Tveitt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 5

Editorial Reviews
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I've long been an enthusiast for the tangy, enlivening music of the Norwegian Geirr Tveitt (1908-81), whose 50 Folkatonar fra Hardanger (‘50 Folk-tunes from Hardanger'), based on Hardanger folk songs rather than the fiddle music of that fjord, is one of the cardinal folkloric piano cycles of the twentieth century, alongside those of Bartók and Szymanowski. Those composers, of course, were influenced by Grieg's Op. 72 Slåtter; and Tveitt was the direct inheritor of the more radical aspects of Grieg, becoming Norway's leading musical nationalist during the mid-century. (He even wrote concertos for Hardanger fiddle and orchestra.) Highly prolific in almost all genres, including opera, he suffered a terrible fate: about 80 per cent of his output was destroyed when his farmhouse in Hardanger burned down in 1970. Thus, for instance, the 50 Folkatonar were originally 100 – the first half survived only because Tveitt had distributed copies among friends; then again, only one piano sonata is extant, because it was published – but it's No. 29 (out of a total of 32)! Heroically, he continued to compose, interesting himself in his last years in small ensembles and popular ballad settings, many to words by Knut Hamsun. The past two decades have seen a welcome quickening of interest in his music. Some of what survives is now on disc (BIS has even begun a Tveitt series), and various scores that were thought destroyed have turned up in unexpected places. In a sense Tveitt seems a kind of Norwegian Villa-Lobos (indeed he studied with that composer in Paris, and also with Honegger and Florent Schmitt). Though his invention was uneven, at his best I find the music utterly inspiring, always rhythmically alive, direct in expression and deeply felt, full of humour and piercing lyricism, bracing as a lungful of mountain air. Tveitt was a fine pianist and a subtle, individual orchestrator, so the piano concerto was a natural form for him. He wrote six, but only the two recorded here are still extant. (A 1947 Norwegian Radio recording of the lost Third Piano Concerto, subtitled Hommage à Brahms, with Tveitt himself the soloist, is available on Simax PSC1805.) The First Concerto – written while a student in Leipzig at the age of 21 – is listed by Naxos as Tveitt's Op. 1; another catalogue I have calls it Op. 5, and it was certainly preceded by several works, including the remarkable set of Two-Part Inventions published as Op. 2. Whatever its proper designation, it's a comparatively early utterance, and yet already Tveitt's personal voice and approach are fully formed, the over-rhetorical Rachmaninovian climax of the finale aside: the music is calm, clear, concise, redolent of mountain and fjord, by turns contemplative and vividly dancing, with an irresistible central Scherzo in the rhythm of a Norwegian Halling.Norwegian folk-dance types – the Springar and Halling – also provide the dynamic impulse behind the outer movements of the much larger Fifth Concerto, which Tveitt premiered in Paris under Jean Martinon in 1954 as the third work in an astonishing Paris concert. (He preceded it with the First Concertos of Tchaikovsky and Brahms!) Concerto No. 5 has been recorded before, by Eva Knardahl with the Norwegian Youth Symphony under Karsten Andersen on a 1986 Aurora LP. Håvard Gimse, a fine player with a clear feeling for Tveitt's idioms, has already recorded the 50 Folkatonar and the Two-Part Inventions for Marco Polo, but – though his actual tempos are often faster – he sometimes sounds a mite careful compared to Knardahl's generous, chunky abandon. Although the Fifth Concerto was published in Tveitt's lifetime, as a performer his view of it remained fluid, and this Naxos recording, like Aurora's, represents a compromise between the published score and tapes of the composer's own (very different) performances. Gimse diverges from Knardahl in many points of detail, and Tveitt enthusiasts will want to have both. In any case Naxos offers the only version of the First Concerto, which – as well played and recorded as this – would make the disc irresistible, even before its super-budget price is taken into account. Calum MacDonald

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1 in F, Op.1: Tranquillo
Pno Con No.1 in F, Op.1: Giocoso
Pno Con No.1 in F, Op.1: Lento
Pno Con No.5, Op.156: Tempo Di 'Springar'
Pno Con No.5, Op.156: Danse Aux Campanules Bleues
Pno Con No.5, Op.156: Tempo Di 'Halling'

Customer Reviews:

Rare Treasure.......2006-06-06

With some notable exceptions like the Korngold Left Hand, Sauer 1 , MacDowell 2, Stavenhagens, or Paderewski, post or late-Romantic piano concerti often disappoint me as derivitive, uninspiring, lacking in melodic originality, (the Brits love Brahms!), showpiece fluff, unfocused like the Britten, yet we continue a search thru them as if for a Holy Grail concerto that will fulfill needs or desires left partially unfilled by the "great" warhorses, a search perhaps also borne of the hope and belief the warhorses simply cant be the end of such a noble line.

Well, in the Tveitt Concertos 1 and 5 many such hopes and beliefs are fulfilled. One kicks oneself for not discovering these works earlier, or tragically almost missing them entirely. One fumes that pianists with star quality like Andsnes play yet another Greig or Rach 3 instead. Tveitt was a virtuoso himself, premiering his 5th Concerto in 1934,in Paris,in a program in which he also performed Brahms 1 and Tchaikovsky 1! The composer-pianist has , of course, been the source of great concerti.

Tviett is not derivitive. The concerti sparkle with original imagination and unexpected turns, are accessible and gorgeous, the piano handled as an integral instrument in the band with brilliant writing. Most importantly the concerti tug at the heart of the listener while addressing greater themes, in a conscious,communicative effort to bridge the gap between Nature , our natures, and a Creator, successfully finding that elusive mix of vision, emotion, and intellectual appeal always marking the great concerti, but largely absent in most concerti arriving on the scene after the warhorses. In fact, I now will find it hard to listen to the Greig,which sounds quite tired in comparison. The 1st Tveitt is haunting yet emotional,inspiring. The 5th shares similar qualities but with more extroverted writing, yet a slow movement that took my breath as few others since Beethoven 4's andante.

If you are familiar with the Sibelius Symphonies 5,6,and 7, you have a sense of the expansive, contemplative, yet exciting and colorful world of these two Tveitt concerti, works I suspect Sibelius would have liked to write himself, but Tveitt more nimble in his expressions.

Rautavaara speaks in more abstract terms than Tviett, relying more on sound and effect; Tveitt communicating thru the time-honored tradition of melodic prose. Yet both share a love of Nature, and humanity, and a belief in a Creator, and view music as a vehicle to bridge the gaps, learn, communicate with original voice, to question, not simply repeat old saws. This is communication that grabs your attention. It is Romantic music which avoids being merely pretty .The Tveitt and Rautavaara are works that are now important additions to my collection,pieces I will return to as often as I have the Brahms or Rachmaninoffs, confident they will bear and reward many re-hearings.

Many thanks to those who reccomended Tviett and Rautavaara. At Naxos prices and quality, 4 concerti of this quality a steal. I still cant believe I never listened before!! Thanks for induging another long post. You did know what to expect,after all!

Works deserving more recognition.......2004-07-10

It is hugely unfortunate that most of this talented composer's output is likely gone forever. These concerti, fine examples of works that remain, reveal a unique and altogether refreshing musical idiom. While it is apparent that each of the works on this album belongs to a different stage of the composer's career both are nonetheless greatly satisfying works deserving of a wider familiarity and appreciation. They exude a mystic and kaleidoscopic quality all their own and are quite accessible without being cheap, flimsy, or unconvincing. Take a chance on these works....for such a low price they cannot be passed up!

Where did this come from?.......2001-11-12

Wow! This is one of the most exciting classical discs I've discovered in the past few years. Hats off to Naxos for recording such out of the way pieces as Tveitt's magnficient piano concertos. Both concertos are wonderful, though nothing can quite surprass the magical, poetic opening of the First Concerto, which reminds me slightly of the wistful opening of Prokofiev's Second. And like Prokofiev, the concertos combine a very personal melodic stamp with fiery, dramatic episodes that could easily conjure up certain episodes of the Sagas (depending on how your imagination runs). Especially interesting is the opening of the 5th concerto, which seems on the verge of launching into Holst's "Uranus" from The Planets. The Royal Scottish Orchestra plays this music for all it's worth, and Havard Gimse is an amazing pianist, ideally suited to Tveitt's unique sound world. If you haven't heard of Tveitt or his music before, I would strongly suggest this disc, as there are virtually no alternatives in the market. And if you like this one, I also recommend his "A Hundred Hardanger Tunes," also on Naxos. A true find!