Sonoko Miriam Welde writes: “When you ask people which superpower they would choose if they could have only one, many answer that they would want the power of flight. Although I personally would prefer invisibility, I also think there is something enviable about the freedom of being able to fly... A lot has been said and written about how Vaughan Williams wrote The Lark Ascending during the 1st World War “when a pastoral scene of a singing bird on the wing seemed far removed from reality” (Betsy Schwarm, Britannica). I sometimes imagine people living through difficult times looking up at the lark, envying its life and freedom that they wish they had. It's a moving piece with soaring melodies and the lark's “silver chain of sound.” Soaring melodies are present in Barber's Concerto as well. Although it opens with a generous and warm melody, it doesn't take long for uncertainty to creep in, and large sections of the 1st movement are dominated by an “in-between” kind of feeling – in addition to the unbelievably triumphant and satisfying return of the opening theme of course! The 2nd movement is, for me, one of the most touching and heartbreaking pieces of music. It reminds me of "Somewhere" from West Side Story. Hope, pain and perhaps longing for something better. It is just endlessly beautiful... Bruch's Violin Concerto is a piece with its heart on its sleeve. The 1st movement is a very serious and dramatic introduction, the 2nd incredibly touching and sincere, and the 3rd so joyous and life affirming. This piece has accompanied me in many important and special moments in my life so far and I am so happy that it is with me in this one as well – my debut album with the Oslo Philharmonic, a fantastic group of musicians that I have loved and admired for many years!”

REVIEW:

This album is most definitely a fine showcase of Welde’s incredible artistry. Her energy, tone, even the skillful deployment of her vibrato (which is capable of both subdued and glowing hues) all speak to the years of study, practice, and work she has done. As a soloist of this highly emotive repertoire, Welde absolutely leans into the emotionality of these violin standards, but then again, she has earned that lean. My former violin teacher always reminded me that a violinist only earns this kind of emotional playing after first doing the enormous work of understanding the music and her instrument inside and out.

Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending offers a nice sort of pause between the big emotions of Bruch and Barber. Welde’s harmonics are absolutely perfect—bright and breathy and sustaining the tension of the piece—and again, she is very comfortable deploying the tools at her disposal: her clean articulation, consistent and dynamic bowing, her anticipation of the overall structure of the solo part within the grander work. Welde’s extreme tonal control—perhaps on full display in the Bruch second movement—in her seemingly effortless movement from pianissimo to forte, feels as though she is able to shift dynamics within a single bow.

This is, overall, a really lovely album.

— Fanfare