Helge Slaatto, the violinist on this album, was a professor at the Hochschule für Musik der Universität Münster for 25 years and has had over 50 works composed for his duo with double bassist Frank Reinecke.
Composition History
The romances by Johan Svendsen and Wilhelm Stenhammar were originally composed for violin and orchestra, but are performed on this album in the composers' own versions for violin and piano.
Cultural Impact
Johan Svendsen's third symphony was destroyed by his wife in a fit of jealous anger, an incident that later inspired Henrik Ibsen's play "Hedda Gabler."
Interpretation
The Grieg and Sibelius songs on this album are played for violin and piano, adhering closely to the original vocal and piano scores, with only occasional octave changes in the violin part.
Composer Biography
Johan Svendsen, a Norwegian composer, and Wilhelm Stenhammar, a Swedish composer, were both important conductors in their time; Svendsen led the Royal Chapel in Copenhagen, and Stenhammar led the newly formed Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Critical Reception
Jean Sibelius, known for being critical, characterized Otto Taubmann's arrangement of his Romance in C op. 42 for violin and piano as "excellent."
Composition History
This album features premiere recordings of new romances composed in 2020 by Sunleif Rasmussen from the Faroe Islands and Bo Holten from Denmark.
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