Ole Hjellemo: Orchestral Works

[jasthill]

Happy New Year from Sterling:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9394342--ole-hjellemo-orchestral-works

[Alan Howe]

Yes - I spotted this too. Wonder just how good the music is - and the orchestra, which is based in Serbia:
https://www.makriscompetition.com/orchestra

From the excerpts, the string section sounds somewhat thin and glassy.

[Mark Thomas]

Well, as far as the orchestra goes, I guess that beggars can't be choosers. The quality of the music is a different matter, but the whole of the Violin Concerto's finale (all three minutes of it!) is on YouTube here.

[Alan Howe]

Question is: I may be a beggar as far as this repertoire is concerned, but am I a chooser? Guess I'll have to fork out to find out...

[Mark Thomas]

Aye, there's the rub.

[terry martyn]

Just listened to it. A little too late-Romantic for me. I will play the Jose White now to get back to the high noon of Romanticism, where I am more comfortable

[QuinoneX]

Norwegian National Library has scores of the Symphony and the Rondo
https://www.nb.no/items/3cf953ef3228e36bf968230281ee06b2?page=0&searchText=Ole%20Hjellemo
https://www.nb.no/items/4ab45cce71cc07d92d70af4461d137f0?page=0&searchText=Hjellemo

[Alan Howe]

The symphony is a big, blowsy, filmic epic (all 48½ minutes of it). It has certain echoes of early Sibelius and is certainly an enjoyable listen, but I can't imagine it making any headway with the public. Overall the idiom is late, late romantic.

The orchestra certainly works hard despite having a less than starry string section, but they do have rather a lot to do.

Well worth hearing, but don't expect a masterpiece.