Lisa Jacobs / Bremer Philharmoniker / Mikhail Agrest CARL NIELSEN Violin Concerto Op.33 JOHAN HALVORSEN Andante Religioso JOHAN SVENDSEN Romance Op.26

Lisa Jacobs: Since the first time I performed the Nielsen violin concerto in 2007, I have been overwhelmed from the very first note. Such an incredible connection with the whimsical Nordic nature that is displayed in this music, such a natural use of the violin as both a lyrical and virtuoso instrument and such an originality.’
Fanned by the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, the longing for pure wilderness and the cultivation of rural life, the Nordic National Romanticism arises. All three composers on this disc are descendants of this Nordic Romanticism. Although they did not all have the same nationality, their lives are intertwined.
In their compositions, Svendsen and Halvorsen remain in form and harmony close to the music of their good friend Edvard Grieg and the distinctive Nordic use of melody; Carl Nielsen, however, goes on a voyage of discovery towards a new idiom with a strong desire for renewal on the one hand and a great need for the revival of the pure archaic on the other.
His violin concerto clearly shows this conflict. In a neo-classical 4-part form, reminiscent of the set-up of the Baroque concerto grosso, with seemingly simple classical-like themes and references to both Bach and Mozart, he takes the listeners on an incredible adventure throughout Nordic landscapes of pure wilderness and takes all sorts of harmonic and rhythmic twists and turns.

Lisa Jacobs PAGANINi 24 Caprices

No violinist can escape them: Paganini’s Caprices. A beautiful, infamous cycle of 24 works for violin solo with an enormous arsenal of technical delights. 

With his 24 Caprices Niccolò Paganini set out to fascinate the audience and play the kind of music that people had never experienced before. As a young talent Niccolò had shocked and enraged the public by imitating animals using his violin and in the Caprices he elaborated on that earlier experimentation. Birdsong, hunting horns, laughter, donkeys – they were all brought to life through his instrument. When it comes to special techniques and almost impossible dexterity, his 24 Caprices go a step further than Locatellis. Above all Paganini’s caprices are full of drama. Calm and moving passages interchange without warning with fiery, almost violent passages. 

For Lisa Jacobs it is not the technical aspects of the music, but exactly that enormous variety in the musical characters, the extraordinary sound landscape, and the fantasy and lyricism that has amazed her all her life and has been an inspiration for this recording.

Dutch violinist Lisa Jacobs performs three of Locatteli’s concertos with bold characterization, and meets their formidable technical challenges with commendable athleticism and élan.
(The Strad, UK, 2017) 

Dutch violin virtuoso Lisa Jacobs is known for her passionate performances, interesting programs and communicative qualities on stage. She is equally at home on the concert stage with concertos, chamber music and solo works. Lisa Jacobs collaborated with amongst others the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Bremer Philharmoniker and respected conductors such as Riccardo Chaily, Neeme Järvi, Massimo Quarta, Otto Tausk, Jan Willem de Vriend and Carlos Miguel Prieto. 

Lisa Jacobs / The String Soloists L'ARTE DEL VIOLINO

While recognizing the first set of compositions designed to truly extend and test the technical limits of the violin, the 24 Caprices of Niccolo Paganini spring almost immediately to mind. It is interesting then to realize that almost half a century before Paganini was even born, the Italian composer and virtuoso Pietro Antonio Locatelli could be found pushing the boundaries of violin playing to its limits with his concertos Opus 3: L’Arte del Violino.

In his music, Locatelli pushes the boundaries of the violin technique with an unprecedented virtuoso and at times romantic vision. The frequent use of exceptional high positions on the violin, many daredevil antics in the left hand including double stops and extended stretches, and the exploration of hitherto rarely used bow techniques, makes him a true pioneer for the violin and the development of violin technique in general.

Despite his obvious fascination for virtuosity, Locatelli ensures that one is captivated first and foremost by charming original melodies and bold characterization. His music never develops into a tour de force but remains sympathetic to both the listener and the performer.

With his L’Arte del Violino, consisting of 12 Concerti and including 24 virtuoso Capricci for unaccompanied violin, Locatelli simply stunned the musical world. These works were innovative in almost every conceivable way. Even the structure of the concertos is atypical; Locatelli abandoned the traditional three-movement form and included two caprices in every concerto. From a technical point of view, these concertos stretch the range of the violin to its absolute limit through the use of unusually high positions, finger dexterity and demanding bow techniques that were simply unheard of before this time.