Per Vollestad and Sigmund Hjelset: Sinding Songs, vol 2
MICs Listen to Norway series continues with Per Vollestad and Sigmund Hjelset: Sinding Songs, vol 2
Well-known for his Norwegian repertoire, Christian Sinding’s (1856-1941) German and continental songs never gained significant domestic popularity in his time. Baritone Per Vollestad and pianist Sigmund Hjelset put in a strong effort on this release to restore these songs standing in Norwegian music history. Vollestad colours his voice to reflect the demands of both the music and the texts and he is comfortable not only with both extremes of dynamic range, but also with all the possibilities between the extremes. With acute attention to detail and nuances, Hjelset provides aesthetic accompaniment and melodic counterpart that serve Sinding’s songs well. By his contemporaries Sinding was respected as one of the era’s most central composers and was held in high esteem for bringing in continental influence and international sounds to Norway. In this respect, “Songs…” is an important piece of history that documents a little known aspect of a well-known composer.
Per Vollestad and Sigmund Hjelset: Sinding Songs, vol 2 (Simax Classics – PSC 1195
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