Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996)

[snyprrr]

The Sallinen is very different: rhapsodic, even cinematic, with echoes of Shostakovich.

and that's exactly what i waaanted to hear!! ... hmm,... might be it right thar...

[Madiel]

I've decided I definitely am going to do reviews for the concertos the way that I did for the symphonic works. I really want to get to know them better. There's 23 recorded works... and this time I'm even going to have recordings to choose from in some cases!

There's still two recordings I haven't even heard once yet (concertos 9 and 13), so I'm going to give them a whirl in the normal course of things before shuffling 'em all together and listening with a view to writing about them.

I said I would shuffle... now I'm not going to, because after finally listening to every scrap of Holmboe I got hold of in Copenhagen, I've decided I want to listen to everything I have in chronological order.

Which means the first concerto to turn up is the Concerto for Orchestra from 1929.

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And look... honestly, it's not really a "concerto" at all. It's not just me saying this, it's the liner notes of the CD as well. It's more like an overture, scored for an orchestra that often ends up behaving like a brass band. I've always greatly admired Holmboe's use of brass, but in this early work it ends up being overdone.

It's not a bad piece of music by any means (one of the quieter sections is particularly effective), but it is a very early piece and there's not much of his mature musical personality on display. Perhaps some sections show his fondness for linear counterpoint, but the piece as a whole is broken up into sections that don't quite hang together yet.

Still, not bad for a teenager. And the quality of the recording is first class.

[Daverz]

I said I would shuffle... now I'm not going to, because after finally listening to every scrap of Holmboe I got hold of in Copenhagen, I've decided I want to listen to everything I have in chronological order.

Which means the first concerto to turn up is the Concerto for Orchestra from 1929.

[asin]B00AOALXJI[/asin]

And look... honestly, it's not really a "concerto" at all. It's not just me saying this, it's the liner notes of the CD as well. It's more like an overture, scored for an orchestra that often ends up behaving like a brass band. I've always greatly admired Holmboe's use of brass, but in this early work it ends up being overdone.

It's not a bad piece of music by any means (one of the quieter sections is particularly effective), but it is a very early piece and there's not much of his mature musical personality on display. Perhaps some sections show his fondness for linear counterpoint, but the piece as a whole is broken up into sections that don't quite hang together yet.

Still, not bad for a teenager. And the quality of the recording is first class.

It's an early work and a bit of a tub thumper.  I probably wouldn't have bothered listening a second time if I wasn't comparing compositions titled Concerto for Orchestra.  I think the best pre-war concertos for orchestra were by Hindemith, Casella and Kodaly.

[Madiel]

Jumping forward a whole decade, one gets to Concerto No.1 (for piano), op.17. That's Concerto No.1 which happens to be for piano, not the 1st piano concerto...

The orchestra consists of just strings and timpani. A comparison that gets wide currency (even in a review of the premiere) is Bartok, although personally I don't know the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (written 3 years before the Holmboe) so I can't comment on just how similar the works might be.

And goodness me, I actually have two versions to compare.

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There are 2 movements, and the first noticeable point of difference between the 2 recordings is that the long 1st movement Molto Moderato is 22 minutes on Da Capo vs 18 minutes on BIS.

The movement is very dark and mellow on the Da Capo version - definitely a lot of molto in the moderato. Much of the time it feels much more about the long flowing string lines than it does about the piano, and there's a solo violin part that takes prominence a couple of times. It's often highly lyrical. The 2nd movement is a contrast, still darkly toned but all pulsating rhythms and peasant dances.

The 1st movement on BIS immediately has more momentum in the strings, playing up the lyricism. When the piano arrives, it's perhaps placed a bit further forward and is more colourful. It's percussive qualities provide a more emphatic contrast to the strings in this performance I think. Nevertheless, this work is still not a full-on piano showpiece to the extent of many concertos. The 2nd movements of the performances are more similar, though perhaps the BIS remains slightly more colourful, either from the performance or the recording quality.

So, if I had to recommend one I'd say the BIS is the performance more likely to hold people's attention. However I still think the moodiness of the Da Capo version is effective. Either way it's good music worth hearing and a really satisfying example of Holmboe's folk-influenced style in this period.

[Camphy]

Jumping forward a whole decade, one gets to Concerto No.1 (for piano), op.17. That's Concerto No.1 which happens to be for piano, not the 1st piano concerto...

The orchestra consists of just strings and timpani. A comparison that gets wide currency (even in a review of the premiere) is Bartok, although personally I don't know the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (written 3 years before the Holmboe) so I can't comment on just how similar the works might be.

And goodness me, I actually have two versions to compare.

[asin]B000004678[/asin][asin]B00078JW0Y[/asin]

There are 2 movements, and the first noticeable point of difference between the 2 recordings is that the long 1st movement Molto Moderato is 22 minutes on Da Capo vs 18 minutes on BIS.

The movement is very dark and mellow on the Da Capo version - definitely a lot of molto in the moderato. Much of the time it feels much more about the long flowing string lines than it does about the piano, and there's a solo violin part that takes prominence a couple of times. It's often highly lyrical. The 2nd movement is a contrast, still darkly toned but all pulsating rhythms and peasant dances.

The 1st movement on BIS immediately has more momentum in the strings, playing up the lyricism. When the piano arrives, it's perhaps placed a bit further forward and is more colourful. It's percussive qualities provide a more emphatic contrast to the strings in this performance I think. Nevertheless, this work is still not a full-on piano showpiece to the extent of many concertos. The 2nd movements of the performances are more similar, though perhaps the BIS remains slightly more colourful, either from the performance or the recording quality.

So, if I had to recommend one I'd say the BIS is the performance more likely to hold people's attention. However I still think the moodiness of the Da Capo version is effective. Either way it's good music worth hearing and a really satisfying example of Holmboe's folk-influenced style in this period.

Thanks for your enlightening comments, Orfeo! I've been considering the BIS cd for a while; might just purchase it one of these days.

[Madiel]

Thanks for your enlightening comments, Orfeo! I've been considering the BIS cd for a while; might just purchase it one of these days.

Hey, thanks. I do this as much for my own benefit/enjoyment as anyone else's, but it's nice to know others get something out of it.

Concerto No.2, op.20 is a double concerto for flute and violin.  Only one recording this time, the Koivula on Da Capo.

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One of the things that fascinates me about Holmboe is that it often takes me multiple listens to get into a piece. It's almost as if I have to ignore individual notes and take a bigger, structural view of what's going on.

This piece is a case in point. For a while I've been put off by the rather plodding, square material that the orchestra insists on multiple times in the first movement, but I'm now beginning to feel that the fact that it is plodding and square is quite intentional. Because this is more overtly a concertante work, and in the 1st movement the role of the soloists is to gradually win an argument with the strings-and-percussion orchestra.

The flute comes in first, contrasting against the plodding orchestra with a wandering, freeform solo. Then the violin does the same, then the two of them start working together, gradually persuading the orchestra over to their way of thinking. A bit over halfway through the movement, the orchestra is fully silenced,  and then the music slows down for a magical passage where the flute takes the lead with the violin in support. After that, when the orchestra comes back in it's gentler, a bit more lyrical... tamed!

The 2nd movement is a brief and bright scherzo, and the 3rd is an adagio where the orchestra often just accompanies the soloists with little more than a steady pulse. The finale is dance-like, with the orchestra and the soloists now tending to work together. The orchestra has a theme, but now it's willing for that to be an accompaniment to the soloists rather than trying to fight them.

So, while I wouldn't yet say that this is among my favourite works, it turns out yet again that this is a lot better than I thought it was! Good stuff, well worth a listen.

[Daverz]

personally I don't know the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

Are you in for a treat.  My favorite on CD is Ormandy:

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[Karl Henning]

Hey, thanks. I do this as much for my own benefit/enjoyment as anyone else's, but it's nice to know others get something out of it.

Concerto No.2, op.20 is a double concerto for flute and violin.  Only one recording this time, the Koivula on Da Capo.

[asin]B000004678[/asin]

Late to the party, but I'm in here!

[Mirror Image]

Better late than never, Karl!

On a related Holmboian note, I listened to his Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia Rustica" again last night and I'm still coming away from this symphony like it's one of the best things I've heard from him. I'm a complete sucker for folk-infused pieces and this symphony certainly doesn't disappoint here. Is it mature Holmboe? Probably (errr...most definitely) not, but I still love it anyway. I imagine Bartok would have as well.

[Madiel]

Better late than never, Karl!

On a related Holmboian note, I listened to his Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia Rustica" again last night and I'm still coming away from this symphony like it's one of the best things I've heard from him. I'm a complete sucker for folk-infused pieces and this symphony certainly doesn't disappoint here. Is it mature Holmboe? Probably (errr...most definitely) not, but I still love it anyway. I imagine Bartok would have as well.

Well, it's the same era as the pieces I'm talking about at the moment, so let's say "early maturity". First phase of the good stuff.

[Madiel]

Concerto No.3, op.21 is for clarinet. There's the same two options as there were for the piano concerto (the BIS performance with Martin Frost has also been repackaged on his own disc of clarinet concertos).

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Well, I've had to completely rewrite this post while listening to the two performances. I still perhaps don't find this quite as characterful as the 1st (piano) and 2nd (flute/violin) concertos, but one of these performances finally made me appreciate the music much more.

Martin Frost on BIS is undoubtedly the more magnetic and charismatic soloist, and better recorded. But in my view, the work in his hands ends up being nothing more than a pleasant clarinet showpiece. On Da Capo (with Niels Thomsen), the music ends up making more sense as a whole.

The brass give a bit of a martial tone to the 1st movement whenever they turn up. On BIS, not a lot comes of that, and overall it feels like there's a lot of melodious clarinet noodling, followed in the 2nd movement by not-quite-perpetual motion noodling... okay, that isn't quite fair. There is in fact quite a bit of variety and interest.

But on Da Capo, after the martial opening, the clarinet comes in nervier, edgier. Every time the brass come back it feels like a reinforcement of the prevailing mood. After that the brighter 2nd movement feels like a relative relaxation, although it's still perhaps a fraction edgier than the BIS.

So yeah, sorry everyone for saying I prefer BIS in no.1 and Da Capo in no.3, but that's the truth. BIS has the better recording, and the better soloists, but in the clarinet concerto Da Capo makes better sense of the music.

[Madiel]

After producing 3 concertos in 1939/40, Holmboe took a slight breather and then produced 3 more in 1942/43 (all of which have only been recorded once).

Starting with Concerto No.4, op.30, for piano trio.

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I find this to be light, relatively uncomplicated music, a bit folksy. Dare I say it... in mood it reminds me a bit of the 3rd symphony, although it doesn't use folk tunes in the same overt way.

In the 1st movement the piano is a nearly unstoppable motoring force, brightly bubbling along whenever it can until it eventually it gets to take the lead in the cadenza. Everything is crisp and rhythmic.

The 2nd movement has first the cello and then the violin intoning mournful melodies over the barest of accompaniments. The piano and the rest of the orchestra eventually come in with light, delicate music, but fade away again for a reprise of the original material.

The finale is again light and crisp, with the soloists both working together and taking turns in the spotlight.

A charming work, one of Holmboe's most approachable.

[Daverz]

So yeah, sorry everyone for saying I prefer BIS in no.1 and Da Capo in no.3, but that's the truth. BIS has the better recording, and the better soloists, but in the clarinet concerto Da Capo makes better sense of the music.

No problem.   I have both recordings, of course! 

They are also both on Spotify and Tidal.

[Madiel]

Methodical listening, concentrating on a piece, makes such a difference for me! Some of these pieces are really making much more of an impression compared to my first listen in a haze of new music.

Concerto No.5 (op.31) is for viola.

The 1st movement is a fast dance, peasant-like and a little spiky. The soloist and orchestra often share material, one echoing the other.

The 2nd movement starts off in a very similar way to concerto no.4, with the viola lamenting over a static accompaniment. The difference is that here the bleak mood never lifts, instead it gets bleaker. The accompaniment shifts to somewhat menacing pizzicati, and eventually swells into a truly menacing pulse. It's powerful stuff. The viola ends the movement on its own.

The finale is another dance, just a fraction lighter in tone than the 1st, and this time in triple time instead of duple. The solo line is more independent of the orchestra, but both are on the move most of the time.

This is again pretty approachable music, but consistently darker in tone than no.4. They make rather good companions for each other. I'll definitely be returning to this viola concerto on a regular basis!

[Karl Henning]

Reading, and appreciating, thanks.

[calyptorhynchus]

Thanks for listening to the concertos and reporting on them Orfeo. I have been listening to each of them after reading your report, and I think pretty much our opinions coincide.

One thing I did notice of re-listening to them is that 1 & 2 (piano and flute and violin) seem to have a duality between softer "Danish" type music and wilder "Rumanian" type music. This disappears in 3 (clarinet) and is replaced by a tougher Danish type music. 4 (piano trio) is more neo-classical.

That's my take.

On to 5.....

[calyptorhynchus]

In my never-ending quest to find new works by Holmboe I haven't heard before I found this:



containing the Sonatina for Oboe and Piano.

This is a 12 minute work dating from 1966, though it is decidedly not modernist and I suspect it was an earlier work revised by Holmboe. In fact it is a pastoral composition (fast slow fast), but it seems to have an emotional and aesthetic depth of a work about twice as long. The slow movement is particularly beautiful.

[Madiel]

I suspect it was an earlier work revised by Holmboe.

Written in 1966 as op.93, now op.93a. That recording, though, is the 1990 revision op.93b. So in fact what you're listening to is likely to have been de-modernised to some degree given the trajectory of Holmboe's composing style.

[calyptorhynchus]

 Right instinct, wrong data.

[Madiel]

After having a couple of days off, it's time for Concerto No.6 (op.33) for violin.

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The first movement starts with a 5-chord cadence in Andante tempo before the main Allegro con brio starts. The cadence figure reappears 3 more times during the movement, helping to give it a clear structure. The music is quite similar in feel to the opening movement of the (viola) Concerto No.5, but a little lighter, a bit more mercurial. The solo violin goes a bit wild in its two cadenzas.

The slow movement begins with the solo violin weaving an arabesque, before the lower strings contribute a slower, sombre melody and then the two join forces. It's beautiful stuff. In other passages the woodwinds lead the accompaniment, providing a delicate touch. The finale is generally light and rhythmic, perhaps not as memorable but I think the intention is to provide an opportunity for some virtuoso display.

Overall it's really clear that this sits emotionally in between the generally bright concerto no.4 and the darker concerto no.5. They form a natural triptych, with a lot of similarities in form and style but differing emotional content. Together I think they form a really excellent introduction to Holmboe's style of the period, along with the 5th symphony which came just after.