Halvorsen VC rediscovered

[MartinH]

From Slippedisc:
Librarians at the University of Toronto have found a concerto that has been deemed lost for more than a century.

The Norwegian Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935) composed it for the Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow (1890-1963), who gave its premiere on August 14, 1909 in Scheveningen, Holland. She gave two more performances that year in Oslo, after which the score disappeared.

Until now.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2016/01/a-lost-concerto-turns-up-in-canada/#sthash.7GPEimG1.dpuf

[Alan Howe]

The report also tells us that...

...Henning Kraggerud will revive the work this summer at a musicologists' convention in Stavanger, Norway.

[Alan Howe]

Toskey mentions the existence of the concerto in his dictionary. Great to have the puzzle solved!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Might be a nice coupling for the Lassen concerto, were these works to be recorded. Lassen was born in Denmark, so there is the Scandinavian connection.

[Wheesht]

Great news indeed to learn that what I mentioned in an earlier thread, namely that it was thought Halvorsen had destroyed the concert, turns out not to have been true. There is an item on Norwegian radio in which Kraggerud can be heard speaking, and also playing a bit, plus, intriguingly, a short bit with Halvorsen's widow from 1951.

[Martin Eastick]

Come on, Hyperion!

[Alan Howe]

It might indeed go nicely with the Lassen VC. Come on, Hyperion!!

[eschiss1]

I'm still a little surprised that it wasn't to be found somewhere- that I saw- amongst the 456 digitized manuscript work and work fragments by Halvorsen one can find at www.nb.no (their collection of course has works by many another composer, but 456 things by Halvorsen. A whole lot of incidental music, for example, but other things...)

[Herbert Pauls]

A sneak preview of the concerto...

https://www.facebook.com/HenningKraggerud/videos/1011867555518833/

[Adrian Harrison]

And now a video of the complete performance given by Henning Kraggerud under the direction of Bjarte Engeset in Stavenger, Norway in July 2016 as part of the International Musicological Society's annual conference: https://tv.nrk.no/serie/hovedscenen-tv/MKMF21013516/04-09-2016 The programme starts with a documentary (which might be somewhat difficult to follow if your Norwegian is not too hot). The performance begins 43 minutes in. It's well worth listening to, IMHO.

[Alan Howe]

What a lovely late-Romantic Scandinavian piece. Quite a discovery! Wonder when it'll be commercially recorded?

[Herbert Pauls]

According to the interview with Kraggerud after the concerto, it looks like it will be recorded by Naxos.

[Alan Howe]

Oh, wonderful. Thanks for that news!

[JimL]

What is the orchestra he's playing with?

[Alan Howe]

Did you not examine the linked page, Jim? It clearly says: Det Norske Kammerorkester.