Vagn Holmboe Concertos Norrköping Symphony Orchestra Dima Slobodeniouk Erik Heide, Lars Anders Tomter Vagn Holmboe Concertos Concerto for Viola, op. 189 (1992) *��������������������������������� 21:19 1 IAllegromoderato,maconforza������������������������������������������� 7:21 Erik Heide, violin 2 IIAllegro–Andante–Vivace���������������������������������������������� 13:58 Lars Anders Tomter, viola Norrköping Symphony Orchestra Concerto for Orchestra (1929) *# Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor 3 Allegrettomoltopesante �������������������������������������������������� 13:12 Concerto for Violin no. 2, op. 139 (1979) *�������������������������� 24:44 4 IAllegro–Pocomenomosso–TempoI������������������������������������ 11:46 5 IIAdagioaffettuoso–Allegromolto���������������������������������������� 12:58 Total 59:18 *Worldpremiererecordings #Worldpremiereperformance Dacapo is supported by the Danish Arts Council Committee for Music ConCertos beyond time and spaCe by Jens Cornelius withitsspecialcapacityfortheelegiac. TheorchestrafollowsthesoloistwithanAndante, wherethesolomotiffromthefirstmovementappearsagainbeforethetempoisspeeded Vagn Holmboe isoneofthosecomposerswhoseworksaresoplentifulandofsuch upinalastpassageandgivestheworkanendingthatisasimpactfulasitsintroduction� highqualitythatitcanbehardtoformanoverallimpressionoftheoeuvre�Inevitably, TheViolaConcertoisoneoftheworksofHolmboe’soldagewhereonecanhearhis thisalsomeansthatsomeworksmaybeunjustifiablyoverlooked�Thesituationsur- eternaljoyintherootsofmusic:dance,song,folkmusicandthecollectivespiritthathe roundinghismanysoloconcertosisparticularlyconfusing,partlybecausetherearesolo hadexperiencedsostronglyatthebeginningofthe1930sintheBalkans� concertosamongthealmost80worksthattheyoungHolmboecomposedbeforehis firstofficialopus1,andpartlybecausemostofHolmboe’s13“chamberconcertos”from Concerto for Orchestra the1940sareinrealitysoloconcertos–simplywithasmallorchestralensemble� FromVagnHolmboe’sself-imposedapprenticeshipupto1935,whenhecomposedpro- ThespecialstatusofthechamberconcertoshasparadoxicallyovershadowedHolm- lificallywithoutgivingasingleworktheimprimaturofanopusnumber,hisConcerto boe’slargersoloconcertos�Suchisthecaseforexamplewiththetwosoloconcertoson forOrchestrafrom1929emerges�Thisneoclassicalgenrehadbeen“invented”just thisCD,whichhaveneverbeenrecordedbefore� fouryearspreviouslybytheGermancomposerPaulHindemith,andHolmboe’swork ispresumablythefirstconcertofororchestrawrittenafterHindemith’s�Thefamous Concerto for Viola, op. 189 concertosbyBartók,KodályandLutoslawskionlycamemorethanadecadelater� Holmboehadalsowrittenaconcertanteviolawork–theFifthChamberConcertofrom Aftertwoveryearlyattemptstowriteasymphony,Holmboeappearstohavedropped 1943–longbeforehecomposedhis“proper”ViolaConcerto�Hewrotethelatteratthe theideaofsuchanold-fashionedtypeoftestpieceandinsteadturnedhisantennae ageof82asthelastofhismanysoloconcertos�Itisadynamic,spontaneousworkfullof towardsthenewGermanmusicoftheperiod�Holmboehadstillnotbeenabroad(not infectious,vitalmusic� untilthenextyeardidhegotoBerlintostudyfurther)andheprobablyonlyknewof TheViolaConcertowaswrittenespeciallyfortheIsraelivirtuosoRivkaGolani,who Hindemith’sworkfrommusicperiodicalsorthroughhisteacherFinnHøffding,who hadgivenHolmboe’sSoloSonataforViolaitsfirstperformancethreeyearspreviously� wasstronglyinfluencedbytheNeue Sachlichkeitofthe1920s� AnditsoundsasifHolmboeissendingmusicalgreetingstohissoloistonthisoccasion Curiously,Holmboe’spieceonthewholehasnothingbutthetitleincommonwith too�ThefirstmovementoftheViolaConcertoisframedbyastrikingJewish-tinged Hinde­­mith’s�Holmboe’sConcertoforOrchestraisnotintheleastconcertanteinform themethatispresentedrightfromthebeginningbytheorchestra�Afterthismotto-like andisnotaconcertogrosso,ratheranovertureorsymphonicfirstmovement�Perhaps themethesoloistplaysarecitativeoverthesamescale�Inthedevelopmentsectionof thetitleisinrealitysimplyanexpressionofthelanguageofayoungartistin1929? themovementHolmboeinterpolatesapassagetypifiedbyfolk-dancerhythms�After Holmboe’slackofexperienceinwritingfororchestraexplainstheatypical thisthemottoandthesolomotifreturnbeforethemovementendssophisticatedlywith instrumen­­tationwithheavypercussionandbrass�ThishelpstogivetheConcertofor aslow,veryquietstringversionoftheformerlysopowerfulmotto� OrchestraevenmoreofthedarkpathosthatissotypicalofthenorthernEuropean Thesecondmovementtakesarhapsodicformthatgrowsoutoftheviolist’sdualrole musicoftheominouspre-waryears� asbothplayerandcantoraspresentedinthefirstmovement. Itbeginswithafieryscherzo Thepieceadoptsatraditionalsonataformwherethehymn-likefirstsubjectgrows sectionthatmergesdirectlyintoagreatsolocadenzawheretheviolacomesintoitsown outofaslowintroduction�Aquietinterludepresentsanumberofbriefmotifsthatdo 4 5 notgatherintoawholeuntilthemusicreturnstotheinitialtempoandpresentsasolid declarationofloveforthewildermusicfromHungaryandtheBalkans�Holmboewas subjectinthelowstrings�Themusicculminatesinaneffectivebitonalpassagethat marriedtotheRomanian-bornpianistMetaGrafandasayoungmanhehadstudied recallsCarlNielsen’sexoticmusicfortheplayAladdin�MoreNielseninspirationcan thefolkmusicoftheBalkans�Thetraditionfromthere–andnotleasttheinfluencethat beheardinthefugatochoralethemethatisinterpolatedbeforetherecapitulation,and filteredthroughBartók–leftitsimprintonhimthroughouthislife,andintheviolin ingeneraltheuseofpolyphonydemonstratesgreatadmirationforDenmark’smajor concertotheinspirationisclear:themodalmelodies,the“Balkantimesignature”5/4, composer,whohadbeenHolmboe’sexaminerathisadmissionauditionfortheRoyal andthesoloist’sroleasafantasizing,temperamentalfolk-likemusician,especiallyasit DanishAcademyofMusic� unfoldsinthelastmovement� Asfarasisknown,thisrecordingisthefirstperformanceeverofthework�Holmboe Alongthewaytherearemanynodstotheclassicalconcertotraditionthatgoesallthe laterwroteseveralorchestralconcertosinthetrueneoclassicalsense,butnomorewith waybacktoBeethovenandMendelssohn�ButasusualHolmboe’suseoftheheritageis thisparticulargenretitle� quitefreeofstylisticimitations�Theconnectionwiththeclassicsisnotreactionary,itis exclusivelyaboutsituatingthemusicbeyondtimeandspace� Concerto for Violin no. 2, op. 139 Jens Cornelius, 2013 ThemasterlyViolinConcertono�2from1979isHolmboeinfullyfledgedclassicalform� Itiswrittenwithgreatgustoandorchestratedwithrazor-sharpprecisionwithinatra- ditionalframeworkwiththreemovementsandaconcertantedialoguebetweensoloist andorchestra� Despitethenumbering,ViolinConcertono�2isHolmboe’s“true”violinconcerto� BesidesChamberConcertono�6forviolinandchamberorchestrathereisalsoanearly violinconcertono�1from1938,whichhasneverbeenperformed� TheViolinConcertowascomposedinaperiodwhenHolmboewasparticularly interestedinsoloconcertos�Holmboehasaptlybeencalleda“composerofseries” becauseinsomeperiodsheconcentratedonparticulargenres�Justashismusicgrows uporganicallyandbranchesintonewshoots,hisworkwithitoftengeneratednewideas foranotherworkinthesamegenre�Inthemid-1970stheresultswereacelloconcerto,a recorderconcerto,atubaconcerto,twofluteconcertosandthisviolinconcerto� TheViolinConcertowaswrittenfortheHungarianviolinistAntonKontra,who hadmovedtoDenmarkin1965andbecomewellknownastheconcertmasterofthe CopenhagenPhilharmonicandfirstviolinintheKontraQuartet,whichgavesomanyof Holmboe’sstringquartetstheirfirstperformance�IntheViolinConcertoHolmboepays tributetotheHungariansoloistbycombininghisownpuristNordicstylewithagrand 6 7 The Performers TheNorrköping Symphony Orchestra,SON,isconsideredoneofthemostexciting Swedish-bornErik Heide(violin)graduatedfromtheRoyalDanishAcademyofMusic orchestrasinScandinavia�Throughtoursabroadandawide-rangingCDoutput,SON inCopenhagenin1998afterstudieswithMilanVitekandTimFrederiksen�Further alsoenjoysgreatrespectontheinternationalscene�SONwasfoundedin1912andtoday studiesfollowedattheMusikhochschuleinCologne�ErikHeideisconcertmasterof consistsof81musicians�TheorchestraisbasedintheDeGeerHall,whichisinthe boththeCopenhagenPhil(=SjællandsSymfoniorkester)andtheDanishNational uniqueindustriallandscapeofNorrköping,andisregardedbymanyasSweden’smost ChamberOrchestra;heisalsovisitingconcertmasteroftheGulbenkianOrchestrain beautifulconcerthall�ThecentralaxisoftherepertoireisthegreatRomanticsfrom LisbonaswellasHamburgStaatsoper�ErikHeideisoneDenmark’smostacclaimed BeethoventoMahler,butthemusicfromthetwentiethcenturyuntilthepresentaswell chambermusicians,forexampleasamemberofTrioOndine,whichwontheawards asSwedishandotherNordicmusicalsoplayamajorrole�Manyyoungconductorshave DR Artist of the Year(2001-2002)andNew Generation ArtistsfromtheBBC(2004-2006)� startedtheirinternationalcareerinNorrköping,withformerprincipalconductorssuch AlongsideanextensivesolocareerErikHeideteacheschambermusicattheRoyalDan- asHerbertBlomstedtandFranzWelser-Möstasthemostconspicuousexamples�Okko ishAcademyofMusicinCopenhagen�OnpreviousrecordingsforDacapoErikHeide Kamu,Esa-PekkaSalonen,DanielHarding,AndrewManze,AndrewParrottandMichail isfeaturedassoloistinPoulRuders’FirstViolinConcertoandinvariousrecentDanish Jurowskiareotherconductorswhohaveorhavehadacloseassociationwiththeorches- pianotrioswithTrioOndine� traandwhoaretobefoundtodayontheworld’sorchestralstages�In2012theyoung BritonMichaelFrancistookupthepostasSON’snewchiefconductor�ManyofSON’s NorwegianLars Anders Tomter isoneoftoday’sleadingviolists,describedinThe CDrecordingsattractgreatinternationalattention� Stradas“thegiantoftheNordicviola”�Anow25-year-longcareercountsappearances worldwideattheViennaMusikverein,CarnegieHallinNewYork,WigmoreHallinLon- TheRussianconductorDima SlobodenioukfirststudiedviolinattheConservatory