Britten / Hagen / Strauss

VARIATIONS, FRAGMENTS AND METAMORPHOSES

Music cannot be created out of nothing. Whether deliberate or not, we find metamorphosis and variation in all compositions of a certain scope. All three composers on this CD stand in debt to an older colleague. Britten had a close association with his teacher Frank Bridge and reveals this through his variations. Strauss explicitly cites Ludwig van Beethoven’s third symphony in his “Metamorphoses”, and Hagen bases his “Strauss Fragments” on this latter work.

Benjamin Britten’s “Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge” gives us by way of its 11 movements a superb demonstration of both the art of composition and chamber music playing, and it is considered one of the classic works of chamber orchestra literature. The character of each is very different based on classical forms — often with a humorous quality — and the energetic musical expression is well suited to the ensemble.

Lars Petter Hagen has written a number of works based on the music of other composers, his point of departure on this recording being Richard Strauss’s “Metamorphoses”. There are six quiet fragments that glide almost fully into one another. The fragments are based on condensed material from Strauss.

Richard Strauss’s “Metamorphoses” for 23 solo strings is in itself an immersion in surges and streams of sound that can leave the listener bewildered. One might reasonably wonder about the ideas veiled within this great work. It was written in the southern German town of Garmisch between 13 March and 12 April 1945, when Nazi Germany’s “Third Reich” was being brought to its knees.

Ensemble Allegria ranks among Norway’s finest music ensembles and since 2008 has delighted audiences and critics alike with its concerts and recordings. The orchestra has attracted attention for its playful performance style, strong commitment, and spirited virtuosity in its performances and on its albums. In addition to its own concert series “NÅ” in Oslo, Ensemble Allegria has performed regularly at large music festivals in Norway, and it has in recent years worked closely together with the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir. The ensemble’s artistic director is Maria Angelika Carlsen.