Johan Svendsen: Octet For Strings, Op. 3 TrondheimSolistene

• 1 Svendsen: Allegro risoluto ben marcato 11:16
• 2 Svendsen: Allegro scherzoso 08:17
• 3 Svendsen: Andante sostenuto 10:32
• 4 Svendsen: Finale: Moderato — Allegro assai con fuoco 07:49
• Total Runtime 37:54

Info for Johan Svendsen: Octet For Strings, Op. 3

The Octet dates from this time and was composed in February of 1866. The premiere which took place soon after was a huge triumph which received critical acclaim and won Svendsen the Conservatory’s First Prize in composition. Just 2 days after the concert, the famous publishing house of Breitkopf & Härtel agreed to publish it, an amazing achievement for a conservatory student. The Octet has a staggering abundance of tonal amplitude, many times bordering on the orchestral. The melodic writing is first rate, the harmonies, for that period, were bold and the rhythms innovative. The work’s use of Nordic melody especially captured the attention and praise of the critics.

"Among those who would play Octets, Johan Svendsen’s must always be included. It remains fresh and its inventive creativity never fails to please." (Wilhelm Altmann)

Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) gained a reputation as a rising star while he was still a student at the Leipzig Conservatory, where by general consensus he was regarded as one of the most talented students. Svendsen was born in Oslo. His father was a music teacher and Svendsen learned both the violin and clarinet from him. By the time he finished school, he was working as an orchestral musician, and occasionally made short concert tours as a violinist. In Lubeck, on one of his tours, he came to the attention of a wealthy merchant who made it possible for him to study from 1863-67 at the Leipzig Conservatory. He began his studies with Mendelssohn's favorite violinist, Ferdinand David, but problems with his hand forced him to switch to composition which he studied with Carl Reinecke. Afterwards, Svendsen worked primarily as a theater director and conductor. He achieved considerable fame as the latter and, during the last 20 years of the 19th century, was considered the leading Scandinavian conductor.

All of Svendsen's chamber music was written while he was at the Leipzig Conservatory, yet these works were not then, and should not now, be considered student works. His works won prizes and received public performances to acclaim.

TrondheimSolistene

The ensemble TrondheimSolistene was founded in 1988 by Bjarne Fiskum, and was for many years an arena for professional concert training for string-players at the Conservatory in Trondheim. As a result of many concerts throughout Europe as well as concert tours to the United States, Japan and Brazil, the TrondheimSolistene has grown to be an ensemble of international renown, receiving  much critical acclaim and attracting attention with its combination of high standards, youthful vigour and lively enthusiasm for the music.


New collaborations have pleased both performers and audiences alike, and the orchestra has been noted for its considerable musical versatility, performing music from the baroque and romantic repertoires as well as tango, jazz, rock and contemporary music.  The ensemble is an important advocate of Norwegian music,  has commissioned and given premières of several works and invariably includes Norwegian works in its concert tour programmes. TrondheimSolistene’s discography includes over twenty recordings.  Øyvind Gimse was appointed artistic director of TrondheimSolistene in 2002, continuing the ensemble’s broad programming profile and musical versatility.  TrondheimSolistene collaborates regularly with soloists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Martin Fröst, Joshua Bell, Ole Edvard Antonsen, Arve Tellefsen and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

This album contains no booklet.