Tan Dun: Fire Ritual - Violin Concertos Eldbjørg Hemsing, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra & Tan Dun

• Tan Dun (b. 1957): Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia":
• 1 Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia": Ia. Rock the Violin in Rhapsody. Hip-Hop 06:37
• 2 Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia": Ib. Rock the Violin in Rhapsody. Malinconia 03:59
• 3 Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia": Ic. Rock the Violin in Rhapsody. Hip-Hop 01:51
• 4 Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia": IIa. A Dream Out of Peking Opera. Dolce molto 11:06
• 5 Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia": IIb. A Dream Out of Peking Opera. Andante 03:00
• 6 Violin Concerto "Rhapsody & Fantasia": IIc. A Dream Out of Peking Opera. Adagio - Allegro 06:07
• Violin Concerto "Fire Ritual":
• 7 Violin Concerto "Fire Ritual": I. Moderato 06:21
• 8 Violin Concerto "Fire Ritual": II. Andante 02:58
• 9 Violin Concerto "Fire Ritual": III. Moderato 07:52
• 10 Violin Concerto "Fire Ritual": IV. Moderato 07:41
• 11 Violin Concerto "Fire Ritual": V. Moderato 04:06
• Total Runtime 01:01:38

Info for Tan Dun: Fire Ritual - Violin Concertos

The first encounter between Chinese composer Tan Dun and Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing took place in 2010 during the Shanghai World Expo, when Hemsing premièred Tan’s Love Concerto. Both have strong roots in the traditional music of their native countries, and out of this meeting between traditions a fruitful collaboration has developed which also involves an investigation of the music that happens here and now. In Hemsing's words, the encounter ‘opened up my musical horizons’ and she has since performed a number of the composer's works involving the violin. Fire Ritual, the concerto that lends its name to the present album, was composed with Hemsing in mind. It exists in a version for violin and Chinese traditional orchestra, as well as the one recorded here, which Hemsing and the Oslo Philharmonic premièred in September 2018, conducted by the composer. For Eldbjørg Hemsing, Tan Dun has also created the concerto that opens the disc, Rhapsody and Fantasia, based on earlier works. Both works reflect the composer’s memories of growing up barefoot in the countryside, and his later experiences of bringing together the shamanistic and spiritual world of his childhood with the discipline and philosophy of Peking Opera. Or in the composers own words: ‘a reflection of those early memories of my youth, but through the lens of my current musical soundscape’.

“The piece is centered on the note ‘re’ of the solfege scale- calling for the REturn of souls and the REbirth of all victims of war so that they may RElive another life, and love once more.” – Tan Dun

Eldbjørg Hemsing, violin
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Tan Dun, conductor

Eldbjørg Hemsing
A champion of Norway’s rich musical tradition, Eldbjørg Hemsing has been a household name in her native country since childhood and made her solo debut with the Bergen Philharmonic at the age of 11. Studying with Boris Kuschnir in Vienna, she has since carefully positioned herself on both the national and international stage, fine-tuning her performance-style and absorbing repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Dvořák, Grieg to Tan Dun. Together with Tan Dun she has collaborated on numerous projects in both Europe and Asia and is currently working with the composer on a new work which she will premiere in September 2018.

In March 2018 Eldbjørg Hemsing releases her debut CD on the Swedish label BIS, featuring violin concertos by Hjalmar Borgström and Dmitri Shostakovich, recorded with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Olari Elts.

Introducing the album Eldbjørg wrote: ”A few years ago, I was introduced to the music of Hjalmar Borgström, a name I was not previously familiar with and I was surprised to learn that he had been famous as both a composer and critic in Norway at the beginning of the 20th century. Opening the score of his first violin concerto for the first time I was immediately intrigued. This concerto, written in 1914, is incredibly beautiful, full of Norwegian Nationalist sentiment so typical of its time but also worthy of international attention. It reminds me of where I come from – the rugged landscape of Valdres and Jotunheimen, where the surrounding mountains rise dramatically over the valleys – and the music makes me yearn for my roots. After Borgström’s death in 1925 the concerto was completely forgotten and so today I am on something of a mission to help do my part in bringing this composer’s music back to life.”

Her debut album will be followed in the autumn of 2018 by a recording of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto and Suk’s Fantasy and Love Song with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Alan Buribayev. She is also the primary focus in an upcoming documentary directed by David Donnelly, focusing on women in the arts. This new venture follows the award winning success of the 2010 NRK film in which Eldbjørg and her sister Ranghild explored the life of Norway’s legendary violinist, Ole Bull.

Upcoming engagements in the 2017 / 18 season include regular concerts at the Stormen Concert Hall in Bodø where Eldbjørg is the 2018 Artist in Residence and performances with, amongst others, the Oslo Philharmonic, MDR Radio Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, Baltic Sea Philharmonic, Arctic Philharmonic and the NWD Philharmonie. She also joins Julien Quentin for a recital tour in Spring 2018 and appears as a guest at Paavo Järvi’s Pärnu Festival in Estonia.

Eldbjørg Hemsing plays a 1754 G. B. Guadagnini violin on kind loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation. Her long-term artistic development is generously supported by the Göhde Foundation.

Tan Dun
The conceptual and multifaceted composer/conductor Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. A winner of today's most prestigious honors including the Grammy Award, Oscar/Academy Award, Grawemeyer Award for classical composition and Musical America's Composer of The Year, Tan Dun's music has been played throughout the world by leading orchestras, opera houses, international festivals, and on radio and television. As a composer/conductor, Tan Dun has led the world's most renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmoniker, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Filharmonica della Scala, Münchner Philharmoniker and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, among others. Most recently, Tan Dun served as “Cultural Ambassador to the World” for World EXPO 2010 Shanghai.

Booklet for Tan Dun: Fire Ritual - Violin Concertos