Sibelius: Violin Concertos, Humoresques; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1

Vilde Frang (Artist), Sibelius (Composer), Prokofiev (Composer), ndergÃ¥rd Thomas Sà (Conductor), WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
• Conductor: ndergÃ¥rd Thomas SÃ
• Composer: Sibelius, Prokofiev
• Audio CD (February 9, 2010)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Emi Classics
• ASIN: B002HIEIRE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,432 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Born in Norway in 1986, Vilde Frang began her studies at Oslo's Barratt-Due Institute of Music and subsequently worked with Kolja Blacher at the Hamburg Musikhochschule. She currently participates in the Kronberg Academy Further Master Studies programme as a student of Ana Chumachenco and holds a scholarship at the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

After making her debut at the age of ten with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Vilde was engaged by Mariss Jansons to perform with the Oslo Philharmonic. Since then, she has been a soloist with orchestras in Scandinavia, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Baltic countries, the U.S., Singapore and Taiwan.

Vilde Frang made her debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007 and was immediately re-invited for a concert at the Royal Festival Hall in May 2009, when she performed works by Vaughan Williams and Ravel. Classicalsource.com wrote, "Vilde Frang gave [an] ego-free interpretation of Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending; the misty sounds she magically conjured added to the mystery of the music; this was playing of fluidity and lightness to create the sensation of a bird in flight. Frang hypnotised the audience and then changed mood and tone for Ravel's Tzigane, an acidic, rugged and black-humoured display."

Vilde has participated in music festivals including Verbier, Schleswig Holstein, Mecklenburg Vorpommern and the Bel Air Festival in Chambéry, where she played chamber music with Martha Argerich and the brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. Vilde has also collaborated with Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet and Maxim Vengerov. In 2008 she toured Scandinavia, and in 2009 the United States, with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Camerata Salzburg in the Bach Double Concerto, performing at such prestigious venues as Chicago's Orchestra Hall, Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center and New York's Carnegie Hall.

In November 2008, Vilde performed the Brahms Violin Concerto as guest soloist with the Royal Swedish Ballet Orchestra and conductor Rossen Milanova as part of the ballet, Rättika, by Mats Ek. "From the orchestra pit violinist Vilde Frang gives Brahms Violin Concerto body, dance and poetry. With Frang in their blood the dancers are so musical one wants to cry." (Expressen)

Vilde Frang has won a number of major prizes, among them the Grand Prize of the 2007 Vera and Oscar Ritter Stiftung, a Fellowship from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust in 2007 and the 2009 Norwegian Soloist Prize. She plays a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin, on loan from the Anne-Sophie Mutter Freundeskreis Stiftung, which has supported Vilde Frang since 2003.

"The very peculiar thing about Vilde Frang is not her sound or her brilliant instrument but the tremendous musical expression she puts into every phrase. In a disarming manner she succeeded in binding the loose ends of the concerto together. And in the perpetual theme in a humoresque by Sibelius she shaped a small piece of art which made time stand still." (Svenska Dagbladet on Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2)

Product Description

EMI Classics is pleased to announce the signing of Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang. Her first recording features the Sibelius Violin Concerto and three Humoresques and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, recorded live with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and conductor Thomas Søndergård. Vilde's debut recording for EMI Classics is a WDR co-production with support from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.

Stephen Johns, Vice President of A&R, EMI Classics, said, "Vilde Frang is a brilliant young violinist and a protégée of Anne Sophie Mutter. It was Vilde's performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto that first caught our attention. Her special and unique voice, coupled with playing of great fervour and depth, promises a brilliant debut disc."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Debut, February 10, 2010

By 

Classics Lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibelius: Violin Concertos, Humoresques; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Audio CD)

What a spectacular find! Vilde Frang is a refined and an incredibly polished player. This recording, which I think is her debut, is solid. The album features recordings from Jean Sibelius and Sergei Prokofiev. The standout tracks were the three elusive Sibelius miniatures. Vilde's tone and expressivity was spot on and translated through the recording - something very hard to do being this her first CD. I recommend this album to anyone who appreciates true musicianship and expert violin playing.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most sensitive ever, November 29, 2010

By 

DONALD S. MACQUEEN (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sibelius: Violin Concertos, Humoresques; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Audio CD)

This recording is the most sensitive interpretation of the Sibelius and Prokofiev concertos I have ever heard, and I've heard them all. Vilde Frang's control of dynamics and phrasing is unmatched. I especially like her non-vibrato playing in key moments, and her extreme pianissimos. She has a glorious future ahead of her.

The orchestral accompaniment is masterful and exciting, exquisitely marshaled by Thomas Søndergård.

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An undeveloped artist who yet knows her own mind, February 9, 2010

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sibelius: Violin Concertos, Humoresques; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Audio CD)

Despite the cover photo, the rising Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang is neither a nymphet nor floating Willy. She has a strong style with more than a touch of willfulness. For a 23-year-old, her expressive liberties are surprising; the current crop of violin wunderkinds tends to be all technique and dazzle. Just for not being faceless, she won my allegiance at the outset of the Sibelius concerto, which is almost free form as she phrases it.

I asked myself, Will this moody, rhapsodic reading hold up and mesmerize me, or will it dissolve into a bundle of tics? Conductor Thomas Sondegaard goes along compliantly as Frang swoons and sways, her pacing very broad. The conductor should have enforced some rhythmic discipline. By the end of the movement it was pretty clear that this was going to be diva night on the fiddle. By comparison, Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg is the abbess of a convent. Only the finale displays some rhythmic bite, and here Frang's playing is highly capable but without much nuance. She sounds like a very, very good young violinist, not a finished artist.

The same impression holds good in the Prokofiev First, where Sondergaard and the orchestra are routine, and Frang, surrounded by so little inspiration, tries for a diva swoon in the finale but otherwise sounds like a talented, as yet undeveloped artist. The fact that she can carry the whole performance on her shoulders is promising -- she's not going to lose her strong personality. Let's see if EMI's bet on her pays off.