Niccolo PAGANINI (1782-1840)
Centone di Sonate No. 4 in A major for violin and guitar [7:44]
Sonata No.1, op.2 in A major for violin and guitar [3:14]
‘Romance’ from ‘Grand Sonata’ for guitar solo and violin accompaniment, arranged for guitar by Karl Scheit [3:19]
Sonata No. 3, op.2 in D minor for violin and guitar [4:26]
Sonata Concertata in A major for violin and guitar [11:27]
Centone di Sonate no.2 in D major for violin and guitar [5:54]
Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931)
Violin Sonata, op.9 in A major, (1895) [21:37]
Violin Sonata, op.35 (1912) [21:10]
Kim Sjøgren (violin), Lars Hannibal (guitar), Anne Øland (piano)
Original release on LP DACO 221, 1983 (Nielsen), DACO 222 (1984) (Paganini)
DANACORD DACOCD850 [79:49]
Dietrich BUXTEHUDE (c.1637-1707)
Suite in A major [7:15]
Courent Zimble: Eight Variations [7:46]
Suite d’Amour in D minor [7:46]
Aria: Rofilis: Three Variations [2:59]
Auf meinen lieben Gott (Chorale Partita) [4:02]
La Capricciosa: 32 Variations [24:28]
Bernardo PASQUINI (1637-1710)
Bergamasca [1:42]
Giovanni Battista MARTINI (1706-84)
Gavotte in F major [3:57]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Pastoral in F major BWV 590 (c.1710?) [15:05]
Ulla Kappel (harpsichord)
János Sebestyén (organ)
Original release on LP DACO 236 (1986) Organ Works released 2019.
DANACORD DACOCD852 [73:31]
New Nordic Piano Music
Elisabeth Klein (piano)
Original release on LP DACO 237 (1986) Ruders and Rasmussen first released 2019.
DANACORD DACOCD854 [74:08]
Danacord is going back into its LP archive from the 1980s, and undertaking a series of reissues – I have already reviewed from the series.
I have long realised that Italian-born Niccolo Paganini was probably the greatest of the nineteenth century violin virtuosos. What I did not know was that he played the guitar with an almost equal skill. Many listeners will be familiar with some of his violin concertos, the wonderful ‘Moto Perpetuo’ for violin and orchestra and the 24 Caprices for violin solo, especially no.24 in A minor. There can be few people who do not know one or other of the sets of variations on this ‘Caprice’ composed by Sergei Rachmaninov, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Johannes Brahms.
Here is a re-release on CD of an LP originally issued by Danacord in 1983. Danish violinist Kim Sjøgren, accompanied by Lars Hannibal on guitar, presents several pieces that are attractive, enjoyable and satisfying. These works are difficult to fit into an exact chronology, but the op.2 Sonatas and the Sonata Concertante date from around 1804-5 and the delightful extracts from the ‘Centone di Sonate’ from ‘sometime after’ 1828. The word ‘Centone’ translates roughly as ‘hotchpotch’. The entire set is pleasant to listen to: the playing is imaginative and fresh from start to finish.
I have never been one of Carl Nielsen’s biggest fans. I know that is my loss, but one cannot ‘follow’ every ‘team’. Yet, I was seriously impressed by these two violin sonatas. The Violin Sonata, op.9 in A major (1895) was regarded as being daring in its day. The extended tonality and creative formal ideas featuring abrupt changes of tone and subject matter, create a fluid but rewarding whole. The entire work typically balances lyricism with energetic and powerful counterpoint. The middle movement andante is quite perfect in its sombre mood. The Violin Sonata, op.35 was composed some 17 years later, in 1912. This is once again a demanding work that apparently turned heads at early performances. The contrasts here between the ‘starkly dissonant and more consonant sections’ are greater than the earlier example. There is a huge technical balance to be created by the soloist between intense passages haunted by music that is sometimes agonizing, with episodes that seem relaxed and carefree. Both sonatas are splendidly played by violinist Kim Sjøgren, and the now sadly deceased pianist, Anne Øland.
Dietrich Buxtehude’s harpsichord music does not get quite the same traction as that of J.S. Bach or George Frideric Handel. His organ music is deservedly popular in the organ loft, but even there it takes a definite second place to Bach. Certainly, Buxtehude’s Suites for harpsichord seem to be far down the batting list with record producers and recitalists. As an example, the splendid opening work on this CD, the Suite in A major currently has half a dozen recordings listed on the Arkiv catalogue: Bach’s English Suite in A major has 38. I accept that we are not comparing like for like here, but I think my point is clear. Buxtehude’s harpsichord music just does not get played. Perhaps the fact that these Suites were lost until ‘discovered’ as late as 1930 has something to do with the case.
The big work here is La Capricciosa, a theme and 32 variations, which, despite what I have said above, is one of the masterpieces of Baroque harpsichord music. The theme is derived from a children’s song. All 32 sections form a thesaurus of variation technique that is pure genius. Look out for no. 27 where Buxtehude parodies a bad harpsichord player: it is not lack of technique by the present soloist Ulla Kappel! The other sets of variations included in this recital are the charming Courent Zimble based on a hymn tune, and the Aria: Rofilis which derives its theme from the French composer Lully. The Chorale Partita on Auf meinen lieben Gott normally features amongst Buxtehude’s organ music. The liner notes explain that it was ‘obviously’ written for harpsichord. The melody is based on a hymn tune by the Danish cleric and poet Thomas Kingo. Ulla Kappel brilliantly plays this remarkable account of Buxtehude’s music on a Neupert 1984 harpsichord.
As a bonus on this CD, Danacord have included three organ pieces played on the Johannes Rohlf Organ at the Stadtkirche Stuttgart-Feuerbach, Germany by János Sebestyén. The most significant piece is Bach’s Pastoral in F major, BWV 590. This lovely, four-movement work may have been written as a Christmas offering for performance in Leipzig. Certainly, this Pastoral creates all the magic of ‘Shepherds abiding in the fields.’ This may be innocent and straightforward JSB, but it is one of my favourite organ works. It is just so seasonal! A perfect recital here. Two miniatures are also heard: the diminutive ‘Bergamasca’ by Bernardo Pasquini and the captivating ‘Gavotte’ by Giovanni Battista Martini.
The final CD in this tranche of re-released and remastered music from the LP era introduces works by ten ‘leading’ composers from Scandinavian countries. With two exceptions these are all new names to me. The album title is ‘New Nordic Piano Music’ but the listener must bear in mind that ‘new’ was relative to the album’s release date of 1986.
First up is the multi-tasking Danish composer, Nils Holger Petersen, born in 1946. Aside from composing, he is/was a mathematician and a vicar. The ambiguously named Nocturne in Daylight and the A-Tonal Phantasy are, as the liner notes state, ‘stylistically ambivalent.’ I guess this means that the music does not reflect the prevailing trends of that era. Certainly, there is no hint of minimalism about this music. If anything, it fits into the category of post-modernism in that there are echoes of several different musical aesthetics (including classical) heard in these two pieces. There is nothing difficult here.
The Mellomspil: Interlude (1975) by Per Christian Jacobsen was inspired by Norwegian fiddle music. This piece may seem quite old fashioned for its date. However, that is not an issue: this is vibrant music that may nod to Bartók and be none the worse for that.
Maj Sønstevold was a Swedish-born composer, although she lived in Norway from 1945. The somewhat Hindemith-ian ‘Theme with four variations’ was composed in 1963. It is a gratifying little work. I have heard no other music by Sønstevold, although I understand that she was an eclectic composer mining resources from both jazz and the contemporary avant-garde.
I enjoyed Swedish composer Mikael Edlund’s ‘crossover’ work Orchids in the Embers (1984). This diverting piece is subtitled a ‘tango for piano.’ It is largely a ‘modernist’ piece with the ‘dance’ being hinted at: the tango here is not quite as obvious as Astor Piazzolla would have made it! Yet, this is a subtle little piece that demands a place in the repertoire.
A touch of the Orient is heard in Carin Malmlöff-Forssling’s impressionistic Viewpoints: East-West (1979). The piece is a balance between Japanese tonality and scale explorations with a Western musical aesthetic. Several of the effects in this piece are derived from the inside of the piano. This is a lovely score, a touch Cage-ian, and with nothing to spoil the chilled mood.
Danish composer Gudrun Lund has contributed a four-movement ‘Suite’ entitled ‘Match’, written in 1985 and dedicated to the present soloist. It is an interesting, modest work that uses a wide variety of piano resources including trills, repeated notes, cluster chords and juggled fragments of melody. The four movements are: ‘Moving’, ‘With Difficulty’, ‘Longing toward’ and ‘Home’.
‘Somnium’ (1983), ‘The Articulated’ (1984) and ‘Voices from Beyond’ (1983) are three movements from Kauko Kuosma’s haunting Spicula for piano. This is a considerable 24-movement work that does not appear to have been recorded in full. Kuosma makes use of a wide variety of extended techniques for piano, both inside and out of the instrument: these create some beautiful and arresting sounds. As there is no information about this work on the internet, it is hard to provide context to the three movements presented here. I am not sure what the word ‘Spicula’ means here. Usually it refers to ‘pointed material.’ It may also have biological or astronomical connotation.
The miniature Winternight, op.22, no.1 (1977), by Folke Strømholm is over before one can catches one’s breath. It is supposedly based on a ‘sacrificial’ Samian folk tune from Varanger. This location is in the very north of Norway, near the Finnish border. The shamanistic Samian faith has been largely absorbed into Christianity but still survives in remote corners of this country. The overall effect of the music is of a cold and frosty night, rather than any sense of sacrifice. This is brittle music. I would like to hear the other movements from op.22.
Poul Ruders’s remarkable Three Letters from the Unknown Soldier op. 1 (1967) is full of ‘special effects’ for the piano: hitting, strumming and scraping. Some have suggested that these effects are gratuitous – just slipped into the argument of the work, but lacking integrity and cohesion. I felt otherwise. What must have seemed radical in 1967 becomes quite anodyne some 52 years on. The liner notes state that these ‘three movements attempt through violent dynamic and emotional effects, and contrasts, to give expression of compassion for a human being, in a hopeless, not self-inflicted situation.’ I am not sure I would go that far, but this is certainly a fascinating piece that gains added value from its poignant title.
The final track is by the well-respected Danish composer Karl Aage Rasmussen. The Aria Grigia (1965) translates to ‘overcast weather, haze and fog’. There is a play on words here, as ‘aria’ clearly implies as song or melody. This is a haunting piece that works its magic on the listener with its sequence of disjointed and often modernistic gestures. I understand that there are four parts to this work. We hear only the first, which the composer has authorised to be played separately.
Clearly, the piano soloist, the late Elisabeth Klein was dedicated to the promulgation of contemporary music – Bartók, Berg and Stockhausen all feature in her discography. All these performances are convincing.
The liner notes of these three CDs seem to have been reprinted from the original vinyl releases. The sound quality is excellent, and all credit must go Danacord’s sound engineer Claus Byrith for the sterling work he has done on these sound transfers.
As I said in my earlier review, this is a project that could/should be echoed by other record companies.
John France
Contents (New Nordic Piano)
Nils Holger PETERSON (b.1946) Nocturne in Daylight (1986) [7:14]
Per Christian JACOBSEN (b.1940) Mellomspil: Interlude (1975) [5:32]
Maj SØNSTEVOLD (1917-1996) Theme with four variations, op.2 (1963) [3:57]
Mikael EDLUND (b.1950) Orchids in the Embers (Tango for Piano) (1984) [3:52]
Carin MALMLÖF-FORSSLING (1916-2005) Viewpoints: East-West (1979) [6:00]
Gudrun LUND (b.1930) Match op.92 (1985) [9:59]
Kauko KUOSMA (1926-2013) From Spicula for Piano: ‘Somnium’ (1983), ‘The Articulated’ (1984), ‘Voices from Beyond’ (1983) [7:02]
Folke STRØMHOLM (b. 1941) Winternight op. 22, No. 1 (1977) (From 2 Sami Poems) [1:50]
Nils Holger PETERSEN A-Tonal Phantasy (1985) [6:52]
Poul RUDERS (b. 1949) Three Letters from the Unknown Soldier op. 1 (1967) [9:28]
Karl Aage RASMUSSEN (b. 1947) Aria Grigia I (1965) [11:11]
