When we think of popular violin recital bon-bons, we most likely recall names such as Kreisler, Paganini, Sarasate, Dvorak, or Wieniawski. But as this entertaining program shows, there’s a lively tradition for light and lovely violin music that goes back a couple of centuries in Norway. It all started with now-legendary 19th-century Norwegian violinist/composer Ole Bull, whose early traditional musical training and later sojourns on the European continent gave way to a decidedly singular (some would say eccentric) playing style that brought him personal acclaim and drew attention to Norwegian music in general. He made several popular concert tours of the United States, playing his own music, and even tried to start a commune in Pennsylvania. The works on this disc are mostly of the sentimental, melancholic, or pastoral styles for which Grieg is best-known and that he so effectively and skillfully imparted in his Peer Gynt music. With titles such as “The Herd-Girl’s Sunday” (Bull), “The Old Fisherman’s Song” (Halvorsen), and “La Mélancholie” (Bull), the mood is decidedly reflective, the tunes lyrical and endearing. There’s also an odd yet appealing Suite in Old Style by Christian Sinding that actually covers more than one style and doesn’t really hold together as a unified work, and a very assertive Wedding March and Andante religioso by Johan Halvorsen. Completing the program are Johan Svendsen’s ardent Romance in G major, two Norwegian dances by Halvorsen, and two famous Grieg pieces–an arrangement of the song “I love only you” and “Last Spring”, from his set of two Elegiac Melodies.
This kind of music certainly has its place, and it’s particularly suitable to the violin’s expressive nature. Soloist Henning Kraggerud knows all about this, fully exploiting the emotional character of each melody while drawing out the fullest range of tone from his well-made modern-copy Guarneri instrument. The sound is somewhat hard-edged and the balance isn’t quite favorable to a true violin/orchestra partnership. But for those who just love beautiful melodies played on a violin, Kraggerud, his able orchestral colleagues, and his fellow countrymen/composers offer a very pleasant hour of listening.
