The Handel Variations by Poul Ruders uses the first eight bars of Handel's 'Bourrée' from Water Music as its theme, transforming it through 90 variations.
Recording & Production
This album features world premiere recordings of both Poul Ruders's Viola Concerto and Handel Variations.
Performer Biography
Lars Anders Tomter, the Norwegian violist on this recording, is considered one of today's leading violists and has performed at major venues like Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Poul Ruders, the Danish composer, has a mantra for his music: 'To entertain, to enrich and to disturb'.
Composition History
Poul Ruders's Handel Variations was composed in 2009 for the 75th anniversary of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.
Performer Biography
The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1935, resides in the award-winning Symphonic Hall at Musikhuset Aarhus and performs over 100 school concerts annually.
Compositional Technique
Poul Ruders developed a technique called 'minimorphosis' for his Viola Concerto and other works, where everything derives from a single melodic line and evolves into independent, simultaneous layers.
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