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BIS-2620
Originally recorded in 2021
Classical
Violin
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About
Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius, alongside Grieg the two giants in Nordic classical music, were both born in 1865. Both also received their first musical training on the violin, earning valuable insights when it came to writing for the instrument. Their respective violin concertos were composed some six years apart – Sibelius’ in 1904-05 and Nielsen’s in 1911 – and belong to the most performed works of either composer. They are nevertheless as different from each other as are the artistic temperaments of their makers. While retaining the traditional three-movement concerto form, Sibelius composed something closer to a Late-Romantic orchestral tone poem giving the orchestra unusual prominence. Nielsen on the other hand opted for an unconventional form, reminiscent of the Baroque concerto grosso: the spiky, neoclassical work is nominally in two movements, but with each movement having a slow and a fast section. These works are here performed by Johan Dalene, the Swedish-Norwegian winner of the 2019 Nielsen Competition. The present disc is the 21 year old violinist’s third release on BIS, following a recording of the Tchaikovsky Concerto described as ‘one of the finest violin débuts of the last decade’ in BBC Music Magazine, and an all-Nordic violin-and-piano recital awarded distinctions such as Diapason d’or and Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice. Dalene is given the expert support of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor John Storgårds, incidentally a violin soloist in his own right.
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Reviews
Nominee in the Concerto category
Nominee in the Concerto category
Andrew Mellor
“The only SACD choice for this coupling, in fine performances, especially the Nielsen.”
“… Dalene has a bright but not huge tone and technique to burn, and puts a quite individual stamp on both works, always sensitive in the Nielsen and simply dancing through the upper register challenges in the Sibelius.”
“… The hybrid SACD format, as it does in other BIS recordings, gives us a lovely feature of both soloist and orchestra but does especially well in bringing out the violinist’s excellent attention to detail. This is an impressive follow up to an already successful debut and cements Dalene’s place as an artist of greatest promise.”
Editor’s Choice – Orchestral Section
“… For my money, there’s no finer coupling of these highly contrasting yet much-associated concertos on record. I suspect the individual performances could well prove superlative for many listeners, too.”
“Dalene’s supple, flexible interpretations succeed in making the pieces seem as if they were played under a gentle Nordic light… With a slender, always beautiful playing, he shows impressively that he can formulate the vocal elements out of the music in a particularly appealing way. In addition to this, the pointing out of forms and structures is not neglected. He achieves a good balance between youthful urge and mature access, so that his interpretation sounds as adult as fresh and natural. John Storgards and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra provide a self-confident musical environment that does not strain the soloist and into which Dalene can embed his part without being covered up.” *****
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