Halvorsen: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4

Featuring

Neeme Järvi
Melina Mandozzi
Ilze Klava
Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester
Johan Halvorsen
Edvard Grieg

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Compositional Technique

Halvorsen's Passacaglia starts as an instrumentation of Handel's original, but from the twelfth variation onwards, it becomes completely free, with only the harmonic foundation shining through.

Performer Biography

Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this album, has amassed a distinguished discography of more than 440 discs, with well over 150 of them for Chandos.

Composition History

Halvorsen's Passacaglia for violin and viola, a highly virtuosic concert piece, is based on George Frideric Handel's famous Passacaille from his Suite No. 7 in G minor for harpsichord.

Composition History

Halvorsen originally wrote Norsk Festouverture (Norwegian Festival Overture) for the festive opening of the National Theatre in Kristiania in 1899.

Composer Biography

Halvorsen was appointed leader of the Orchestra Harmonien in Bergen, the former name of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, when he was just 21 years old.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Halvorsen, described as Norway's Rimsky-Korsakov by one critic, was attracted to 'exotic' scenes and aimed to capture an 'Eastern tone' in his 'Dance Scene' from Queen Tamara.

Composer Biography

Johan Halvorsen, the composer, began his musical journey at an early age, learning violin, flute, cornet, and other brass instruments from German musician Christian Jehnigen in his hometown of Drammen.