Nobuko Imai, the violist on this recording, is the only violist to have won the highest prizes at both the Munich and Geneva International Viola Competitions.
Composition History
Nystroem's symphonic poem Ishavet (The Arctic Ocean) originated as a ballet score for an Arctic ocean ballet, but the ballet was never performed because dancers couldn't move in their cubist costumes.
Recording & Production
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra, featured on this recording, has won international prizes for its records and was praised by German critics as a model for German orchestras during a recent tour.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The sea was a constant source of inspiration for Nystroem, appearing in orchestral works, choral pieces, song cycles, a piano suite, and an opera.
Composer Biography
Nystroem's journey to Paris was fateful, as he lost his luggage containing many youthful works, including a symphony and a piano concerto, which were never found.
Performer Biography
Niels Ullner, the cellist on this recording, plays a cello made by Francesco Ruggieri in Cremona in 1667, which was purchased for him by the Malmö Symphony Orchestra.
Composer Biography
Gösta Nystroem, a Swedish composer, initially studied at the Music Conservatory but was so dissatisfied with its conservative teachers that he almost pursued a full-time career as a painter.
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