Tag: Grammy Award

Eldbjørg Hemsing with new recording release ‘Grieg – The Violin Sonatas’

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Credits: Photography by Nikolaj Lund

Following the acclaimed recordings of concertos by Borgström and Shostakovich, Dvořák and Suk, and by Tan Dun, Eldbjørg Hemsing is following in the footsteps of her great-great-grandfather, who once inspired Edvard Grieg to compose one of his most famous works. Joint by Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski, Eldbjørg is embarks the journey of Grieg violin sonatas on her latest release on BIS Records.

As a celebrated ambassador of Norwegian cultural heritage, Eldbjørg Hemsing was always going to turn to Edvard Grieg eventually – a composer who is central to both Norwegian music history and the Romantic era in general. Hemsing’s new recording of Grieg’s three violin sonatas on BIS Records also has a much more personal biographic background, however.  

In 1848, Ludvig Mathias Lindeman received funding from the Collegium academicum of Christiania (Oslo) University to collect folk tunes for Edvard Grieg. During his travels across Norway, he stayed in Valdres and met Hemsing’s great-great-grandfather Anders Nielsen Pelesteinbakken, who sang a tune to him. Lindeman noted it down and Grieg later found it in the collection. The small fragment of the folk tune must have caught the composer’s attention and he subsequently used the melody as the inspiration and main theme of one of his greatest works for solo piano, the Ballade, Op. 24. 

Over 170 years later, Eldbjørg Hemsing is presenting her own interpretation of Grieg’s three sonatas for violin and piano. The sonatas are considered to be representative of different stages in Grieg’s artistic development and were composed over a period of 20 years. The second violin sonata can be seen as one of Grieg’s great successes in capturing the musical identity of his native country, particularly in the sequences based on peasants’ dances. Because of her passion for preserving Norway’s rich folk music heritage – as demonstrated in her previous projects such as the second ever recording of Hjalmar Borgström’s violin concerto – Hemsing was keen to explore the compositions of her famous fellow countryman, who so profoundly shaped the Norwegian cultural identity. 

Alongside the Grieg sonatas, Eldbjørg Hemsing is also presenting her first original composition „Homecoming – Varitations on the folk tune from Valdres“ as a testament to the personal significance of this new recording and its history. Moreover, in pianist Simon Trpčeski Hemsing has found a strong musical partner, an internationally acclaimed artist praised for celebrating the rich folk traditions of his own native country, Macedonia.  

Grieg Violin Sonatas will be available exclusively on Apple Music from February 21st 2020. The album will be released globally from March 6th 2020 on all streaming platforms as well as in physical format in your closest CD shop.

Review: Fire Ritual Recording in The Strad

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The Strad Issue: June 2019 
Description: ‘World music’ violin concertos receive fiery, thrilling performances

Theatrical, charismatic and intricately detailed, these two violin concertos by Tan Dun are the perfect showcase for his sensuous sound world.

As a teenager Tan became the conductor of a travelling Peking Opera troupe: echoes of its colourful style are never far from his delicate textures, recorded here with brilliance and vibrancy.

The first concerto, ‘Rhapsody and Fantasia’, grew out of an ancient opera melody. From this, Tan conjures an eclectic but immensely likeable work that somewhat improbably pits dance-worthy beats (in two movements entitled ‘hip-hop’) against a rich seam of lyricism from the violin.

Under the baton of the composer himself, Norwegian Eldbjørg Hemsing shows a deep affinity for this music, from the lush, yearning lyricism of the Rhapsody’s middle-movement Malinconia to the more esoteric Fantasia, in which lovely pinpricks of orchestral detail add shade to the violin’s searching lines.

The five-movement ‘Fire Ritual’ of 2018 builds on the earlier work’s sense of ceremonial, the violin pitted against the war-like, powerfully expressive declamations of the orchestra.

After the brittle march of the third movement, the tumult clears for the solo violin to emerge. The shared, gorgeous melody of strings and soloist in the fourth movement gives way to a final, sorrowing melody from the violin, perfectly judged by Hemsing: a haunting end to a compelling disc.

CATHERINE NELSON

https://www.thestrad.com/reviews/eldbj%C3%B8rg-hemsing-tan-dun/8915.article

Features on Hemsing Festival 2019

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Hemsing Festival is an international chamber music festival in Aurdal in Valdres, and the artistic leaders are Eldbjørg and Ragnhild Hemsing. The two sister founded the festival in their hometown in 2013 and it takes place each year in week 8.

Eldbjørg Hemsing and her sister Ragnhild Hemsing are Artistic Directors of the Hemsing Festival. The festival´s goal is to facilitate “intimate encounters with great music”. The magical mood created by close contact between the audience and the musicians means a lot.

Please see following features from journals and radio which have been released on Hemsing Festival 2019:

WDR 3 Ton Art | Germany (DE): Das Hemsing Festival in Norwegen

BR Klassik | Germany (DE): Skitour beim Hemsing Festival

BR Klassik | Germany: Kein Fest ohne Hardanger Fiddel (DE)

Deutschlandfunk | Germany (DE): Mit Langlauf zu Debussy

SWR2 Treffpunkt Klassik| Germany (DE): Hemsing Festival in Norwegen

Radio klassik Stephansdom | Austria (DE): Kammermusik in Aurdal

Radio klassik Stephansdom | Austria (DE): Eldbjørg Hemsing

Review: Fire Ritual Recording in Süddeutsche Zeitung

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« It is thanks to the young talents who not only want to ride old war horses, but also present new things, that the instrumental concerto as a genre will never die out. Norwegian violin princess Eldbjørg Hemsing already made a name for herself as an archaeologist when she successfully excavated the unconventional, surprisingly attractive violin concerto from 1914 by her fellow countryman Hjalmar Borgstrøm. Now she shows her interest in contemporary music. Together with the Oslo Philharmonic, conducted by the composer, she plays two Tan Dun concerts: “Rhapsody and Fantasia” and “Fire Ritual”, which was written for Hemsing. These pieces, in which Beijing opera, percussion thunderstorms and the most modern composition techniques blend together ingeniously, offer Hemsing every opportunity to fully unfold her sound fantasy. This ranges from flashing top notes and sharp glissandi to the imitation of traditional Chinese singing techniques or almost soundless whispering. This sounds attractive, enchanting and demands a soloist of eminent quality, like Hemsing. (Bis)»

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/klassikkolumne-noble-wehmut-1.4296605

REVIEW OF DVORAK&SUK RECORDING IN FANFARE

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Fanfare Review of Eldbjørg Hemsing’s second solo album release

“…flawless intonation, a lovely tone, and, in the bargain, magical phrasing. The finest musicians possess both a keen, unique musical insight, and the technical ability to communicate those insights to their audiences. Hemsing is such an artist. And throughout, Hemsing plays with a true sense of joy that is irresistible… If you are looking for a superb version of the Dvořák Violin Concerto in first-rate sound, the new Hemsing BIS issue gets my unqualified recommendation… This new BIS recording by Eldbørg Hemsing documents the work of a major artist.”

Ken Meltzer | Fanfare | 2 August 2018

Earlier this year (Issue 41:6, July/August 2018), my Fanfare colleagues Colin Clarke and Jerry Dubins offered the highest praise for a debut disc on the BIS label, featuring Norwegian violinist Eldbørg Hemsing performing the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1, and the Concerto in G, op. 25 by Hjalmar Borgström. Now it is my turn to do the same for Ms. Hemsing’s subsequent release, a pairing of the Dvořák Violin Concerto with two works by his pupil and son-in-law, Czech composer Josef Suk, the Fantasy in G minor, and Liebeslied, op. 7, no. 1.

To be sure, the recorded competition in the Dvořák Concerto is strong. My favorites are a 1950s EMI version with Nathan Milstein, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and William Steinberg, and an early-1960s Supraphon disc with Josef Suk (the composer’s namesake and grandson) as soloist, and Karel Ančerlleading the Czech Philharmonic. Hemsing’s new version belongs in that august company. After appearing as soloist in the January 1, 1879 world premiere of the Brahms Violin Concerto, Joseph Joachim requested Dvořák to write a similar work for him. Joachim did not ultimately perform the premiere of the Dvořák Violin Concerto (that honor went to the distinguished Czech violinist František Ondříček). Nevertheless, Joachim worked closely with Dvořák in the creation of the Violin Concerto, with the expectation that it would serve as a showcase for his talents. Of course, Joachim was one of the greatest violinists of the 19thcentury, and the Dvořák Concerto demands a virtuoso of the highest order. Hemsing is more than equal to all of the challenges. Throughout, the soloist is often called upon to play mercilessly exposed passages in the highest reaches of the instrument. Hemsing dispatches these episodes with flawless intonation, a lovely tone, and, in the bargain, magical phrasing. Much the same may be said about all of the virtuoso sections of the work. I don’t think the adjective “breathtaking” to describe Hemsing’s playing is at all hyperbolic. But focusing upon isolated passages in Hemsing’s interpretation risks not doing it justice. To me, the most compelling aspect of Hemsing’s account of the Dvořák Concerto may be found in her grasp of the work’s overall architecture. Throughout, I had the distinct impression that the soloist was approaching each portion with the intent of seamlessly connecting it to what follows. The finest musicians possess both a keen, unique musical insight, and the technical ability to communicate those insights to their audiences. Hemsing is such an artist. And throughout, Hemsing plays with a true sense of joy that is irresistible. While I don’t think that the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Alan Buribayev, equals the tonal richness and vibrant playing of Pittsburgh/Steinberg and Czech Philharmonic/Ančerl, their contribution is of a high level. And the gorgeous recorded sound on the new BIS release offers a far more realistic and thrilling sonic picture than that offered by the prior recordings I mentioned, each well more than a half-century old. If you are looking for a superb version of the Dvořák Violin Concerto in first-rate sound, the new Hemsing BIS issue gets my unqualified recommendation.

In her first BIS recording, Eldbørg Hemsing made a conscious decision to pair a highly-familiar work (Shostakovich 1) with one that has languished in obscurity (Borgström G Major). Hemsing follows a similar approach in the new release, although both Josef Suk and his Fantasia in G minor are both far better known than the Borgström Concerto. Indeed, the Suk Fantasia has frequently appeared as a disc companion to the Dvořák Concerto. Suk was a highly accomplished composer (and for that matter, violinist), who was capable of individual, expressive, and emotionally powerful music (his Asrael Symphony, for example). The Suk Fantasy strikes me as a rather episodic work, but one containing many attractive episodes that certainly afford the soloist the opportunity to display both technical and interpretive prowess. It’s not surprising that Hemsing plays this work superbly as well. But here, I think that the intensity Ančerl and the Czech Philharmonic bring to their 1965 recording with the wonderful Suk (the younger) make a better overall case for the piece.

The BIS recording concludes with Stephan Koncz’s transcription for violin and orchestra of Suk’s Liebeslied, from his Six Piano Pieces, op. 7. It’s a lovely, romantic work that Hemsing plays with great affection.

The booklet includes brief commentary from Hemsing, an essay on the works by Philip Borg-Wheeler, and artist bios (in English, German, and French). Thisnew BIS recording by Eldbørg Hemsing documents the work of a major artist. If you are at all interested in hearing her, and/or are in the market for recordings of the featured works, please do not hesitate. Very highly recommended.

DEBUT CD REVIEW IN CRESCENDO

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Eldbjørg Hemsing: Der verschollene Norweger

“…jointly with Wiener Symphoniker and Conductor Olari Elts, Eldbjørg Hemsing presents an interpretation which is convincing, rich of colors and personal. With consistently brilliant sound and flexible expression, Eldbjørg Hemsing makes this album absolutely worth listening to.”

Crescendo | Sina Kleinedler | 20 February 2018

Zwei Entdeckungen auf einem Album: Die norwegische Violinistin Eldbjørg Hemsing und das Violinkonzert ihres Landsmannes Hjalmar Borgström (1864–1925). Borgström war zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts als Kritiker und Komponist bekannt. In Vergessenheit geriet seine Musik höchstwahrscheinlich dadurch, dass er sich weigerte, eine typisch skandinavische Klangsprache zu adaptieren – wie Grieg es getan hatte. Dennoch zog das 1914 geschriebenes Violinkonzert Hemsing sofort in seinen Bann, auch weil dessen Klangsprache sie an ihre Heimat erinnerte. Im Kontrast zu Borgströms romantischem Werk steht Dmitri Shostakovichs erstes Violinkonzert. Seine Klangsprache ist weniger pastoral, eher dramatisch und schmerzerfüllt, doch auch hier schafft Hemsing es gemeinsam mit den Wiener Symphonikern und Olari Elts eine überzeugende, farbenreiche und persönliche Interpretation zu präsentieren. Mit durchweg brillierendem Klang und flexiblem Ausdruck macht Eldbjørg Hemsing dieses Album absolut hörenswert.

MUSIKKULTUR – ELDBJØRGS ÆRA

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Eldbjørg Hemsing står foran sitt store, internasjonale gjennombrudd. Med seg på reisen har hun en norsk fiolinkonsert som har vært glemt i hundre år.

Publisert 05.02.2018 | Ingvild Amdal Myklebust

Hovedscenen på Nationaltheatret i Oslo har aldri vært større enn den maidagen i 1996. På klakkende bunadsko inntar hun flomlyset sammen med storesøster Ragnhild på åtte. Bak seg aner hun konturene av det tunge sceneteppet og av moren som viser dem riktig neieteknikk. Foran dem venter et bekmørkt folkehav. Hun vet at kongefamilien sitter der ute. Og Wenche Foss som hun møtte i stad. Snart er de framme ved scenekanten. Da skal de løfte opp felene til haka og spille Briskjehauga slik de pleier. Bare en meter igjen nå.

> Weblink to Full Article

FORTE FEATURE FILM WITH ELDBJØRG HEMSING

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“Forte” is the new feature film from David Donnelly(“Maestro“) on three strong, utmost remarkable and ouststanding women who are achieving unlikely success in classical music: Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, Argentinian composer and conductor Lucía Caruso and Russian-born violinist Tatiana Berman from the United States.

Story: Forte is the international story of three women who are challenging industry norms by making their own rules in a musical genre steeped in tradition. A young Norwegian soloist champions a rare, self-discovered composition and risks a promising career to bring it to life. A small-town girl, born and raised in the Russian Arctic, gives up an executive position at a top artist management corporation to create her own international maverick agency. An Argentinian composer gets the opportunity of a lifetime. And a cultural entrepreneur and mother of three struggles to balance her family and career. The one thing these bold, game-changing individuals have in common is: strength.

Direction/Production: Forte is written and directed by David Donnelly, founder of Culture Monster and director of the acclaimed hit documentary Maestro. It is produced by David Donnelly and Anastasia Boudanoque, founder of Primavera Consulting. Executive Producer is Roland Göhde of the Göhde Foundation.

Filming Locations: Sintra, Portugal; Cincinnati, Ohio; Paris, France; London, England; New York, New York; Rhinecliff, NY; Mendoza, Argentina; Aurdal/Oslo, Norway; Berlin, Germany; Moscow, Russia

> Forte website
> Forte on Facebook

The first official trailer of “Forte” is out now:

ELDBJØRG HEMSING ON NRK KLASSISK

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Eldbjørg Hemsing on NRK Klassisk: “My Favorite Music”

Eldbjørg Hemsing in “My Favorite Music” on Norwegian governmental broadcasting station NRK takes us from traditional music in Valdres through classics like Bach and Beethoven up to the collaboration with Chinese composer and Academy Award winner Tan Dun and to a new release of the Violin Concertos by Borgström and Shostakovich.

Eldbjørg Hemsing shares stories that shed light on the music with program director Stein Eide.

The 1h54min radio feature in Norwegian language can be listened to at following weblink:

> Eldbjørg Hemsing – NRK Klassisk “My favourite music”

MOMENTS OF ETHEREAL BEAUTY

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“Moments of ethereal beauty as the violin’s melody intertwined with those of the woodwinds” – Reviewed at National Concert Hall, Dublin on 3 November 2017

“Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A minor is at times an elusive concerto to pull off: true to violin concertos of this era, it is not short on virtuosic bravura passages yet its subtle, restless character is a much harder selling point. This was the focus of the soloist, Norwegian rising star Eldbjørg Hemsing as she eloquently meditated on the more wistful writing of the first movement. At times, as high up on the G string in the recapitulation of the opening Allegro, she overindulged in vibrato which obscured the tender lyricism but there were moments of ethereal beauty as the violin’s melody intertwined with those of the woodwinds. The octaves and double stops glowed with passion while the scales and arpeggio were executed with laser-like precision. Her luminous tone added lustre to the ruminative lyricism of the second movement while the NSO responded with a warm and sensitive accompaniment. It was in the mercurial finale that musician and music struck the most rewarding balance. The Slavic folk tune glistened with meticulous light-hearted good cheer, with sharp rhythmic delineations from the orchestra. Capturing the exquisite, ephemeral soundscape, Hemsing expertly handled the shifting cross rhythms and the fiendish octaves, bringing this concerto to an energetic and satisfying close.” > Video Excerpt from Concert of Eldbjørg Hemsing with RTE Symphony Orchestra under Miguel Harth-Bedoya

ELDBJØRG HEMSING IN KLASSISK MAGAZINE

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Nordiske Violinkoncerter

Skandinaviske violinister graver i disse år i egen baghave og finder alternativer til de kendte violinkoncerter af Tjajkovskij og Mendelssohn. På den måde er noele romantiske violinkoncerter dukket op i både Denmark, Norge og Sverige, der ikke er til at sta for.

En overraskelse er også violinkoncerten af nordmanden Hjalmar Borgstrøm (1864-1925). Han var en ægte senromanti­ ker, der elskede Wagner og komponerede store orkesterværker. Hans Violinkoncert blev skrevet i 1914, lige inden den gamle verden gik under. Et stykke nordisk romantik, beslægtet med Griegs norske toner, Peterson-Bergers sommerlyrik og Sibelius’ store vidder. Borgstrøm havde en overlegen kompositionsteknik, og det giver hans Violinkoncert en glamourøs karakter. Den måler sig med andre senro­ mantiske koncerter og har potentiale til at smelte hjerter. Og med det iiber-skan- dinaviske komponistnavn ‘Borgstrøm’ fortæller overskriften alle, at her kommer den nordiske lyd!

Koncerten blev indspillet første gang i 2010, men nu kommer Borgstrøms Violinkoncert længere ud, når den norske virtuos Eldbjørg Hemsingtil maj udgiver den på det nordiske plademærke BIS, indspillet sammen med Wiener Symfo­nikerne. »At jeg overhovedet blev klar over, at koncerten fandtes, skyldes dirigenten Terje Boye Hansen«, fortæller Eldbjørg Hemsing.

»Han er en stor forkæmper for musik, som af forskellige grunde er blevet glemt, og gav mig en hel bunke noder, blandt andet denne violinkoncert, jeg aldrig havde hørt om før. Det var vældig spændende. Jeg begyndte at spille lidt af den og fandt ud af, at musikken er utrolig fin, melodisk og godt skrevet for violinen. Man hører tydeligt det norske og det nordiske, samtidig med at den har et internationalt præg. Stakkels Borgstrøm var lidt uheldig med timingen, og hans violinkoncert var kun blevet spillet to gange nogensinde i Norge. Så jeg tænkte, hallo, mange burde da spille det værk, når nu det er så fint. Der er jo ikke ret mange norske violinkoncerter, der nyder anerkendelse«.

Hvordan fik du lov til at indspille en ukendt nordisk violinkoncert på dit debutalbum?

»Det var mit privilegium at vælge selv! Jeg havde vældig lyst til at indspille Sjostakovitjs Violinkoncert nr. 1, som jeg holder meget af. Men det er så sort og så tungt og emotionelt krævende, at jeg havde lyst til at kombinere den med noget helt anderledes. Noget nordisk og lyst i tonesproget. Borgstrøms violinkon­cert er fra den helt anden ende. Det er en interessant kombination«.

Det er vel en satsning at bruge kræfter på at indstudere sådan et ukendt stykke?

»Jo, men det er faktisk det bedste ud­ gangspunkt, for så er der ingen referen­ cepunkter. Jeg kan gøre akkurat, som jeg vil og skal ikke tage hensyn til, hvordan andre har spillet den. Borgstrøms violin­ koncert har mange kvaliteter, man kan arbejde med. Det er en rigtig skat, og jeg er vældig glad for at få muligheden til at give Borgstrøm revanche«, siger Eldbjørg Hemsing, som i år har opført violinkoncerten et par gange og til næste år spiller den tre gange til, blandt andet med dirigenten Paavo Järvi.

ELDBJØRG HEMSING EXCITES WITH PERFECTION

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Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing and “das junge orchester NRW” (djoNRW) under Ingo Ernst Reihl – review from concert at the Historic City Hall Wuppertal on 8 October 2017

WZ | Christian Oscar Gazsi Laki | 9 Oct 2017: “…it’s different with the violin concerto no. 4 of Henri Vieuxtemps, the jewel of the evening. This virtuosic sparkling work was performed by no one less than Norwegian Eldbjørg Hemsing. By fortunate situation Reihl succeeded in winning this phenomenal young violinist. She did not only impress with her impeccable technical perfection, which however is not exhausting itself in cool virtuosity, but also by her unrestrained joy for melodic expression. The highly ambitious passages are flying both, light-footed as well as energy-loaded. One looks and is in amazement. She charms with the sound from her Guadagnini from 1754 heart-melting cantilenas, yet without being at anytime overdrawn. The orchestra was a powerful companion, as it succeeded also gentle shimmering passages, thanks to the lyric sensitivity of the orchestra musicians.”