Gade: Harmonious Families Vol 2 - Danish Compositions By Fathers and Sons
5/3/2007, 7 Tracks, 1:04:32
Featuring
Iona Brown
Christina Åstrand
South Jutland Symphony Orchestra
Niels Wilhelm Gade
Axel Gade
Did you know?
1/7
Performer Biography
Christina Astrand, the violinist, began playing at age four using the Suzuki method and made her solo debut in 1990, the same year she had her breakthrough playing Sofia Gubaidulina's "Offertorium."
Performer Biography
Iona Brown, the conductor, was appointed Artistic Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 1974 and later became Artistic and Music Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra in 1981.
Composer Biography
Niels W. Gade, a Danish composer, was the son of an instrument maker, and his interest in stringed instruments in his father's workshop led him to a career in music.
Composition History
Niels W. Gade's "Nachklänge von Ossian" (Echoes of Ossian) won first prize in a competition arranged by the Copenhagen Music Society in 1840 and is officially his opus no. 1.
Compositional Technique
Despite its Scottish subject, Niels W. Gade's "Ossian" overture is considered unmistakably Danish, featuring an initial rising fifth interval known as the "Queen Dagmar Fifth" from Danish folk music.
Album & Artwork
This album is part of a series called "Harmonious Families" which features music by Danish composer fathers and sons.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The inspiration for Niels W. Gade's "Nachklänge von Ossian" came from a translation of poems by the medieval Scottish poet Ossian, making it an early example of national romanticism in music.
