Nielsen & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos

Nielsen & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos

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Award-winning Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang pairs Tchaikovsky s romantic and well-loved<br>violin concerto and the unique coloring of Nielsen s concerto in her third release for EMI<br>Classics. Tchaikovsky s Violin Concerto showcases Vilde s hugely assured virtuosity, but far<br>from mere empty fireworks, she exercises her technical facility as a means to cut to the<br>emotional core of the work. The end result is a truly remarkable recording of this warhorse<br>work jaw-droppingly accomplished playing fused with a depth of expression that belies her<br>young age. The concerto is not only regarded as one of the most technically difficult pieces<br>in the repertoire but also is considered one of the most famous of all violin compositions.<br>Carl Nielsen s Violin Concerto is very close to Vilde s heart. Composed in her homeland<br>Norway and premiered in Scandinavia by Danish violinist Peder M¸ller and the Royal<br>Danish Orchestra, Vilde was very keen to record the concerto. The work has a quintessentially<br>Scandinavian feel: simple but heartfelt melodies wrapped in a spacious,<br>windswept orchestral accompaniment.<br>Often compared to a young Anne-Sophie Mutter, with whom she sometimes performs,<br>Vilde s first recorded album Violin Concertos by Sibelius and Prokofiev,<br>released in January 2010 at the age of 22, was praised by the critics; rarely<br>has this music sounded so tender, so intimate or so lyrical (Financial Times),<br>while Independent Record Review called her prodigiously gifted. The disc<br>won Best Classical Release at the Norwegian Grammy Awards.<br>Her second album of sonatas by Bartok, Grieg and Strauss with pianist<br>Michail Lifits was released in March 2011 to great critical reception:<br>Another outstanding disc from Frang, who makes even the most wellworn<br>phrases sound as though they have just arrived freshly minted<br>from the composer s creative workshop (Classic FM magazine). Vilde<br>received the Newcomer award both at the 2011 Edison Classic<br>awards in Amsterdam and the 2011 Classic BRITs in London