Whereas Spohr tended to avoid strokes that involved bouncing the bow, Wieniawski revelled in them – and so does Polish violinist Piotr Janowski in the most exhilarating, refreshing Wieniawski playing I have heard in a long time.
Tully Potter - The Strad, April 2002

Classical Music

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.


This beautifully played and expertly engineered program, recorded at Norway's Bergen Cathedral, just may be one organ disc that nearly everyone can enjoy and will even return to often. It also may encourage listeners to investigate the film for which the music was chosen--an award-winning 2008 release from director Erik Poppe titled deUSYNLIGE (translated as "Troubled Water"). It's the story of a man just released from prison for the murder of a child, who returns to his former home town and takes the job as, of all things, a church organist. Complexities, conflicts, and confrontations of life and love follow, and along the way we hear the organ music as, in the words of the director, one of the film's "main characters."

Given the film's title you won't be surprised to learn that a significant place in the proceedings is claimed by Simon and Garfunkel's hit song "Bridge over troubled water", and we hear it twice--at the disc's beginning and end--in shorter and "extended" versions arranged by organist Iver Kleive. Kleive is a sensitive interpreter and a supremely accomplished artist who convinces us through his very respectful treatment that this quasi-religious, gospel-tinged anthem could have--or should have--been conceived for the magnificent resources of a cathedral organ, where the fullness of its soul-stirring power can truly be realized. Indeed, the longer, seven-minute version that concludes the disc could give a new generation of listeners incentive to "turn it up" and lose yourself in the sheer all-encompassing sensation of sound and harmony.

All of which owes much to the engineering, which really does literally demand that you turn your volume knob a few notches higher than usual--and you will be rewarded, as the organ really does surround you (with or without an SACD system) and shake you. And speaking of shaking listeners: Kleive's own Toccata is a tour de force that not only exploits the organ's orchestra-sized resources (and is uncannily reminiscent of the similarly-named movement from Widor's Symphony No. 5), but also, as in many of the big works of Bach, keeps you near-breathless, on the edge of your seat through an ever-building display of relentlessly exploding fireworks.

The program also features Kleive's arrangement and improvisation on Hassler's Velt alle dine veie (the tune known to many listeners as "O sacred head now wounded"), Vivaldi's Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro, and Kleive's very affecting and remarkably unadorned setting of "O bli hos meg", better known to English church-goers as "Abide with me". Although we could complain that at a mere 37 minutes this disc is temporally, programmatically challenged, the consistent high quality of the content--including Kleive's masterful, conscientiously understated exhibition of the organ's capabilities as well as his own formidable facility--and the ravishing sound make any such concerns irrelevant, and make this both a disc to savor and to share. Highly recommended!

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

This CD presents interpretations of Norwegian folk tunes in the manner of the legendary fiddle player Halldor Meland (1884¿1972), performed by three of Norway's most accomplished soloists on the hardanger fiddle. The recording is a result of a number of musical as well as human encounters ¿ both Frank Rolland and Åse Teigland studied with Knut Hamre during their early years; Knut Hamre himself learned the art from older fiddlers who had Meland as their principal teacher; and all three have been inspired here by the dynamic, boundless and uncompromising spirit of the older master. As an ensemble, the members of trio HARDANGER draw a kind of energy from one another that infuses their playing with new vitality. But above all they stand forth as soloists, with a spontaneity, vigor and inner verve that lives on inside the listener.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.


More often than not, classical music recordings with cute titles and seemingly gimmicky programming amount to little more than, well, cute and gimmicky productions and unhappy listening experiences. But in this case, the title is apt and the programming choice absolutely right on, making for a pleasant, surprising discovery. I say "discovery" because, in spite of his reputation in his native Norway and his music's appearances on various orchestra and opera programs, many listeners will not be familiar with this 51-year-old teacher/composer, who has only a handful of recordings in the catalog. (His Requiem was performed in Washington, DC on September 11, 2004 and recorded by the Washington National Cathedral choir and chamber orchestra for Simax.)

In these two eminently engaging works, each lasting about 25 minutes, you don't have to try hard to recall Sibelius (the organically evolving thematic ideas), or Shostakovich and Bartók (the sometimes sharply angular melodic lines and overtly irregular rhythms)--but as usual with the best composers, these apparent similarities are only that: Kleiberg's fertile material and his skillful manner of developing it are entirely his own. He not only blazes a challenging but always accessible trail for his soloists, but he perfectly integrates the solo and orchestral voices into a seamless and very dynamic dialogue. And for those who love the big, romantic concertos of yesteryear, you'll find no difficulty in moving from Brahms or Tchaikovsky to these robust and essentially romantic modern works that revel in the timbres and textures and dynamic power of a symphony orchestra at the service of a single, albeit virtuosic instrumental protagonist.

We've heard Marianne Thorsen before as a soloist in such successful recordings as her Mozart concertos for this same label and as a chamber player with the Leopold String Trio (which she founded in 1991) and the Nash Ensemble. Here she delivers a completely convincing, technically impeccable (and we assume, authoritative) performance that also leaves us impressed with Kleiberg's artful, intelligent exploitation of the violin.

And speaking of artful, intelligent exploitation--the Double Bass concerto (composed in 1999, six years before the Violin Concerto) offers a masterful juxtaposition of the instrument's more often used (and abused) lower register with its almost cello-like upper range, and so for most of this dramatic and unusually lyrical work we forget the strangeness of the concept and just hear it as a viable, legitimate marriage of solo instrument and orchestra--absolutely no gimmick here. This is great stuff! And, like violinist Thorsen, bassist Göran Sjölin is an ideal interpreter who really seems to enjoy the chance to dig into a well-conceived, serious starring role. We're familiar with conductor Daniel Reuss from his many very fine recordings of choral and orchestral music, and he certainly doesn't disappoint here, expertly managing his soloists and the first-rate Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, making a case for these works as strongly as could be imagined. The sound, which this label prides itself on, justifies the label's claims. Highly recommended!

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

For 25 years the Oslo Chamber Choir has delved into the soloist tradition of Norwegian folk song, thus creating a very specific expression as a choir. When classical music by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Bruckner are combined with religious folk tunes the result is a novel contemporary expression, where two very different melodies, singing techniques and texts are juxtaposed. The STRUGGLE that arises reveal new dimentions of music. This surround sound recording retains the intimacy of the performance and the enveloping atmosphere that arises when the choir surrounds its audience, each member of the choir singing the old religious tunes directly to each member of the audience. The purpose of combining the intimacy of religious folk music with the complexities of larger religious classical choral pieces is to highlight the universality of the hymns, and the simple sincerity of classical music, finding the common ground between two musical cultures.

What happens when traditional Sami music meets mainstream western sacred music?This is the question Cantus meets head-on in Spes.Under the direction of its conductor Tove Ramlo-Ystad, and in collaboration with composer and musician Frode Fjellheim, the choir explores a new and little-known musical world, a world with a wide range of emotions: sorrow, joy and vulnerability.Through these songs, sounds and musical forms - some familiar, others scarcely known - Cantus challenges both itself and its audience with a strikingly varied repertoire united in one thing: its expression of hope in the music by Frode Fjellheim, Mia Makaroff, Eriks Esenvalds, Eva Ugalde, Ko Matsushita, Knut Nystedt, Franz Xaver Biebl and Kim André Arnesen.In 2013 Cantus was asked to sing Fjellheim's Vuelie as the musical opening to Disney's new animation film Frozen.This blend of Sami elements, whose roots go deep into an aboriginal people's culture, with music from the Mass and other church music that we are more familiar with, has proved popular with audiences all over the world.In the spirit of hope, Cantus has recorded a revised edition of Vuelie for this album.

TrondheimSolistene and 2L allocated two weeks in 2011 to record a new album. Artistic director Øyvind Gimse and his collaborator Geir Inge Lotsberg initially chose two pieces that represent, in their estimation, "the most beautiful music ever composer for the string orchestra": Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and his Serenade for Strings. Aiming for a 90 minutes program left 30 more minutes to record. So Øyvind, Geir Inge, the orchestra and 2L logged on to Facebook. They asked their audience worldwide what they'd like to hear. And the audience responded: Nielsen's Suite Opus 1. A little gem that would exploit the Trondheim Soloists' singular way with Nordic repertoire. Inspired by Morten Lindberg's extensive work with choral music, the Tchaikovsky's SERENADE was recorded with the ensemble placed in mixed voices, a configuration in which no two players with the same part are seated together. It created a new and unique soundscape, caught on the album which is called - appropriately enough - SOUVENIR. What we recorded in May 2011 is now published exclusively as high resolution audio files, by streaming and on vinyl. Then our recordings from October will add up to a full release on Pure Audio Blu-ray in May 2012. Produced in DXD (352.8kHz/24bit) TrondheimSolistene (The Trondheim Soloists) are regarded one of the top chamber orchestras in the world. Their DIVERTIMENTI and FOLK STYLE were both nominated for a total of five American GRAMMY Awards in categories "Best Small Ensemble", "Best Engineered Album" and "Best Surround Sound Album". The music captured by 2L features Norwegian composers and performers, and an international repertoire reflected in the Nordic atmosphere. The surround sound recordings of Lindberg Lyd do not only transform the entire listening experience, more radically, these innovative recordings overturn some very basic concepts regarding how music is played and even composed. 2L emphasize surround sound with Pure Audio Blu-ray and HiRes file distribution, and have garnered no less than 12 american GRAMMY nominations over the past six years.

This project was produced exclusively for 180 gram audiophile vinyl release. SOUVENIR and has been referred to as "the most beautiful music ever composed for the string orchestra". Ensemble leaders Øyvind Gimse and Geir Inge Lotsberg decided early for Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence" and 2L opted for the "Serenade for Strings". The Trondheim Soloists are regarded as one of the top chamber orchestras in the world. Their DIVERTIMENTI and their FOLK STYLE were both nominated for a total of five American GRAMMY Awards in categories "Best Small Ensemble", "Best Engineered Album" and "Best Surround Sound Album".

This is an audio-only (i.e., with no video content) Blu-ray disc playable only on Blu-ray players.

TCHAIKOVSKY Souvenir de Florence. Serenade for Strings. NIELSEN At the Bier of a Young Artist. Suite for Strings • Trondheim Soloists • 2L 2L-090-PABD (Blu-ray: 85:16)

Here’s yet another of 2L’s superlative-sounding Blu-ray audio releases, although there’s a slight change in medium from the ones I’ve reviewed before. Those included both SACD and Blu-ray discs. This one has a Blu-ray only, but there’s compensation. Besides high-resolution LPCM stereo, 5.1 HD MA 24/192kHz, and 7.1 HD MA 24/96kHZ (not to mention MP3 and FLAC download opportunities), they’ve included, for the Souvenir de Florence and At the Bier, a 9.1 Auro-3D option that adds, to the 5.1 surround mix, an additional four-channel height option. I didn’t have a chance to try out the 9.1 tracks, and I didn’t try the downloads. (Nor have I heard the audiophile vinyl version, part of which was reviewed by Raymond Tuttle in Fanfare 36:3.) But the three “standard” Blu-ray options offer exemplary engineering. Granted, since the producers place you at the center of a circular orchestra, the two-channel version is relatively unexciting—but only by comparison to the surround versions. As I hear it, the 7.1 version provides the most gripping audio experience, with markedly greater fullness and sense of space; certainly, switching between the 7.1. and 5.1 tracks gives a strong argument in favor of the two extra channels. But if you buy this disc, I suspect you’ll spend a lot of time testing various options.

None of this would matter much if the performances were mediocre; fortunately, to my ears, they’re all first-rate (although you should also check out Tuttle’s less positive response). The Trondheim group plays with prismatically changing tone, artful dynamic molding, and superior balances (aided, of course, by the spatial setup), which bring out the music’s contrapuntal interest. Phrasing is consistently imaginative, and while it’s possible to give the Tchaikovsky works greater toughness (the Andante non troppo opening of the Serenade could surely be grander and more austere), the Trondheim’s control of accents and their rhythmic unanimity provide plenty of energy and lift (note the stunning clarity of the sixteenth-note figures in the finale of Souvenir de Florence or the swing once we get to the Allegro moderato of the first movement of the Serenade or the infectious lilt of the Serenade’s waltz). There’s plenty of sheer drama in the finale of the Tchaikovsky Serenade, too. Like Tuttle, I normally prefer to hear Souvenir as a sextet (as Tchaikovsky intended) rather than in a plumped-up version for string orchestra. But this account, played by 20 performers with all the dexterity of a much smaller ensemble, now goes to the top of my list; and the thoughtful reading of the Serenade is nearly as good. As for the Nielsen: the understated eloquence of At the Bier is perfectly gauged—and while the Suite is the work of an immature composer who was yet to find his voice, it gets a performance that draws the most from it (the mystery of the first movement is especially compelling here). In sum, a release that demonstrates the utmost care in both engineering and performance—and that could serve as a model for other companies to emulate. Strongly recommended.

FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz

So Is My Love is about love and the beloved, and this includes the sense of love awakened in us by religious faith and by nature. In works by Dyrud, Ødegaard, Havrøy, Daniel-Lesur and Stockhausen the countless facets of love are painted in music and words: we encounter passion, lust, prayer and longing, but we also find humor, playfulness and joy.

The two previous albums produced by 2L with Ensemble 96 were honored by The Recording Academy with nominations to the GRAMMY Awards in both technical craft and performance categories.

When Shostakovich first performed his Preludes and Fugues for piano, his younger colleague Rodion Shchedrin got the idea to compose his own set. Whereas Shostakovich's have gained in esteem and popularity over the past three decades, Shchedrin's are far less known in the West, and undeservedly so. Both composers write for the keyboard with idiomatic ease and textural economy, share a common humorous streak, and never repeat themselves over the course of these works. Shchedrin is extroverted and optimistic when Shostakovich is inward and sardonic, but the opposite sometimes holds true. In any case, pianist Joachim Kwetzinsky has interweaved excerpts from both cycles into a brilliantly curated program. More importantly, he plays like a young god.

Notice the rock-steady yet flexible control with which he articulates the Shchedrin E-flat minor fugue's complex rhythmic strands, or the bouquet of tone colors arising from the Shostakovich A major fugue's arpeggiated textures. The ricocheting octaves and rapid chords in Shchedrin's Basso Ostinato positively sting, while, by contrast, the Shostakovich D major prelude's right-hand rolled chords and left-hand countermelody effortlessly converse in perfect rhythm, totally oblivious to the music's bar lines. The exceptionally clean and clear multi-channel engineering is all one could wish for. One of 2010's most stimulating piano releases--don't miss it!

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
Includes march(es) by various composers. Ensemble: Kristiansand Wind Ensemble. Conductor: Bjorn Sagstad.

The three composers featured on this album, Kjell Mork Karlsen, Trygve Madsen, and Kjell Flem, all have different musical backgrounds. Regardless, they all have the same intimate feeling for the organ. Karlsen grew up immersed in church music. His father, Rolf Karlsen, was Oslo cathedral organist for almost two decades. Karlsen’s music is based upon the German-Lutheran tradition. Trygve Madsen is a student of Egil Hovland, one of our day’s most significant church musicians. His music is more playful, and closer to that of the French organ symphony. Olivier Messiaen has been the primary inspiration for Kjell Flem’s compositions, not only in his writing technique, but also in his usage of music from exotic countries.

Ola Gjeilo was born in Norway in 1978 and moved to America in 2001 to begin his composition studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. Presently a full-time composer and pianist based in the US, his published concert works are performed all over the world. Ola is also very interested in film, and his music draws a lot of inspiration from movies and cinematic music. "Although many of the pieces on this album are free improvisations recorded in one take, the first three tracks are fantasies around three of my own choral works; Ubi Caritas, Tota Pulchra Es and Prelude." - Ola Gjeilo, 2012.