Johansen: Orchestral Works

Featuring

Oliver Triendl
Eivind Aadland
Kristiansand Symfoniorkester
David Monrad Johansen

Did you know?

1/7

Performer Biography

Eivind Aadland, the conductor, is one of Norway's most respected conductors and has a prolific discography, including a five-volume set of Grieg's complete symphonic works.

Performer Biography

Oliver Triendl, the pianist on this album, is known for his dedication to neglected and rarely performed composers, with a repertoire including about 90 piano concertos and hundreds of chamber works.

Composition History

The Symphonic Variations and Fugue, Op. 23, was commissioned by Norwegian Radio and completed in 1946 while Monrad Johansen was imprisoned in the Ilebu Penitentiary.

Historical Context

During the occupation of Norway by the German Wehrmacht (1940-1945), David Monrad Johansen joined the fascist party 'Nasjonal Samling' and held official functions in state-regulated cultural life.

Critical Reception

After the war, Monrad Johansen was arrested, charged as a collaborator, and sentenced to prison, which led to public debate and controversy surrounding his music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Monrad Johansen's musical development started with Grieg's Late Romanticism, which he enriched with elements of Norwegian folk music, Impressionism, and Neoclassicism.

Composer Biography

David Monrad Johansen, the composer, was born in 1888 in Vefsn, Norway, and received his early education in Christiania (now Oslo) before continuing his studies in Berlin and Paris.