Martin Fröst / Concerto Köln VIVALDI

                                                                      VIVALDI

Martin Fröst / Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä NIELSEN & AHO Clarinet Concertos

Fearsomely talented Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst continues his conquest of the major concerto repertoire for his instrument with this recording of Carl Nielsen's 1928 Clarinet Concerto, paired with a new concerto by Finland's Kalevi Aho. The Nielsen concerto is a dense work in which the clarinet and the orchestra spend a lot of time going their separate ways, with the path of the clarinet being very twisted indeed. Difficult arabesques on the clarinet are interrupted without warning by heraldic blasts from the orchestral horns. The concerto was greeted by early reviewers as a radical modern work, and an instrumentalist wanting to push the clarinet into uncomfortable territory can still make it sound that way. Fröst, however, places the concerto into a sphere that includes many of Nielsen's other well-known works: for him it is not so much a radical work as one that has the characteristic Nielsen combination of being both a bit conservative and quite intellectually challenging. As the clarinet seems to fall into disputes with individual members of the orchestra, Fröst is implacable rather than furious, and he has the technical chops to make this approach work. The Aho concerto is a lyrical piece that makes a good companion for the thornier Nielsen. It offers plenty of chances for cantabile display, not only on the part of Fröst but also for Finland's Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä, whose high string tones have an impressive precision and smoothness. The Super Audio sound from Sweden's BIS label is well-nigh flawless, and this is an original and immensely satisfying recording that both asserts the continuing relevance of classic repertoire and adds vital new music to the literature. (James Manheim)

Martin Fröst / Lucas Debargue / Janine Jansen / Torleif Thedéen MESSIAEN Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps

The Quartet for the End of Time is intensely personal music and it deserves an equally personal response from anyone playing it now. When Martin Fröst overheard a rehearsal through an open window as a teenager at a music camp, he was transfixed: ‘I was bewitched … and I ended up walking away from the house that day with a different view on the world.’

It was the first work he played with Janine Jansen when they met 16 years ago and the cellist on that occasion was Thorleif Thedéen. This was a transforming experience for all three musicians. Martin Fröst remembers it as ‘one of life’s rare and profound musical moments, when everything comes together and you are left with a deep sense of connection not only to the piece, but to each other – we have been trying to find the right circumstances to record the piece together ever since.’

Finally, these musicians have brought this cherished project to fruition, joined by the brilliant pianist Lucas Debargue. The deep expressive power of the Quartet was brought home to them once again – and the time was right too: ‘As the world has been marking and reflecting upon the several anniversaries of the World Wars in recent years, it felt that now was the perfect time to get this project off the ground, especially too as I feel the music, is still as relevant in today’s political climate as it was in 1941.’
 

Martin Fröst / The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ROOTS

Sony Classical pre-releases Roots today exclusively in Sweden in advance of next week’s premiere performances of “Genesis” in Stockholm with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.
The album, which is Martin Fröst’s first recording on the Sony label is set for international release on 29 January 2016.

The stunning new recording and concert programme created by Martin features a kaleidoscope of repertoire ranging 2000 years, tracing the evolution of music through a continuous soundscape. ”The listener will search long and hard to find works and performances like these in which folk music, a religious atmosphere and an avant-garde technique are combined to create such inspired music for our age” writes Wolfgang Sander of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in the booklet note.

Describing the programme – in which Martin features as both soloist and conductor – he comments “My sound-world journey travels through the sources of classical repertoire, and draws a line from the earliest “roots” of music—music inspired by dance and folk, music drawn from sacred rituals of praise, and music as pure entertainment—and explores how, from these roots,  we can open up a new musical door into the future. My journey moves from Gregorian chant, Hildegard von Bingen and Telemann, via gypsy, klezmer and traditional folk music from a variety of countries, all the way through to new works and re-workings of classical pieces… I wanted to give the feeling that, by listening to this programme its like walking through from one room to the next and suddenly you are in a totally different sound world – that idea turns me on.”

Roots refers not only to the origins of classical music in religious music and folk music but also to the very personal roots of Martin himself. The final track is a setting of the beautiful and simple Scandinavian folksong Jag vet en dejlig rosa (I know a rose so comely) which comes from Dalarna in the heart of Sweden.