Rosenberg: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Featuring

Petter Sundkvist
Mats Widlund
Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester
Hilding Constantin Rosenberg

Did you know?

1/6

Composition History

Hilding Rosenberg's first piano concerto, composed in 1930, was forgotten and not performed until 1992, after its score was discovered among the deceased Sven Brandel's property.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Hilding Rosenberg expressed doubts about the balance in romantic piano concertos by composers like Brahms and Rachmaninov, preferring Mozart's ideal solution where the piano leads a 'lively and spiritual conversation' with the orchestra.

Compositional Technique

Rosenberg's first piano concerto features a powerful, almost primitive musical language, with a piano part rich in octaves resembling a symphonic toccata, alongside heavy brass and prominent percussion.

Performer Biography

Petter Sundkvist, the conductor on this recording, is one of Sweden's most sought-after young conductors, having studied at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm and contemporary music in Budapest.

Performer Biography

Mats Widlund, the soloist on this recording, is a leading Swedish pianist who has premiered several works, including Hilding Rosenberg's Piano Concerto No. 1.

Composer Biography

Hilding Rosenberg, the composer, was known for his earnest inquiry and high craftsmanship, his virtuosity as a musician, and his provocative modernist style.