam remembers Cissi Klein, who was killed during the Second World War.
The work belongs to Kleiberg’s trilogy addressing Nazi persecution, alongside his Requiem and the cello concerto Dopo. Lasting 13 minutes and 25 seconds on this recording, Lamento introduces a programme performed by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra with conductor Peter Szilvay. It is followed by the 2022 work The Town and its People.
The album’s concluding work, Symphony No. 3, turns to the history of Norwegian migration to North America. Subtitled Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament, it was commissioned by the orchestra and premiered under Szilvay in April 2025. Its connection to Norway’s National Jubilee 2030 reflects the focus on migration and identity assigned to 2025.
Where the opening composition commemorates an individual life, the symphony explores a broader historical experience across three movements, progressing from yearning through drama to a hymn-like ending. LAWO Classics will release the album digitally on August 28, 2026, followed by a physical CD edition in January 2028, under catalogue number LWC1490.