Bror Magnus Tødenes, Havard Gimse & Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Description
At the age of just 21, only four years since taking up singing as a career, the exciting tenor Bror Magnus Tødenes makes his recording debut with this tremendous album devoted to the musical legacy of the great Swedish soloist Jussi Björling.
'Remembering Jussi' features Bror Magnus performing songs and arias by, amongst others, Puccini, Grieg, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Bizet. He is accompanied by well-known pianist Håvard Gimse, an outstanding partner in several Nordic songs, and by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra conducted by Ingar Bergby.
When this album was released in Norway in November 2014, Bror Magnus Tødenes's extraordinary talent was immediately recognised with a nomination for a "Spellemanpris" - the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammys.
The highly-talented young tenor Bror Magnus Tødenes studies at Conservatorio di Musica St. Cecilia Roma, immersing himself in the Italian opera and Bel Canto style with among others Professor Elizabeth Norberg-Schultz. He has also been accepted on to the Young Artist Programme at the Salzburg Festival for 2015. Alongside the great Swedish tenor Jussi Björling Bror Magnus also cites Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli as major inspirations when it comes to the performance of great arias in the Italian repertoire.
Several Puccini arias form an important part of the programme presented here by Bror Magnus Tødenes. In addition the disc features a sparkling version of 'Arrividerci Roma' (made famous by the legendary Mario Lanza) as well as several Nordic songs: two by Sibelius, four by Grieg, and two Swedish songs, 'Tonerna' and 'Till Havs' which were regularly performed by Jussi Björling.
With a background of playing guitar in pop/rock bands, and piano, Bror Magnus arrived at music high-school where to his dismay he also had to take singing lessons. When the teacher heard Bror Magnus's voice, she was totally overwhelmed. She challenged him to audition as a singer onto the Talent Program at the Music Department in Trondheim (NTNU). If he got in, which he was sure he wouldn't, he promised her he would focus on singing classical music. And now the young man from Selvåg, on the remote fjord-lined coastline of mid-western Norway, is beginning to forge a remarkable career in the classical arena - much to his own surprise.
Personnel: Bror Magnus Tødenes (tenor), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ingar Bergby (conductor), Håvard Gimse (piano)
Tracklisting
Jonas Batstrand, Jorn Fossheim
Tone Kummervold
Per Kristian Skalstad, Telemark Chamber Orchestra
Ketil Bjornstad
Marius Neset, Leif Ove Andsnes
The Norwegian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Terje Boye Hansen
Bjorn Sagstad & Ila Brass Band
Yngve Slettholm
Francesco Ledda, Opera Discovery Orchestra, Stefanna Kybalova, Valer Borin, Marcello Lippi, Paolo B
Horst Wolf
Sophie Gordeladze, Hector Sandoval, Luca Grassi, Martin Piskorski, Rory Dunne, Cappella Aquileia, T
Tina Gorina; Vivica Genaux; Giulio Pelligra; German Olvera; Riccardo Novaro; Ugo Guagliardo; Pawel
Marta Torbidoni; David Astorga; German Olvera; Aleksey Bogdanov; Matheus Pompeu; Paulina Boreczko;
Anita Cerquetti
Bayerischer Staatsopernchor & Orch, Keilberth
Marina Rebeka, Orquesta y Coro del Teatro Real, Madrid, John Fiore
