For the Record, Op. 298: Eldbjorg Hemsing; violist Lawrence Power; Baiba Skride

September 5, 2024, 2:29 PM · Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!

Violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing.

Anders Hillborg: Violin Concerto No. 2
Eldbjørg Hemsing, violin
Hannah Holgersson, soprano
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting

In celebration of the 70th birthday of Swedish composer Anders Hillborg, this album features some of his most recognizable works: "Liquid Marble," "Kväll," and Violin Concerto No. 2. "I was introduced to Anders Hillborg’s sound world a few years ago and I just found it fascinating, beautiful, and exciting," said violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing. "Playing his second violin concerto is exhilarating: spanning from the most ethereal moments you’ll ever hear to memorable, catchy rhythmic sections, this concerto takes you on an unforgettable journey." Composer Hillborg said that "I was composer-in-residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic. One light in this otherwise very dark time was Eldbjørg filling in at one of the concerts to perform my second violin concerto when the concert programming had partly collapsed due to pandemic restrictions. In just two weeks she learned her part and made the piece her own, performing it marvelously in the concert. So, it’s a great joy for me that she has recorded it so brilliantly now!" BELOW: Hillborg Violin Concerto No. 2, Part 5.

Magnus Lindberg: Viola Concerto, Absence, Serenades
Lawrence Power, viola
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Nicholas Collon, conducting

After writing two cello concertos and two violin concertos, composer Magnus Lindberg (b. 1958) had long wanted to write a concerto for the viola. Lindberg notes that although viola is not as prominent a solo instrument, it is enormously rich, thanks to its different expressive modes, possessing a huge variety of possibilities. While the Viola Concerto is related to Lindberg’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in terms of its orchestration, it also bears a kinship with his grandiose and brilliant Piano Concerto No. 3 (2022), written for Yuja Wang. While these two are very different in appearance, they are rooted in a similar harmonic idiom combining pentatonics with overtone harmonies. BELOW: Teaser for the album.

Gubaidulina: Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Bayan; Rejoice!
Baiba Skride, violin
Harriet Krijgh, cello
Elsbeth Moser, bayan
DR Radiophilharmonie; Andrew Manze, conducting

One special aspect of Sofia Gubaidulina’s music is that at the end of the 1970s she discovered the sound characteristics and expressive possibilities of the bayan, a button accordion that had previously been popular only as a folk-music instrument in Russia; she then established it as an instrument of contemporary music through numerous compositions. The creation of the Triple Concerto for violin, cello and bayan can be traced back to a suggestion by Swiss bayan performer Elsbeth Moser. For the five movements of the sonata Rejoice! for violin and cello (1981), Gubaidulina chose various quotations from the writings of the Ukrainian “traveling philosopher” Grigori Skoworoda (1722–1794), who called for poverty and self-deepening as a prerequisite for finding God. The composer explained: “The theme of my work is the metaphorical representation of the transition to another reality, expressed through the juxtaposition of normal sound and harmonics.” Due to its clear religious references, it was not possible to premiere the work until 1988, in Finland. BELOW: Gubaidulina's Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Bayan:

If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our "For the Record" feature, please e-mail Editor Laurie Niles. Be sure to include the name of your album, a link to it and a short description of what it includes.

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Paul Deck

September 6, 2024 at 06:47 PM · Wow, I want to hear the rest of that Hillborg Concerto.

Laurie Niles

September 6, 2024 at 08:59 PM · Since Paul brought it up: For anyone who wants to listen to more, these are all hyperlinks- click on the name of the album and it will go to a place where you can download or purchase it! That is the case for every “For the Record” blog.

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For the Record, Op. 298: Eldbjorg Hemsing; violist Lawrence Power; Baiba Skride

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