Sonoko Miriam Welde: Bruch, Vaughan Williams & Barber Sonoko Miriam Welde

• Max Bruch (1838 - 1920): Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26:
• 1 Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26: I. Prelude. Allegro moderato 08:01
• 2 Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26: II. Adagio 08:56
• 3 Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26: III. Finale 07:23
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958):
• 4 Williams: The Lark Ascending 14:27
• Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981): Violin Concerto, Op. 14:
• 5 Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14: I. Allegro 10:36
• 6 Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14: II. Andante 08:26
• 7 Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14: III. Presto in moto perpetuo 03:57
• Total Runtime 01:01:46

Info for Sonoko Miriam Welde: Bruch, Vaughan Williams & Barber

When you ask people which superpower they would choose if they could have only one, many answer that they would want the power of flight. Although I personally would prefer invisibility, I also think there is something enviable about the freedom of being able to fly, to soar through the sky, above all the stress and troubles of life down on the ground. A lot has been said and written about how Vaughan Williams wrote The Lark Ascending during the 1st World War “when a pastoral scene of a singing bird on the wing seemed far removed from reality” (Betsy Schwarm, Britannica). I sometimes imagine people living through difficult times looking up at the lark, envying its life and freedom that they wish they had. It's a moving piece with soaring melodies and the lark's “silver chain of sound” (George Meredith's poem The Lark Ascending).

Soaring melodies are present in Barber's Concerto as well. Although it opens with a generous and warm melody, it doesn't take long for uncertainty to creep in, and large sections of the 1st movement are dominated by an “in-between” kind of feeling – in addition to the unbelievably triumphant and satisfying return of the opening theme of course! The 2nd movement is, for me, one of the most touching and heartbreaking pieces of music. It reminds me of Somewhere from West Side Story. Hope, pain and perhaps longing for something better. It is just endlessly beautiful... The first two movements of the concerto are emotionally and dramatically linked in that they both have short solo violin cadenzas towards the end. The two are very similar to each other – very tense and devastating, like an existential cry. They are followed by a bizarre, disturbing, entertaining and adrenaline-inducing 3rd movement to end the piece. In a way it makes no sense to end this way, but that's part of the fun of it.

Bruch's Violin Concerto is a piece with its heart on its sleeve. The 1st movement is a very serious and dramatic introduction, the 2nd incredibly touching and sincere, and the 3rd so joyous and life affirming. This piece has accompanied me in many important and special moments in my life so far and I am so happy that it is with me in this one as well – my debut album with the Oslo Philharmonic, a fantastic group of musicians that I have loved and admired for many years! (Sonoko Miriam Welde)

Sonoko Miriam Welde, violin
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Tabita Berglund, conductor
Joshua Weilerstein, conductor

Sonoko Miriam Welde
is one of the most exciting young violinists to emerge from Norway in recent years. Born in Bergen in 1996 she made her debut with the Bergen Philharmonic aged nine and has since gone on to win the Norwegian Soloist Prize and Virtuos competition, as well as representing Norway in the European Broadcasting Union’s Young Musicians Competition. She is currently on the Crescendo programme, being mentored by Janine Jansen and Leif Ove Andsnes, and a recipient of a Statoil Talent Scholarship.

Her appearances include concertos with Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, Trondheim Symphony, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Stavanger Symphony, Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Kremerata Baltica, Zagreb Soloists, Oslo Camerata, and the Estonian Chamber Orchestra with conductors including Andrew Litton, James Gaffigan, Joshua Weilerstein, Han-Na Chang, Marta Gardolińska and Edward Gardner.

An enthusiastic chamber musician, Sonoko has been championed by Leif Ove Andsnes, with whom she performs regularly, and has also worked with Tabea Zimmermann, Clemens Hagen, Alisa Weilerstein, Jonathan Biss, Sergio Tiempo and Janine Jansen. She appears frequently at the Bergen International Festival and has performed at Risør Chamber Music Festival, ArtLink Belgrade, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Bad Ragaz “Next Generation” Festival, Harpa Festival Reykjavik, International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, and Rosendal Festival.

Since 2020 Sonoko has been a student of Janine Jansen at the Lausanne Music Conservatory. She has previously studied with Stephan Barratt-Due at the Barratt Due Institute in Oslo and Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, and has benefitted from regular lessons with Vilde Frang.

She plays a 1714 Alessandro Gagliano kindly on loan from Dextra Musica.

Booklet for Sonoko Miriam Welde: Bruch, Vaughan Williams & Barber