Ragnhild Hemsing RØTA

 

RØTA

 

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.

Richard Yongjae O'Neill DUO

He may be a classical star on his own but for violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, his latest album “Duo” shows the power two musicians can create. 

“If I am a soloist on a stage, it’s like I am an actor delivering a monologue, and that’s very wonderful. You think of all monologues in Shakespeare, they are very profound and complete. But most stage drama has to have at least two characters,” he said during a press meeting in Seoul on Monday to promote the album. “I think this album is a great example. I think an album like this really gets to listeners. (The listeners) can really can get to know each one of us individually as well as together.” 

Mastering for the album was completed on March 11, and it was released Monday, featuring classical and contemporary duets performed with musicians from Korea, cellist Mun Tae-guk, violist Lee Soo-min and violinist Shin Hyun-su, also known as Zia Shin.

“I think this album is an interesting look at how some of the great composers have showed how virtuosic they are. It’s very soloistic album because listeners can hear everyone’s voice very clearly throughout the album. The viola is sort of in the middle of everything. I am sort of the hinge between all of the duos,” O’Neill added.

Included in the album are Halvorsen‘s Passacaglia in G minor for Violin and Viola, Mozart’s Duo for Violin and Viola in B flat Major K. 424, Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s Duo Op. 19 No 2 for Violin and Viola, Beethoven’s Duo in E flat Major for Viola and Cello, WoO 32, Paul Hindemith’s Scherzo for Viola and Cello, Frank Bridge’s “Lament for 2 Violas” H. 101/2 and George Benjamin’s “Viola, Viola.” (Shim Woo-hyun)

Antoine Bareil / Stéphane Tétreault / Valérie Milot TRIOS FOR VIOLIN, CELLO AND HARP

Focused primarily on French music from the first half of the 20th century, this album reveals the subtle blend of sonorities formed by the harp, cello, and violin through the trios of Jacques Ibert and Henriette Renié. The exploration of this period continues with Danse des lutins, an acrobatic work for harp by Renié. Antoine Bareil and Stéphane Tétreault then perform the dazzling, encore-worthy Passacaglia for violin and cello by Handel/Halvorsen, before Valérie Milot re-joins the trio for a sweet, introspective finale in the form of a Schubert lied arranged for these forces.