Johan Halvorsen - Orchestral Works Vol. 2 (Neeme Järvi)

Information

Composer: Johan Halvorsen

• (01) Suite ancienne, Op. 31a
• (06) 3 Norwegian Dances, for Violin and Orchestra
• (09) Air norvégien, for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 7
• (10) Chant de la Veslemöy, for Violin and String Orchestra
• (11) Symphony No. 2 'Fatum' in D minor

Marianne Thorsen, violin (3-10)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, conductor

Date: 2010
Label: Chandos
https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%2010614

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Review

The latest in Chandos’s Halvorsen series may be a slow burner but it’s a winner too

According to annotator Øyvin Dybsand, Halvorsen regarded his Suite ancienne (1911), subtitled “to the memory of Ludvig Holberg”, as one of his finest compositions, an opinion that tells us more about the composer than a whole chapter of biography. While undeniably a fine work, the Suite is a tapestry of 18th-century pastiches derived from incidental music for Holberg’s play The Lying-In Room, with nods towards Grieg’s Holberg Suite and neo-classicism. The broad structure is of a Baroque suite or serenade, with a large variation movement (preceded by a vigorous Intrata) succeeded by a set of dances. But a symphony it is not and delightful as the music is, the expressive range is limited.

The quirky and lively Norwegian Dances for violin (written and orchestrated variously between 1896 and 1931) are the nearest we can get to Halvorsen’s well received Violin Concerto, which the composer destroyed in a bout of near-Sibelian self-criticism. Marianne Thorsen catches their moods very nicely (the central Allegretto is built on a version of “La folia”); and delightfully though she plays the smaller Air and Chant (1899), there is no disguising that they are essentially trifles.

The Second Symphony (1924) on the other hand is anything but, a serious-minded and perfectly balanced symphony in four movements running for almost half an hour. The Fatum sobriquet was the composer’s own, and the first movement’s dramatic character may have been suggested by Mahler’s Sixth. The remaining spans do not attempt the same level of gravity (at least in outward expression) but do not be fooled by the apparent levity – this is an integrated work, given here in Jørn Fossheim’s new critical edition. The performances throughout are top-notch and Chandos’s sound is of demonstration quality.

-- Guy Rickards, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10
MusicWeb International  RECORDING OF THE MONTH
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/DEC10/Halvorsen_v2_chan10614.htm
https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/halvorsen-orchestral-works-volume-2-violin-marianne-thorsen-bergen-philjarvi/
https://www.audaud.com/johan-halvorsen-orchestral-works-suite-ancienne-3-norwegian-dances-air-norvegien-chant-de-la-veslemoy-symphony-no-2-fatum-in-d-minor-marianne-thorsen-vioilin-bergen-philhar/
https://www.amazon.com/Halvorsen-Orchestral-Works-Vol-2/dp/B0040MF1X0

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Johan Halvorsen (15 March 1864 – 4 December 1935) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Halvorsen was an accomplished violinist from a very early age and became a prominent figure in Norwegian musical life. He became concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic in 1885, and principal conductor in 1893. Halvorsen's compositions were a development of the national romantic tradition exemplified by Edvard Grieg, with a distinctive style and innovative orchestration. His best known works are the Bojarenes inntogsmarsj (Entry March of the Boyars) and Bergensiana, along with his Passacaglia and Sarabande.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Halvorsen

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Neeme Järvi (born June 7, 1937 in Tallinn) is an Estonian conductor. He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others. Järvi was Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Gothenburg Symphony (1982-2004), Royal Scottish National Orchestra (1984-1988), Detroit Symphony Orchestra (1990-2005) and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (2012-2015), among others. He made over 400 recordings for labels such as BIS, Chandos and Deutsche Grammophon and best known for his interpretations of Romantic and 20th century classical music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neeme_J%C3%A4rvi

http://www.neemejarvi.ee/

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