Marianne Thorsen, the violinist on this album, plays the 'Emiliani' Stradivari violin, arranged through the Leif Hoegh Foundation.
Composer Biography
Halvorsen was appointed Director of Music at the theatre and Conductor of Harmonien in Bergen in 1893, despite having little prior conducting experience.
Compositional Technique
Halvorsen's Symphony No. 2, nicknamed 'Fatum', features an opening motif that appears in all four movements, similar to the 'fate' symphonies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.
Performer Biography
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, featured on this recording, is one of the world's oldest orchestras, with its history reaching back to 1765.
Composer Biography
Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935) began his musical training at an early age, learning violin, flute, cornet, and other brass instruments from Christian Jehnigen in his hometown of Drammen.
Recording & Production
The performance of Halvorsen's symphonies has been problematic due to numerous discrepancies and errors in the printed scores and parts, requiring new editions for these recordings.
Composition History
Halvorsen's 'Norwegian Dances' and 'Air norvégien' are based on Norwegian folk-tunes, drawing inspiration from Ludvig Mathias Lindeman's collection 'Ældre og nyere norske Fjeldmelodier'.
