Niels Gade; P. Lange-Müller; R. Langgaard - Violin Concertos (Christina Åstrand)

Information

Composer: Niels Gade; Peter Lange-Müller; Rued Langgaard

• (01) Gade - Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 56
• (04) Lange-Müller - Violin Concerto in C major, Op. 69
• (07) Langgaard - Violin Concerto, BVN 82

Christina Åstrand, violin
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgårds, conductor

Date: 2009
Label: Dacapo
https://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recordings/gade-romantic-violin-concertos

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Review

Three lyrical and pleasing Danish concertos that will handsomely repay investigation

A dozen years ago all three of these concertos featured in Danacord’s epic 10-disc set, “26 Danish Violin Concertos”, in archival recordings featuring Kai Laursen. Since that time, Gade’s has received a couple of further outings on disc, neither of which has done much to further its reputation; but Lange-Müller’s and Langgaard’s have hitherto lain undisturbed by record producers. Their neglect is curious, since all three works are well made, lyrical and genuinely pleasing on the ear, albeit without being in the violin concerto premier league.

Niels Gade is the best-known name here, yet his Violin Concerto (1880) – written for and premiered by Joachim, no less – failed to establish itself in the repertoire, even in Denmark. It’s tempting to view it as “Mendelssohn’s third”, as it sits squarely in the centre of the central European tradition. Too squarely, perhaps: although full of melodious impulse, it lacks a really winning idea worthy of Gade’s former colleague, and the finale does wear a touch thin. Lange-Müller’s sole Concerto (1904) has the benefit of lusher orchestration, and the melodic lines show his mastery of song. This is the peach here – a more rounded work than Langgaard’s under-10-minute, single-movement Concerto (1943-44), which feels like a slow movement for a larger work with a prominent solo piano part.

Christina Åstrand plays all three works with consummate skill, sweetness of tone and a feel for line. John Storgårds, himself no mean violinist, secures sympathetic accompaniments from the Tampere Philharmonic, and with Dacapo’s excellent sound these accounts are now the front runners for each work.

-- Guy Rickards, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/Oct09/Romantic_violin_6220562.htm
https://www.allmusic.com/album/romantic-violin-concertos-mw0001875270
https://www.thestrad.com/romantic-violin-concertos-gade-violin-concerto-in-d-minor-op56-lange-muller-violin-concerto-in-c-major-op69-langgaard-violin-concerto/4621.article
https://www.audaud.com/romantic-violin-concertos-gade-concerto-for-violin-and-orchestra-in-d-minor-lange-muller-concerto-for-violin-and-orchestra-in-c-major-langgaard-concerto-for-violin-and-orchestra-bvn-82-sol/

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Niels Gade (22 February 1817 – 21 December 1890) was a Danish composer and teacher. Gade began his career as a violinist with the Royal Danish Orchestra. After his 1st symphony was positively received and conducted by Felix Mendelssohn, Gade himself moved to Leipzig and befriending Mendelssohn, who had an important influence on his music. He returned to Copenhagen in 1848 and became director of the Copenhagen Musical Society and Copenhagen Conservatory. Among Gade's works are 8 symphonies, a violin concerto, chamber music and a number of large-scale cantatas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niels_Gade

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Peter Lange-Müller (1 December 1850 – 26 February 1926) was a Danish composer and pianist. Although born to an affluent family with a political background, Lang-Müller was not suited for a life in politics, and by 1874 had become fully immersed in his compositional career. For the next quarter of a century, he produced a huge quantity of music, comprising some seventy-seven opus numbers. His songs for unaccompanied voice and small chamber pieces are his most popular works, and comprise the bulk of his musical output. Of his larger works, he completed 2 symphonies, a violin concerto, and an orchestral suite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lange-M%C3%BCller

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Rued Langgaard (28 July 1893 – 10 July 1952) was a late-Romantic Danish composer and organist. Langgaard composed in a late Romantic style which was at odds with that of his Danish contemporaries and was recognized only 16 years after his death. Influenced by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, he was a master of orchestration and a prolific composer for the large orchestra, writing 16 symphonies as well as other orchestral works. His total production of over 400 works included more than 150 songs, works for piano, organ, and an opera entitled Antikrist (The Antichrist).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rued_Langgaard

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Christina Åstrand (born 6 June 1969 in Skanderborg) is a Danish violinist. Åstrand entered the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus at the age of 13. After graduating in 1988, she spent a year in Paris as a private student of Gérard Poulet. When she was just 22, she became leader of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, a position she still holds today. Åstrand has also been a guest soloist with all the leading Scandinavian orchestras, and performs chamber music, often with Per Salo, her husband, who is a pianist. Her recordings include works by Niels Gade, Claude Debussy and Fini Henriques.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_%C3%85strand

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