Halvorsen & Nielsen: Violin Concertos

This is the world première recording of Johan Halvorsens recently rediscovered Violin Concerto. Less well-known as a composer than Carl Nielsen, Halvorsens chamber music (8572522) has been described as delightful (American Record Guide) and effervescent though occasionally darkly hued (Fanfare). Described as tremendously beautiful by its original soloist, this once acclaimed concerto in the tradition of Grieg was long thought to have been lost, its score burned by the composer. Its rediscovery is bound to create a buzz amongst musicians and connoisseurs alike. Brilliant violinist Henning Kraggeruds affection for his native Norwegian composers is well established in Naxos recordings such as his strikingly successful (Gramophone) arrangements of Griegs sonatas with orchestra (8573137), his two volumes of works for violin and piano by Christian Sinding (8572254 and 8572255) and a Sibelius Violin Concerto (8557266) described as a masterly performance by Edward Greenfield in the Gramophone.