After two chamber music programs, Norwegian Ragnhild Hemsing has been able to win over one of her country's most important orchestras for her third album with the Berlin Classics label: The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eivind Aadland. "This excellent orchestra has been very dear to me for many years. I was 14 years old when I first performed with them. At that time with the violin concerto by Mendelssohn. I was terribly excited and I will never forget it," recalls the violinist, now 35. Since then, she has played many concerts with the orchestra and has been able to increase her fame in her home country and also in the international music world.
In the meantime, Ragnhild Hemsing is regarded as a cultural ambassador for Norway. She not only plays the violin, but also the traditional Hardanger fiddle. Her ability to play and combine these instruments was already impressively demonstrated on her two previous albums. It is the combination of modernity and tradition that is close to her heart. The origins of Norwegian cultural history fascinate her, which she again makes the subject of her current album. The album is titled BRUCH+TVEITT, but includes two other interesting, lesser-known composers. The Romance for Violin and Orchestra by the Norwegian Johann Svendsen (1840-1911) enjoyed great success during his lifetime. Even the famous violinist Eugène Ysaÿe played the piece with admiration and spread it throughout Europe. Ragnhild Hemsing has also chosen the concert piece "Huldra aa'n Elland" for violin and orchestra by Sigurd Lie (1871-1904). This composer is hardly known outside Norway, although he also studied in Leipzig and Berlin and was even considered "the new Grieg" in his home country. Lie died of tuberculosis at the age of 33 and thus was denied a greater fame. In his work recorded here, Norwegian history already flashes up in the title. Ragnhild Hemsing explains the term Huldra with a mysterious smile: "In Norwegian folk tradition, a Huldra is a supernatural, female being. Some describe her as a young girl with flowing blond hair and a cow's tail." The piece was inspired by the story "Dølaviser" ("Songs of the Valley Dwellers") by Edward Storm, and tells the story of young Elland's encounter with a Huldra. This music is unmistakably Norwegian.
Composer Max Bruch (1838-1920) is the only composer on this album who is not from Norway. His music belongs to the Romantic, European tradition and fits perfectly into the concept of the album. Concerto No. 1 in G minor for violin and orchestra was incredibly popular from the beginning, eclipsing many other compositions. "For me it was interesting to bring Bruch and Tveitt together and combine them," explains Ragnhild Hemsing. "With this album I show the historical line between Max Bruch on one side and Geirr Tveitt on the other. The other composers fit beautifully in between."
Label: Berlin, DDD, 2022
Order number: 11136322
Release date: 31.3.2023