2011 Calendar, News, 2010 Calendar, Tour Information, Reviews

NEWS

Click here for our latest reviews from Mikkelsen's recent England tour.

Steve Dyer is pictured in the Mikkelsen booth at the exhibit hall during the recent League of American Orchestras annual conference in Atlanta (June 2010).

Norwegian Romantics compact discs of works by Alnaes and Olsen were distributed and discussions took place regarding potential collaboration of various American orchestras, Mr. Mikkelsen and Norwegian sponsors. Terje Mikkelsen . com was a sponsor of the 2010 conference. The 2011 conference will take place next June in the Twin Cities – Minneapolis/St.Paul hosted by the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Steve Dyer will be representing Terje Mikkelsen at the 65th League of American Orchestras National Conference Atlanta June 15 – 19, 2010

Please visit http://www.americanorchestras.org/conference_2010 for more information.

Terje Mikkelsen was recently featured on the Norwegian evening news about his recent Alnæs Symphony Number 1 played in Moscow. See the link below for video footage of the performance.

http://www1.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/214605

"Great Reviews from American Record Guide"

Previously unknown Norwegian composers, rarely heard, should delight
American audiences. Mikkelsen's vision and direction is a key element.

ALNAES: Symphonies 1+2

Latvian Symphony/ Terje Mikkelsen

Sterling 1084 [SACD] 78 minutes

Eyvind Alnaes (1872-1932) was a gifted Norwegian composer who remains all but forgotten today, unlike Edvard Grieg, Christian Sinding, and Johan Svendsen—all of them along with Alnaes students of Carl Reinecke in Leipzig. Alnaes inherited from his father an affinity for choral music and songs even before embarking on his formal education at the Music and Organists’ College in Kristiania (now Oslo). His songs have been recorded by Kirsten Flagstad and Feodor Chaliapin, among others; our resident Scandinavian music expert Carl Bauman reviewed a Simax collection by soprano Bodil Arnesen and compared his songs favorably to both Grieg and Sibelius (Nov/Dec 1994). I must confess I found his D-major Piano Concerto (completed in 1913) inventive, yet hardly memorable, for all its imposing Wagnerian scoring (July/Aug 2007); and a second hearing while compiling this review merely confirmed my initial impression. Yet I sat transfixed all through both of these highly stimulating symphonies that bestride the concerto on either side: one from 1897-98 and the other from 1923. Together they make for an extremely well-filled disc; and if you enjoy Nordic music you may want to stop reading right now and seek out this new Sterling. Sterling’s founder Bo Hyttner describes the First Symphony of Alnaes as “personal...nothing less than an emotional experience”. That sentiment, as it happens, was clearly shared by the audience at the premiere; the critic Ulrik Mork wrote that in this seminal effort “inspiration goes hand in hand with a highly developed feeling for tonal color”, adding that “much can be expected of a young man who has written something as beautiful as the Andante of this symphony”. Indeed annotator Audun Jonassen calls this 12-minute span (actually designated Adagio) “perhaps the most beautiful slow movement ever written by a Norwegian composer”; and it’s difficult to demur on hearing it unfold from the warm and wonderfully expressive Latvian strings.

Under Mikkelsen it does seem closer to Andante; I have a feeling that in less sympathetic hands a noticeably slower tempo might reduce Alnaes’s impassioned flow of melody to something far more ordinary. (Note for example the ethereal quality of the string writing at 6:20—sheer bliss!) So the Adagio is easily the centerpiece of the symphony. But like me you may find yourself humming or whistling the opening movement (Allegro patetico—”with feeling”) that Jonassen thinks is reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth. Actually, this music sounds so much like the Tchaikovsky—written 20 years earlier—that I have to believe Alnaes intended it as homage to a cherished model.

This material is worked up to a fare-thee-well both by Alnaes and Mikkelsen and contrasts effectively with the Adagio; in turn the Scherzo has little compelling character of its own but merely serves to set up the far more interesting finale, built around a march-like motif that starts out innocently enough in the violas, yet on reaching full force reminded me very much of the Scherzo from Brahms’s piano quintet. Through sheer manic energy it builds relentlessly to a shattering climax startlingly close to its counterpart in the First Symphony of Johan Svendsen (8:27) before forceful claps of the timpani herald the ringing conclusion. While the Second Symphony followed the first by some 25 years, the opening movement sounds as youthful and guileless as anything by a graduate music student—bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and eager to please. From that ecstatic revel we’re brought down to earth with the Lento; from the designation “quasi una marcia funebre” it is clear that it was intended as a eulogy for a close friend (the Danish publisher Alfred Wilhelm Hansen). If the opening movement of the C-minor Symphony seems modeled after the Tchaikovsky Fourth, here we may clearly hear echoes of the Pathetique, filled out by heavy rolling of the drums that might evoke the steady tread of the caisson. The Scherzo seems closer to Sullivan than any Nordic model; the woodwinds disport tongue in cheek over spirited busywork from the violins, with the smug bassoon getting in the last word.

In the finale Alnaes makes free use of the halling—a hearty Norwegian folk dance often heard from Grieg—spelled by a far trickier rhythm that requires the musicians to play with the greatest precision; and if the Latvian players are not always entirely spot-on, they are still mightily impressive, given Mikkelsen’s bracing tempos. Had Bo Hyttner simply signed on some patchwork studio ensemble to sight-read the Alnaes symphonies, no doubt we would still have a more than adequate makeweight. But he has done so much more than that: he has put up the big bucks to get Terje Mikkelsen and his splendid Latvian orchestra, who have already contributed so many marvelous recordings of Svendsen’s music to the catalog. And both sonics and annotations are beyond reproach.

In sum, all involved have done nobly by this music; certainly you should repay the favor by adding it to your shelf without hesitation.

American Record Guide

HALLER

OLSEN: Symphony in G; Asgaardsreien;

Suite for Strings

Latvian Symphony/ Terje Mikkelsen

Sterling 1086 [SACD] 69 minutes

As far as I can tell, the Norwegian composer Ole Olsen—not to be confused with his more modern countryman Sparre Olsen or the Dane Poul Rovsing Olsen (July/Aug 2004) or the Swede Otto Olsson (Mar/Apr 1997)—has heretofore surfaced in these pages only through the heartfelt Funeral March included in the first collection of “Norwegian Classical Favorites” for Naxos (May/June 2004, p 192). Clearly that is our loss, if we can judge fairly by the very impressive works on offer here. Grove’s tells us little about Olsen, so the extensive discussion by Audun Sannes Jonassen is quite helpful. From the text we may glean the familiar narrative of a precocious and immensely talented lad born into a musical family, at first intended to follow an entirely unrelated career (Grove’s says an engineer, the present notes a watchmaker) until it was clear his true destiny could no longer be denied. We find that by the age of 4 he had already taught himself to read music; his first piece, somewhere between a polka and a march, came a year later. At 7 he was ready to take his father’s place as organist for church services. When he was 18 his first attempt at writing for the stage, encouraged by a visiting Danish theater company, was a great success; and two years later he commenced serious studies with Reinecke in Leipzig. His first symphony, written during this prolific time of his life, is largely lost, though the notes tell us the surviving Adagio was praised by the critics (if faintly, as the specter of Wagner clearly loomed overhead) together with the ‘Folkedans’ from his first grand opera Stig Hvide—too bad room wasn’t found for them too. He also obtained much helpful advice from Grieg, whose muse often surfaces here as well. This outstanding composer and mentor from the northernmost town of Hammerfest deserves to be remembered along with Grieg, Svendsen, Halvorsen, and Sinding as foremost among the great Norwegian composers.

Only three years separate the critically acclaimed Adagio of Olsen’s stillborn symphony from the G-major heard here; thus it’s tempting to hear in the expansive and songful Andante what might have been. Surely this rapt cantilena is the true centerpiece of the symphony. I can hear Grieg in the rhapsodic second subject, but though Jonassen calls our attention to the First Symphony of Svendsen in the opening theme I’m reminded even more of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy and in particular the folk song ‘Auld Rob Morris’ from the first movement. But I’m certainly willing to grant a kinship with Svendsen in the second subject— as with the main theme perhaps more motivic than melodic—and in the swaggering unison brass writing (0:15f) even early Nielsen, while the nattering woodwind writing that spurs on the exhilarating development suggests that Tchaikovsky influenced the young Olsen as well. Most inventive of the lot is the Scherzo that unfolds as a sequence of episodes, each announced by the same motif, rather like a theme and variations structured as an elaborate quadrille. Jonassen tells us “the reviews were...generally very positive, even if the various critics could not agree about which movement was the finest”. I’m guessing odd man out was the finale: it does go on, and there are so many different themes and subthemes it’s difficult to keep track of them. The central one may be a chipper tune that seems rhythmically identical to the ‘Chorus of Villagers’ that launches Smetana’s Bartered Bride. But Olsen keeps things moving right along, and it’s hard to keep a sour face when everyone is clearly having such a high old time, right up to what Jonassen calls “a humorous concluding kick up the backside” that Mikkelsen and his expert Latvian players dispatch with great relish. In the cult TV favorite Stargate SG-1 the Asgard are a highly advanced and benevolent race of aliens (in appearance much like the familiar Roswell “Greys”) who led by their Supreme Commander Thor gave rise to early Norse mythology on Earth. Long before that, Stan Lee immortalized “The Mighty Thor” together with “Tales of Asgard” for legions of Marvel Comics devotees. Yet predating both of these, the highly graphic and vivid poem Asgaardsreien (The Ride of Asgaard) by Johann Sebastian Welhaven, published in 1845, inspired the symphonic poem by Ole Olsen. Some fleeting notion of the scope and grandeur of this saga may be gleaned from the gorgeous painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo that graces the cover; it is a richly detailed tapestry that strains mightily against the constraints of the silver disc, and in fact cries out for the detail an LP could offer. Like Wagner’s Valkyries, the fearsome host led by Thor strides across the heavens, plucking up mere mortals seemingly at whim as they go. In Welhaven’s poem they come on a wedding feast disrupted by a jealous suitor, the “berserker” Grim, who together with his brother Ulv viciously attacks the bridegroom; he fights back and mortally wounds Grim, but Ulv almost manages to dispatch the unfortunate lad until “through the air in the darkness rushed...a shouting procession of snorting horses” and Ulv is carried “far away, nowhere to be found”. Here Olsen recaps the earlier imagery to let us know all ends well: the bridegroom recovers from his wounds and lives long enough to tell the tale to a new generation of wide-eyed village youngsters.

The opening pages make one think Bald Mountain might have somehow been transported to Norway, and Mikkelsen piles into it like a man possessed; still for all the headlong fire and brimstone I can’t help noticing a marked rhythmic similarity to the opening sally of Svendsen’s First Symphony, while the sprightly nuptials with their clear evocation of the traditional Hardanger fiddle come very close to the ‘Wedding Dance’ from Peer Gynt. What Grieg himself might have thought about all of that is not entirely clear; but the notes suggest he was none too happy on hearing his own music reflected in Olsen’s Suite for Strings, itself derived from incidental music for Johan Nordahl Brun Rolfsen’s fairy tale comedy Svein Uraed. And no wonder; for not only is much of the suite very reminiscent of Peer Gynt—notably the opening ‘Song’ and the wistful ‘Spring’—but on top of that the hero, whose name (the notes helpfully inform us) might be translated as “Johnny Fearless”, is compelled to “journey around the world in search of a princess” and along the way, just like Peer Gynt, encounters trolls and elves who are clearly more civilized than the Mountain King’s minions as they prefer waltzes to more raucous fare. The concluding section, ‘Sunset’, is Olsen’s best-known song and the heart and soul of the suite, rapt and serene. As with their numerous recordings of Svendsen— not to mention the very fine pairing of symphonies by Eyvind Alnaes welcomed in the last issue—the Latvian players under Terje Mikkelsen’s committed leadership make a strong case for this unfamiliar music and are supported nobly by the Riga engineers. I’m pleased to recommend one more splendid entry in Sterling’s “Norwegian Romantics” series.

American Record Guide

HALLER

WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT:

A multi-media program featuring a live narration, symphony orchestra, major motion picture and the Keith Emerson Band combine to present an environmental message in a very big way. At the center of the production is Terje Mikkelsen.

In 2009, the first performances were given in a five city tour in China. Soon, Mr. Mikkelsen and the orchestra will be off to Mongolia for another series of concerts. The World Bank hopes to bring the environmental message and program to Russia and the United States. The focus is on getting their message out to the largest polluters, first.

The next series of programs will take place in Mongolia where Mr. Mikkelsen will once again conduct the orchestra as they provide a live soundtrack for the motion picture.

ORCHESTRAL ACTIVITIES FOR 2010

At present, Terje Mikkelsen is in Beijing, China completing a DVD featuring the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra documenting the WORLD BANK Environmental Program. Next he will travel to Spain to lead London's famous ensemble, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, on a Spanish national tour. Nearly circling the globe, Mr. Mikkelsen's next stop is Mongolia. There he will present several WORLD BANK Environmental programs.

In May, his responsibility as Principal Guest Conductor for Moscow's Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra begins. The first concert takes place in the TSO's home; the Great Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory of Music - 'Tchaikovsky Hall.' The TSO tour wraps up at the 'Music Festival of the North.' Located in Norway's northern most city in the world, these events take place on June 19th yand 20th. In October, Terje Mikkelsen will once again conduct the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra in twelve concerts within the United Kingdom.

The League of American Orchestras annual conference takes place in Atlanta, Georgia June 15th through 19th. Through the auspices of the Royal Norwegian Consulate General and I.M. SKAUGEN Ocean Shippers; Mr. Mikkelsen's 'NORWEGIAN ROMANTICS' series of CD recordings will be featured in the League's appreciation suite. Visiting American orchestra trustees, management and artistic administrators numbering nearly 1,000 will be presented with CDs promoting Norwegian culture via Nordic orchestral composers.

2010 CALENDAR

REVIEWS

England Tour Review Nottingham

England Tour Review Royal Concert Hall

England Tour Review St. George's Hall

http://audaud.com/audaud/best2009.html

http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=674

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6301

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6324

http://www.audaud.com/article?ArticleID=7051

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Eyvind-Alnaes-Symphonien-Nr-1-2-opp-7-43/hnum/9196126

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Ole-Olsen-Symphonie-G-Dur-op-5/hnum/1111591

http://www.recordsinternational.com/cd.php?cd=02L001

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8106358&style=classical

http://www3.satzmedia-catalog.com/asp/_698/flash/pdfs/0072.pdf

http://magazin.klassik.com/reviews/reviews.cfm?task=record&RECID=17395&TITLE=Alle

http://www.recordsinternational.com/cd.php?cd=03L001

http://www.clofo.com/Newsletters/C100326.htm

http://hallandsposten.se/kultur/musik/skivrecensioner/1.763741-eyvind-alnas

http://www.terjemikkelsen.com/grammaphone_review.pdf