Beethoven & Stravinsky: Violin Concertos Vilde Frang, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen & Pekka Kuusisto

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61:
• 1 Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: I. Allegro ma non troppo 24:50
• 2 Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: II. Larghetto 09:16
• 3 Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: III. Rondo. Allegro 09:18
• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 8:
• 4 Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 8: I. Toccata 05:22
• 5 Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 8: II. Aria I 04:30
• 6 Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 8: III. Aria II 05:56
• 7 Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 8: IV. Capriccio 05:53
• Total Runtime 01:05:05

Info for Beethoven & Stravinsky: Violin Concertos

“The Beethoven concerto is a piece of overwhelming power,” says violinist Vilde Frang. “It is somehow more than music – the dimension of it feels almost cosmic. The force of this concerto takes me by surprise, over and over again.” Frang juxtaposes Beethoven’s epic, lyrical work with Stravinsky’s compact violin concerto, which pays spiky tribute to 18th century models. The conductor is Pekka Kuusisto, himself an adventurous violinist, in his role as Artistic Best Friend of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. “It was the chamber musical qualities of the Beethoven concerto that provided the key for me,” says Frang. “The violin is constantly ‘feeding’ and playing around the orchestra … In its own way, the Stravinsky too engages the soloist in a constant dialogue with the orchestra. With Pekka Kuusisto and the Bremen players, I really feel in such a comfort zone … There is a feeling of having everything to gain by gathering together, coming together.”

Born in Norway, Vilde Frang is one of the leading young musicians in her field. From an early age, her profound musicality and exceptional and individual artistry led her to international renowned orchestras. Already at the age of twelve, Mariss Jansons engaged her for her debut with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2012, she was unanimously awarded the Credit Suisse 'Young Artists Award', which resulted in her first appearance with the Vienna Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival. To this day, the violinist is a regular guest with orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and works with renowned conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Herbert Blomstedt and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

An enthusiastic chamber musician, Vilde Frang can also be heard at the Rheingau Music Festival, the Chamber Music Festival Lockenhaus, the George Enescu Festival in Romania, the Salzburg Festival and the Prague Spring Music Festival. The Norwegian has also appeared on stage several times with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, most recently in 2019 at the Glocke in Bremen and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

Vilde Frang is signed as an exclusive artist with Warner Classics. Her recordings have received various awards, including Gramophone, Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, Grand Prix du Disque and Diapason d'Or. The artist performs on a violin by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume from 1866.

Vilde Frang, violin
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Pekka Kuusisto, conductor

Vilde Frang
Recognised worldwide for her exquisite sound and virtuosity, Vilde Frang continues to develop into one of the most sought after young violinists on the concert platform. In 2012 she was unanimously awarded the Credit Suisse Young Artists Award which led to her acclaimed debut with the Vienna Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival.

Regularly appearing with the leading orchestras, her recent highlights have included performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. The 2015-16 season will include debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de Belgique, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin and the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg. She will make her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle as part of their annual Europa concert. She has enjoyed collaborations with conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mariss Jansons, Ivan Fischer, Krzysztof Urbanski, James Gaffigan, Vladimir Jurowski, Vasily Petrenko, Jakub Hrusa, Paavo Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Yuri Temirkanov.

A keen chamber musician, Vilde regularly appears at festivals in Salzburg, Verbier, Lucerne, London Proms, Rheingau, Lockenhaus, George Enescu Festival and the Prague Spring Music Festival. 2016 will see Vilde as artist in residence at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. Amongst her collaborators were Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Lawrence Power, Nicolas Altstaedt, Steven Isserlis, Truls Mørk, Leif-Ove Andsnes, Martha Argerich and the Ébène Quartet.

Vilde has toured internationally with her recital partner Michail Lifits. The duo have performed at venues including the Concertgebouw, Musikverein, Philharmonie Berlin, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Tonhalle Zurich, Bozar Brussels as well as part of the Vancouver Recital Series, Boston Celebrity Series and San Francisco Performances. In March 2016 the duo will make their debut at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Vilde Frang is an exclusive Warner Classics artist and her recordings have received numerous awards. She is the recipient of the Edison Klassiek Award, Classic BRIT Award, “Editor’s Choice by Gramophone Magazine, “Diapason d’Or” by Diapason Magazine, Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and Echo Klassik Award.

Born in Norway in 1986, Vilde was engaged by Mariss Jansons at the age of twelve to debut with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. She studied at Barratt Due Musikkinstitutt in Oslo, with Kolja Blacher at Musikhochschule Hamburg and Ana Chumachenco at the Kronberg Academy. She has also worked with Mitsuko Uchida as a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship winner 2007, and was a scholarship-holder 2003-2009 in the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

Vilde Frang performs on the ‘Rode’ Guarneri del Gesù from 1734.

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