Janacek: The Kreutzer Sonata & Intimate Letters

Norwegian Chamber Orchestra;Terje Tønnesen; Teodor Janson

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Cat No: LWC1124

Release Date: 31 March 2017

Label: Lawo

Packaging Type: Fat Double (a 2.5cm thick jewel case, fits several CDs)

No of Units: 3

Barcode: 7090020181363

Genres: Classical Orchestral

Description
The Arts Desk recently described this recording as: "It's gripping. All handsomely produced, with detailed notes and the text of Tolstoy's story. Unmissable."

BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Choice June 2017: "....astonishing pianissimos.....add this beautifully presented release to your collection."

"This is a winning combination of dramatic narrative and closely allied music, and with such potently performed orchestrations of Janácek's two quartets we very much have a complete package - both musical and literary - that is well worth having." Musicweb International

Terje Tønnesen, Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, has arranged Janácek's two string quartets for string orchestra on this innovative recording from Lawo Classics.

Additionally, he has incorporated Leo Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata into Janácek's music of the same name; this package is therefore a triple CD with Janacek's music and also dramatizations of Tolstoy's novella 'The Kreutzer Sonata' in both English and Norwegian.

Tønnesen says of this recording:

"The idea of arranging Janácek's two string quartets for string orchestra has implicated two different approaches for me. The first is timbral; while the quartets' ever-changing dramatics make it challenging to 'resonate' with the solo instruments in a string quartet, the collective sound of the orchestra adds a new dimension to the music.

The other approach was to incorporate Leo Tolstoy´s novella The Kreutzer Sonata into Janácek's music of the same name, and thereby introduce a new form of drama.

In his quartet, Janácek does not follow the storyline of Tolstoy's novella as closely as Arnold Schoenberg once did with his musical setting of Richard Dehmel's poem, Verklärte Nacht. However Janácek's writing brings on intense emotions with strong linguistic and theatrical gestures, which, in my opinion, would be further reinforced in direct connection with the novella.

Tentatively, we introduced a selection of quotes from the novella in our concerts and this eventually led to the idea of developing a radio drama performance. In this arrangement, the quartet's four movements are performed in their entirety, 'strategically' positioned in four crucial points in the story, while parts of the music also serve as a dramatic foundation for the text.

In the process of text adaptation, the novella´s plot and emotional aspects were given priority over its philosophical considerations."

Since its formation in 1977 the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra has established itself as one of the foremost chamber orchestras on the international classical music scene today. Current artistic director Terje Tønnesen has held this role since the orchestra's formation.
Tracklisting