Violinist Johan Dalene, 21 years old when this recording appeared in early 2022, is quite a phenomenon. It is already his third album for the major label BIS, and it is a major statement. The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, of Sibelius and the Violin Concerto, Op. 33, of Carl Nielsen were finished just six years apart and have been performed together before, but the Nielsen concerto has never been in quite the same league of popularity with Sibelius' ubiquitous work. It is uncharacteristically jovial for the ...
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Violinist Johan Dalene, 21 years old when this recording appeared in early 2022, is quite a phenomenon. It is already his third album for the major label BIS, and it is a major statement. The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, of Sibelius and the Violin Concerto, Op. 33, of Carl Nielsen were finished just six years apart and have been performed together before, but the Nielsen concerto has never been in quite the same league of popularity with Sibelius' ubiquitous work. It is uncharacteristically jovial for the monumentally minded Dane, but formally, it is as thorny as his later works, with two slow-fast movements that stand in an ambiguous relationship. Dalene's lively, rather delicate reading catches all its twists and turns, and he makes a persuasive case for the work. In the Sibelius, too, he is light and sprite-like, where other violinists simply turn the volume up to 11. Sample the finale, which may convince listeners to give this recording a chance even if they've already heard plenty of...
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