Following his acclaimed recordings of the Tchaikovsky and Barber concertos (BIS-2440) — honoured with a Diapason d’Or, Gramophone’s “Editor’s Choice”, and BBC Music Magazine’s “Concerto Choice” — and of the Nielsen and Sibelius concertos (BIS-2620), which also received Gramophone’s “Editor’s Choice”, Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene now turns to three of the most popular concertante works for violin in the repertoire, composed across three different eras.
Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor needs no introduction: this masterpiece from the composer’s mature period is among the best-known and most beloved works in all of classical music, thanks to its freshness, originality of writing, and magnificent themes. Max Bruch’s First Violin Concerto, another cornerstone of the violin repertoire, is cherished for its natural lyricism and memorable melodies. In these two works, Dalene is joined by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its concertmaster Malin Broman (Mendelssohn) and by Gemma New (Bruch).
Imbued with a serene, meditative spirit and a deep sense of communion with nature, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending concludes the programme. Here, however, the work is not heard in its familiar orchestral version, but in a striking arrangement for choir by Paul Drayton. The Swedish Radio Choir is conducted by its director Kaspars Putniņš, a musical partnership whose BIS recordings have earned numerous awards.
