Concertos [Import]

Vagn Holmboe is a little-known composer, and even within his circle of fans it is his symphonies that get the most attention. However, he wrote over twenty excellent concertos, and we're fortunate that BIS has recorded a few discs worth of them. Here Owain Arwel Hughes leads the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra in four pieces, three early and one late. The soloists are pianist Noriko Ogawa, clarinet Martin Frost and oboist Gordon Hunt, while the Danish National Opera Choir appears in the last piece.

Holmboe's numbered concertos served as an important stage in his development. The three are all in two movements, with the first movement being much longer than the second. They explore different soundworlds, but all have the distinct Holmboe touches of sobriety, elegance, and overall balance.

The Concerto No. 1 op. 17 for piano, strings and timpani (1939) is an elegant creation which maintains Holmboe's perennial love of neo-classicism, but mixes in Bartokian elements that intrigued him at the time. As it opens, the strings play achingly beautiful triadic harmonies. The pianist, entering two minutes in, then produces very different material: percussive and brash, with even a touch of bleep-bloopiness. For the whole first movement, these two forces, sweet strings and bold piano, alternate. The second movement, much shorter, is "molto allegro" and here the strings, timpani and piano are more tightly integrated in a common musical line.

The Concerto No. 3 op. 21 for clarinet, strings and brass (1940-42) lacks the modernist touches of the first and is purely neoclassical. It is a convival little work, where the soloist mainly plays variations on the same caprioling theme. Hard to believe this was written during wartime. The Concerto No. 7 op. 37 for oboe and orchestra (1944-45) is similar in form, but its first movement has some stormy outbreaks and is the most percussive of all the music on the disc.

"Beatus Parvo" op. 117 for chorus, strings and timpani (1973) is a choir concerto in four movements on the eponymous Latin hymn. While late Holmboe is generally austere, here he lets the overt emotionality of the text penetrate the musical line.

While only the piano concerto is truly must-hear, the other pieces here are so competently written and performed that I just don't understand why Holmboe still remains a little-known figure among classical music listeners. If you don't yet know Holmboe's music, the Symphonies might be the best place to start (especially the Eighth), but as I explore his entire output I'm amazed at how fresh it all is.