LEIPZIG! Grieg, Svendsen, Hartmann, Reinecke for Wind Octet AlbumPurchased

ALL MUSICAL ROADS LED TO LEIPZIG! 2014 is a good year to place Norwegian music in the context of the European cultural landscape. With what or with whom do the origins and development of Norwegian and Scandinavian music lie? Oslo Kammerakademi’s recording of works by Grieg and Svendsen in the company of Hartmann and Reinecke sheds light on this question. The majority of composers associated with what today is called Norway’s musical golden age travelled to Leipzig to study. Both Edvard Grieg and Johan Svendsen studied with the legendary composer, conductor, and pianist Carl Reinecke. The Dane Emil Hartmann was also in Leipzig for a brief period of study. The compositions for wind ensemble of their teacher Carl Reinecke exude a richly-coloured, resonant, and romantic timbre clearly heard in his Octet. Emil Hartmann was familiar with Reinecke’s use of wind instruments when he composed his Serenade. Grieg and Svendsen did not themselves compose for wind octet, but their works were frequently transcribed. Oslo Kammerakademi’s bassoonist Trond Olaf Larsen, who has arranged the works of Grieg and Svendsen for this recording, uses Hartmann’s instrumentation. Since its founding four years ago, Oslo Kammerakademi has made successful appearances at major festivals, including Rheingau and Schleswig-Holstein in 2011 and Summerwinds Münsterland in 2012. “A titanic performance! […] The audience was fully aware of the exceptional quality and veritably boiled over with enthusiasm!” (Westfälische Nachrichten, 5.8.12) The ensemble’s debut album with chamber music for wind octet by Beethoven (LWC1036) received glowing reviews both in Norway and abroad, including five stars (of five possible) by BBC Music Magazine. REVIEWS «Indeed, delight is the watchword throughout this engaging programme, superbly played by the Oslo ensemble. The group’s playing shows a beguiling lightness of touch with no loss of gravity where it’s needed. [...] Superb sound.» Guy Rickards – Gramophone, sept. 2014 review_LWC1058_Gramophone.pdf «Oslo Kammerakademi are back, after their stunning Beethoven for Wind Octet disc. [...] The ensemble uses historical brass instruments for the classical repertoire to lend both authenticity and transparency to their distinctive sound. In this cleverly-constructed programme, their pair of Viennese horns make a considerable contribution to the already wonderful sonorities of the band. [...] This new disc from Oslo Kammerakademi certainly deserves full marks from me. An ideal disc to play on a summer evening, perhaps with a glass of wine to hand.» John Miller – HRAudio.net, 17.04.14 http://www.hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=9573#reviews «As the saying goes, they had me at "hello." From the clarinet's smooth, expressive opening phrase in Grieg's Lyric Suite, I was captivated by the uniformly suave, polished playing of the Oslo Kammerakademi. [...] The sound reproduction is gorgeous. I can recommend this warmly» Stephen Francis Vasta – MusicWeb International, mai 2017 http://musicweb-international.com/classrev/2017/May/Leipzig_LWC1058.htm review_LWC1058_Rohrblatt_4-2014.pdf review_LWC1058_Sonograma.pdf