Klaus Egge's musical idiom became increasingly dissonant due to its contrapuntal nature, as he stated his starting point was melodic lines, not harmony.
Composer Biography
Klaus Egge, whose First Piano Sonata is featured on this album, was born in Telemark, Norway, a region central to the folk tradition of the 'Draumkvædet' ballad.
Compositional Technique
Klaus Egge's Second Piano Concerto is subtitled 'Symphonic Variations and Fugue on a Norwegian Folktune' and uses a regularized form of the 'Solfager og Ormekongen' melody.
Performer Biography
Håvard Gimse, the pianist on this recording, has established himself as one of Scandinavia's leading international pianists and has recorded over thirty CDs.
Recording & Production
This album includes a world première recording of 'Brudlaups-Klokkor' (Wedding-Bells), a newly discovered piece by Geirr Tveitt, composed in 1963.
Performer Biography
Øyvind Gimse, the conductor of the Trondheim Soloists and brother of pianist Håvard Gimse, was principal cellist with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and is now a professor of string instrument studies.
Historical Context
The 'Draumkvædet' (The Dream Ballad), a central inspiration for Klaus Egge's First Piano Sonata, was a reconstruction of a medieval ballad by Moltke Moe, Norway's first Professor of Folklore, during a period of national identity building.
You might also enjoy...
c.1300-c.2000
Round Midnight
Excursions: Piano Music From Barber and Bauer
Nasty Women: Piano Music in the Age of Women's Suffrage
Barefoot
East of Melancholy
Sacred
Stevenson: Piano Music
Hamelin: Études
Stevenson: Piano Music, Vol. 2
Piano Recital: Lifchitz, Max - Appledorn, M.J. Van / Schiffman, H. / Quilling, H. / Pizer, E. / Maurek, R. / Lifchitz, M.
Respighi: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 — Original Piano Works I
