IDAGIO | Valen, F.: Orchestral Music, Vol. 3 - Symphony No. 4 / Piano Concerto / Kirkegarden Ved Havet 7318590016428

Featuring

Christian Eggen
Einar Henning Smebye
Stavanger Symfoniorkester
Olav Fartein Valen

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Composer Biography

Valen viewed composing as a personal, religious act, a matter between him and God, which led to his uncompromising creativity but also to practical problems with his scores.

Recording & Production

The conductor, Christian Eggen, reconstructed Valen's works for this recording by studying his sketches and short scores to correct errors and inconsistencies in the published manuscripts.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Valen believed that the well-tried forms of music could be filled with new content, rather than joining the modernist rupture.

Composition History

Valen's orchestral pieces often have poetic titles, not as direct descriptions, but as reminders of a particular mood, experience, or thought.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Valen developed his own atonal counterpoint style, inspired by Schoenberg and Berg, but maintained that all music relies on a classical tradition.

Composer Biography

Fartein Valen, the composer, debuted in 1908 with a late romantic piano piece, but later moved to Berlin, the musical capital, where he encountered modern music.

Performer Biography

Christian Eggen, the conductor, is noted for his performances of contemporary music and has collaborated closely with many prominent modern composers.