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5.0 out of 5 stars
A series of small gems, March 2, 2010
This review is from: Vagn Holmboe: Complete Chamber Concertos, Vol. 1, Nos. 1-3 (Audio CD)
Holmboe composed prolifically, turning out more than a dozen each of symphonies, quartets, and chamber concertos. DaCapo recorded a complete set of all 13 chamber concertos on four individual CDs, apparently never sold as a package, and they are available even though out of print. I'm letting this one review stand for all four CDs
Holmboe was a consolidator, not a trail-blazer. His music is fluent and tonal, with seasonings of dissonance. He has a sound grasp of structure and tends not to overstay his welcome: although the first movement of the first concerto runs more than 20 minutes, the majority are between five and eight. The solo instrument changes from one concerto to the next, but there are some duplications; the violin, for example, is featured in several. The music in these concertos is more neoclassical than anything else; much of it is particularly reminiscent of Stravinsky in that phase. They also seem intended as a kind of Scandinavian equivalent of Hindemith's Gebrauchmusik. And yet another basis for comparison might be the twelve concertinos of Lars-Erik Larsson, each for a different instrument.
Performances and sound get the message across without evoking any WOWs.
These works aren't profound, but they're lots of fun to listen to, tuneful, well-crafted and entertaining. If they sound like the kind of thing you'll enjoy, give them a try. Pick any volume at random (they're all of the same high quality) and give it a listen or three. You'll probably wind up getting the rest.
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