Johan Svendsen:
- Orchestral Works
Conductor Neeme Järvi continues his project with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. On this CD, we get a survey of orchestral works by the Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen, a contemporary of Grieg.
The selections are:
Svendsen:
- Cello Concerto
Performed by Truls Mørk (cello)
- Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 15
- Norsk Rapsodi No. 3, Op. 21
- Norsk Rapsodi No. 4, Op. 22
Performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Neeme Järvi
In the Cello Concerto, the composer experimented with the form and designed the concerto in just one movement. The work displays the poetic capabilities of the solo cello, and in this respect it demands a cellist capable of bringing out the work’s subtle lyrical qualities.
The Cello soloist is the Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk, who has recorded Shostakovich’s Cello Concertos, and also Bach’s Cello Suites.
Svendsen’s second symphony is a youthful work. The second movement is one of Svendsen’s most captivating and deeply felt pieces, moving through several beautiful melodies to arrive at an intensified climax.
Svendsen also wrote four Norwegian Rhapsodies, of which Numbers 3 and 4 are recorded on this CD.
Here is the Symphony No. 2 by Johan Svendsen. Conducted by Bjarte Engeset with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTbu_UPCJYo&feature=share&list=PL760E95C32CC6418A
And next here is the Svendsen Symphony No. 1 in D, Op. 4 (1865-67)
This is the earliest substantial piece of orchestral music by Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen (1840-1911).
Tags: Johan Svendsen, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Järvi