Nordic Violin Favourites / Kraggerud, Engeset, Dalasinfoniettan

Notes and Editorial Reviews

This fabulous recording features lesser known violin repertoire played with a keen advocacy.

This fabulous recording features lesser known violin repertoire, played with a keen advocacy by soloist Henning Kraggerud and Dalasinfoniettan. Excepting the works of Ole Bull, the remaining pieces were composed between 1910 and 1930. However, none of this music embraces the radically dissonant sounds found in Austrian-Germanic music of this period. Anyone with a love of Holst and Vaughan Williams, Grieg and J.P.E. Hartmann will positively revel in this repertoire.

The CD opens with six modestly arranged Norwegian folksongs by Carl Olsen. The first movement begins with violin alone, played here with great sensitivity Read more and refinement. Olsen ensure that even when the orchestra enters, the melody always stands out, keeping the harmonic writing fairly simple so that it compliments, rather than competes, with the melody. Throughout these songs, Kraggerud’s sound is burnished and rich, varying his vibrato to give greater shape and ardor to his phrasing, while the orchestra led by Bjarte Engeset, prove to be equally sensitive partners.

Atterberg’s Suite No. 3 was originally intended for a violin and viola soloist; this arrangement, for two violins, is its premiere recording. Both solo parts are played by Kraggerud, and while there is nothing to fault in his playing or in the engineer’s dubbing, I found myself resistant to this idea, as I would have liked to hear him interact with another player. Nevertheless, the playing is stunningly beautiful, the forlorn atmosphere of the first two movements gently dispelled by the final movement’s more uplifting waltz.

The Two Sentimental Romances very much reminded me of Vaughan Williams, in both their use of modes and constantly shifting textures. The first Romance, in A Major, is bright and inviting, a perfect evocation of a beautiful summer day, while the second F-minor Romance, marked Allegro patetico, brings greater intensity and a return to that forlorn atmosphere that many Nordic composers easily inhabit.

Ole Bull was considered the “Nordic Paganini”, well known not only for his great virtuosity but also his improvisational abilities. Memories of Havana was composed during Bull’s 1844 tour of Cuba. The score and solo part are lost, but a complete set of orchestral parts survives, so Kraggerud has reconstructed the solo part. The work’s structure is similar to Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsodies: several sections based on a national folk tune, connected by interlude material that is meant to give the listener (and performers) a break between moments of virtuosic writing. Mountain Vision features a tune by Bull that became incredibly popular in Norway, so much so that a text was written for the tune, called “The Herdgirl’s Sunday.” Similarly structured, the work includes not only includes Bull’s melody, but four other folk tunes. Both are performed with plenty of fire and beauty, without ever becoming over sentimentalized.

The final selections feature the music by the better known composers, Halvorsen, Sibelius and Sinding. Halvorsen’s Norwegian Dance No. 3, as the title suggests, is predominantly light-hearted and joyful in its outer sections, though the middle section features gentler, less rhythmic music that features a long-breathed, arching melody. Sibelius’s Six Humoresques express what the composer called “the sadness of living a life that was only occasionally illuminated by the sun”. These are performances of great sophistication and delicate beauty, more affecting that the rather heavy-handed treatment they receive in the Mutter/Staatskappelle/Previn 1996 DG recording.

Evening Mood clearly shows the influence of Sinding’s four years of study in Leipzig, featuring warmth of color that gently dispels the somewhat despondent mood of the previous Sibelius set, making for a satisfying hour plus of gorgeous music-making.

The recording itself is truly excellent, the soloist well integrated into the sound-picture. The engineers have fully captured the room’s warm ambience without any loss of clarity and there is a good front to back perspective. Notes are excellent and informative, but printed in a font size that might actually be in negative numbers. I look forward to more recordings from these performers.

David A. McConnell , MusicWeb International

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Works on This Recording

Village Songs (6) from Lom for Violin and Orchestra by Sparre Olsen
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: 20th Century
Written: Norway

Suite no 3 for Violin, Viola and Strings, Op. 19 no 1 by Kurt Atterberg
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1917; Sweden

Sentimental Romances (2) for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 28 by Wilhelm Stenhammar
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1910; Sweden

Recuerdos de Habana by Ole Borneman Bull
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan

A Mountain Vision by Ole Borneman Bull
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1848-1849; Norway

Norwegian Dances (3) for Violin and Orchestra: no 3 by Johan Halvorsen
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; Norway

Humoresques (2) for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 87 by Jean Sibelius
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1917; Finland

Abendstimmung, Op. 120a by Christian Sinding
Performer: Henning Kraggerud (Violin)
Conductor: Bjarte Engeset
Orchestra/Ensemble: DalaSinfoniettan
Period: Romantic
Written: Norway

Sound Samples

6 Gamle bygdevisur fra Lom (6 Old Village Songs from Lom), Op. 2 (version for violin and orchestra): No. 1. Andante

6 Gamle bygdevisur fra Lom (6 Old Village Songs from Lom), Op. 2 (version for violin and orchestra): No. 2. Lento

6 Gamle bygdevisur fra Lom (6 Old Village Songs from Lom), Op. 2 (version for violin and orchestra): No. 3. Allegro moderato

6 Gamle bygdevisur fra Lom (6 Old Village Songs from Lom), Op. 2 (version for violin and orchestra): No. 4. Allegretto

6 Gamle bygdevisur fra Lom (6 Old Village Songs from Lom), Op. 2 (version for violin and orchestra): No. 5. Andante

6 Gamle bygdevisur fra Lom (6 Old Village Songs from Lom), Op. 2 (version for violin and orchestra): No. 6. Moderato

Suite No. 3, Op. 19, No. 1 (version for 2 violins and string orchestra): I. Prelude: Adagio

Suite No. 3, Op. 19, No. 1 (version for 2 violins and string orchestra): II. Pantomim: Moderato

Suite No. 3, Op. 19, No. 1 (version for 2 violins and string orchestra): III. Vision: Allegro moderato

2 Sentimental Romances, Op. 28: No. 1 in A major

2 Sentimental Romances, Op. 28: No. 2 in F minor

Recuerdos de Habana

Et Saeterbesog (A Mountain Vision) (version for violin and string orchestra)

Norwegian Dances: Norwegian Dance No. 3

Humoresque No. 1 in D minor, Op. 87, No. 1

Humoresque No. 2 in D major, Op. 87, No. 2

Humoresque No. 3 in G minor, Op. 89a

Humoresque No. 4 in G minor, Op. 89b

Humoresque No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 89c

Humoresque No. 6 in G minor, Op. 89d

Abendstimmung, Op. 120a

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:

( 4 Customer Reviews )

7 Northern Gems- Fabulous! May 19, 2013 By Henry S. (Springfield, VA) See All My Reviews "This stunning new disk is Naxos at its best, certainly one of the highest quality recordings issued by Naxos in 2012. Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerut delivers a gorgeous performance of seven great pieces for violin and orchestra by various Scandinavian composers- some well known (Wilhelm Stenhammar, Johan Halvorsen, Christian Sinding, Jean Sibelius) and others who should be (Carl Olsen, Ole Bull, Kurt Atterberg). With one exception, all the selections are quite short, ranging from 5 to 11 minutes. The exception is Jean Sibelius' 20 minute-long Six Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra, a phenomenally virtuosic work demanding the highest technical standards of the soloist. The entire program is refreshing, intriguing, and an absolute delight to hear. The excellence of soloist Kraggerut's playing is one major reason for this, but another is the ideal balance achieved by Naxos' engineeering team between soloist and the excellent Swedish Chamber Orchestra Dalasinfoniettan under the direction of Bjarte Engeset. I immediately fell in love with this recording, and I think you will as well. Don't miss this superb music! Highest recommendations!!" Report Abuse

Recommended -- Beautiful Music February 13, 2013 By Wil L W. (Richwood, TX) See All My Reviews "Playing and sound are of high order, and the selections are beautiful music. Prior to buying this CD, I was concerned that it might be too similar to a previous CD, --Norwegian Violin Favorites-- 8.554497, from NAXOS already in my collection. There is no reppetition. A really good buy at the low Naxos price. Recommended." Report Abuse

No Grieg in sight January 26, 2013 By Patricia W. (Big Arm, MT) See All My Reviews "Hard to believe that you could produce a wonderful disc of Nordic music without any by Grieg, but this music proves that he was not the only one in that northern area who could compose wonderful music. Very listenable." Report Abuse

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