All three works on this album — Piano Sonata No. 2, Vinterdanser, and Nuances de Lumière — are world premiere recordings.
Compositional Technique
The suite Vinterdanser ('Winter Dances') by Svein Hundsnes, the composer, frequently uses syncopated rhythms to create a danceable character, with the 'dances' perceived as round dances.
Performer Biography
Laura Mikkola, the pianist on this album, has won numerous awards, including Second Prize at the 1995 Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition and First Prize at the 1992 Maj Lind Piano Competition.
Composer Biography
Svein Hundsnes, the Norwegian composer, taught music theory and composition at the University of Stavanger for two decades.
Compositional Technique
Nuances de Lumière ('Shades of Light') by Svein Hundsnes, the composer, draws distant inspiration from French Impressionism, though this is not palpable in every movement.
Composer Biography
Svein Hundsnes, the composer, earned his doctoral degree in 2014, focusing on Tchaikovsky's orchestral style with respect to counterpoint.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Svein Hundsnes, the composer, often begins his compositions with a tiny core motif, a small musical cell, which then forms the basis for a broadly developed movement.
