KEY RELEASES | June 2011 HENNING KR AGGERUD PLAYS Mozart MOZART Divertimento in E flat major Henning Kraggerud, violin • Lars Anders Tomter, viola Christoph Richter, cello At the peak of his powers, but beset by cash-flow problems brought on by living beyond his means, Mozart composed his famous String Trio, K. 563 for his friend, fellow-mason and creditor Johann Michael Puchberg. While labelled ‘Divertimento’, this masterful six-movement work is one of Mozart’s most substantial pieces for string trio and one of his greatest works. The Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud, who has made a number of highly-praised Naxos recordings, joins prize-winning compatriot Lars Anders Tomter (who has recorded the Walton Viola Concerto for Naxos) and acclaimed German cellist Christoph Richter. Booklet notes in English Catalogue No: 8.572258 Total Playing Time: 51:03 Listen on www.naxos.com “Most composers try to control things much more, using the narrow, small, left side of the brain, which is less smart, if you like, than the whole. Mozart dares to be natural, to follow his instinct.” – Henning Kraggerud About Henning Kraggerud Born in Oslo in 1973, the Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud studied with Camilla Wicks and Emanuel Hurwitz, among others, and is a recipient of Norway’s prestigious Grieg Prize, the Ole Bull Prize and the Sibelius Prize. He regularly appears as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, collaborating with many distinguished conductors. A committed chamber musician, he also performs both on violin and on viola at major international festivals, appearing with musicians such as Stephen Kovacevich, Kathryn Stott, Leif Ove Andsnes, Jeffrey Kahane, Truls Mørk and Martha Argerich. From 2011 he replaces Leif Ove Andsnes as Artistic Director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music in Norway. His recordings include an acclaimed release of the complete Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas of Ysaÿe for Simax, which brought him the Spellemann CD Award. His recordings for Naxos include Grieg’s Violin Sonatas, Norwegian Favourites for violin and orchestra, Spohr’s Concertos for Two Violins, Mozart’s Divertimento K.563, works by Sinding for violin and piano and the violin concertos of Sinding and of Sibelius (8.557266). He is also a professor at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo. Henning Kraggerud plays a 1744 Guarneri del Gesù instrument, provided by Dextra Musica AS, a company founded by Sparebankstiftelsen DnB NOR. © 2011 Naxos Rights International Limited Key Releases | 1 KEY RELEASES | June 2011 HENNING KR AGGERUD Talks to Jeremy Siepmann To meet Henning Kraggerud, the foremost Norwegian violinist of his Needless to say, given his duo-instrumental background, chamber music generation, is to meet three-quarters of a string quartet. He got an early has always been central to Kraggerud’s artistic life. ‘Oh absolutely! As start, like most violinists, but hardly had he started than he took up the I mentioned earlier, after the cake and ice cream with my first teacher viola as well – and the two instruments, in tandem, have been his life we’d play duets, and I soon started playing duets with my brother as well. companions. Now pushing 40, he exudes energy, passion and enthusiasm And my first compositions were for two violins. Later on, I graduated in equal measure, tempered by a strong contemplative streak, all of which to playing string quartets and string trios, and works for various is reflected in the sheer range of his playing – from poignant introspection combinations of instruments at chamber music festivals. Unfortunately, to thrilling virtuosity. Yet it all began with a touch of sibling rivalry. however, in worldly terms chamber music pays very much less well than being a soloist with orchestras. It isn’t for the most part financially viable ‘I started playing the violin when I was seven, at my own request – because to play only or predominantly chamber music. The bread-and-butter, so I wanted to be like my brother; in fact I really had no idea at all what it to speak, really comes from playing concertos.’ was all about! So my mother signed me up and I started having fantastic lessons once a week (2 to 2 ½ hours every Friday) with a wonderful From the general we turned to the particular – namely the wonderful teacher. And after my lessons we would eat cake and ice cream, and then Divertimento, K. 563, by Mozart, released this month [June]. Why, we played duets. So from every point of view it was something I looked I asked, is this stunning work for string trio so much less well-known forward to. And I must say, the cake and ice cream worked like a charm!’ than Mozart’s string quartets? Especially since musicians are virtually unanimous in hailing it as one of his greatest masterpieces? ‘It certainly And who were the formative influences on his development as a violinist/ is! It’s one of his absolutely supreme chamber works. But I think the musician? ‘Well of course my teachers – Magna Halvorsen, Leif Jørgensen, explanation for its relative neglect is really quite simple. The fact is, there Stephan Barratt-Due, Emanuel Hurwitz (in London) and Camilla Wicks just aren’t as many good string trios as there are good quartets. If you (in America) – were all very important to me. But in a way the most play in a string quartet you have the whole amazing quartet repertoire significant influence of all was the great violinist and composer Eugène at your disposal. First-rate works for string trio are very few, certainly in Ysaÿe, who of course was long dead when I was born. I remember the first comparison with quartets. If there were a whole bunch of pieces equal in time I heard his music as though it were yesterday. I was 10 or 11 years quality to this one, then I’m sure there would be many more professional old, and my father had borrowed a recording and the music to go with it, string trios to play them. But sadly that isn’t the case.’ and straightaway I was transfixed. I decided almost immediately to start learning some of the sonatas for unaccompanied violin. Of the famous Music, and the essence of music, are devilishly difficult to talk about, but violinist-composers, Ysaÿe was far and away my most inspiring influence. is it possible to describe what it is that makes this work a masterpiece? ‘It’s Of the great non-violinist composers, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Sibelius certainly possible, I think, to speak a little bit around it. It’s a particularly and Grieg were also right up there, of course (I know they all played inspired work, where he somehow manages to make all three parts equally the violin – except for Grieg – but they weren’t ‘violin composers’, so important. The cello, viola and violin all have both melodic and harmonic to speak). Since I also compose myself, it’s the great composers who’ve responsibility. Mozart manages to move the instruments up and down in tended to inspire me most of all. One I haven’t mentioned yet is Janáček. fantastic ways and no matter where you are, you’re in the right position I’ll always remember the first time I heard his string quartets, which I to form the harmony. At all times, three very independent voices manage thought were simply stunning. I couldn’t sleep that night, I was so filled quite naturally to provide the three or four notes necessary to the harmony. with this fantastic universe of sound.’ I expect it was a welcome challenge to Mozart not to have that extra voice of the quartet; he had to think differently because of having only three.’ © 2011 Naxos Rights International Limited Henning Kraggerud Talks to Jeremy Siepmann | 2 KEY RELEASES | June 2011 When playing this piece – or anything else by Mozart – can one ever really are unique. Of course there are a few extremely good concert halls, in lose sight of the fact that he was first, last and always an opera composer? which you can achieve something of that intimacy, but nothing brings ‘Absolutely not. Whenever he had a chance to write an opera he jumped you so close to the instrument as a microphone, no venue is more alive at it – and you can hear that in most of his music. For a start, he had such to extreme subtleties at the very softest dynamic level. At the same time an incredible genius for creating melodies. It cost him nothing to make there are dangers. In this unique little world, without an audience, it’s something that other composers would die to achieve. And his sense of possible to become overly concerned with technical perfection. At such drama! Like in the fourth movement of this divertimento. This wonderful moments you can lose that vital sense of communication. I think this variation movement isn’t a normal theme followed in the normal way happens often in the studio. We must all remember, we musicians, that by self-contained variations. The variations themselves contain variations we are storytellers. And even in the relative isolation of the studio we’re on the variations! And Mozart’s sense of fantasy is so amazing. Where telling a story to an imaginary audience. We have to feel free to take risks. other composers might be happy just to carry on, Mozart is constantly If you think about recording in that way, you can really afford to take big getting new ideas and unexpectedly altering, more than that, developing chances, because if they don’t work out you can just delete them.