Ulf Wallin

cpo is proud to present Max Reger’s popular Violin Concerto performed by Ulf Wallin, one of the great Swedish violinists, accompanied by the Munich Radio Orchestra under Ulf Schirmer.

On this CD, Reger’s large scale symphonic concerto of almost an hour is coupled with Reger’s Aria for solo Violin and Orchestra, a work recalling the famous ‘Air’ from Johann Sebastian Bach’s third Orchestral Suite BWV 1068 with its quietly striding basses and melody played on the G string.

Robert Schumann's three Sonatas for violin and piano were all composed between 1851 and 1853, and have suffered from neglect like other works from this period in the composer's life.

Here the performers are Ulf Wallin and Roland Pöntinen: a team who recorded their first disc for BIS in 1991, and whose partnership has been described as 'masterfully cultivated ensemble playing' on ClassicsToday.com.

Wallin's credentials in Schumann are firmly established, after his recently released recording of the violin concerto, the Fantasy and the arrangement for violin of the cello concerto has been met with considerable critical acclaim.

Peterson-Berger is known to many Swedes as the turn of the century’s leading musical authority. Since it was not easy to have orchestral works performed toward the end of the nineteenth century, the genre of the violin sonata enjoyed extraordinary popularity around 1900 in Sweden.

Peterson-Berger uses Swedish folk elements throughout his works, particularly the Suite which is a genuine Swedish piece and more folkloristic than the Sonata.

Apart from the opera and the symphony, Max Reger made substantial contributions to almost every musical genre, and within chamber music his compositions for violin and piano formed the largest complex. The fascinating artists Ulf Wallin and Roland Pöntinen once again give a hundred per cent while interpreting Reger’s demanding Violin Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3, Albumblatt op. 87,1, and Romanze op. 87,2.

This release brings together Robert Schumann’s complete production for violin and orchestra – three works from the period just before the composer was confined to the mental institution where he would die within two years.

The only work here that was performed in Schumann’s lifetime was the Fantasy in C major, dedicated to the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim.

Written shortly afterwards, the Violin Concerto in D minor was also intended this work for Joachim, but he never performed the work in public, and it remained unperformed until 1937.

A dedicated advocate of Schumann’s music, the soloist Ulf Wallin has gone back to the composer's autographs in order to present these works in their purest form. He is aided by the fine team of the Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie and their conductor Frank Beerman.

The next instalment in CPO’s continuing Herzogenberg series features the classic Violin Concerto and the four movement symphonic poem Odysseus.

Richard Strauss, the great composer of symphonic poems and grand operas, wrote solo songs throughout his life: his first compositions, performed within his family circle, were songs and his setting of the poem Malven (Mallows) was to be the last piece he completed. Taking a keen interest in the possibilities and limitations of the human voice, Strauss in the solo song genre found the opportunity to try out various musical options and to discover his own individual style. But the writing of songs also served as a form of relaxation, a way of passing the time. The result is a varied spectrum of atmospheres, moods and emotions: from the jesting tone of Hat gesagt — bleibt’s nicht dabei to the heart-felt declaration of love in Cäcilie and the portrayal of madness of the Three Songs of Ophelia.

Camilla Tilling, whose successful opera career in a very short time has taken her to some of the world’s most prestigious venues — including Covent Garden, the Metropolitan, La Scala and La Monnaie — made her international breakthrough in the role of Sophie in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. Ever since, Strauss’s music has held a special place for her, and on her first solo recording she has chosen to perform some of her favourites among his songs. She is partnered by the fine German pianist Paul Rivinius, with violinist Ulf Wallin making a guest appearance in Morgen!, where he plays the solo that Strauss added when making an orchestral version of the song.

Camilla recently starred in the recent production of Hansel and Gretel at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to great acclaim: “But the second cast was terrific - better on points than the first, with a particularly enchanting Gretel from Camilla Tilling, who had…personal sweetness and vocal charm”. The Telegraph

Anders Eliasson is a little known composer from Sweden, but anyone who listens to his music is guaranteed to be captivated by his unique sound. His originality has been praised by other Swedish composers and conductors. Sergiu Celibidache even went as far as saying Eliasson will be as important for our time as Bartók was for his.

The music is performed by the illustrious Ulf Wallin and Roland Pöntinen who have collaborated several times in the past and received acclaimed reviews. “Ulf Wallin and Roland Pöntinen are one of the truly outstanding duos on the concert platform today and here they reveal their mastery and insight at every turn” The Strad on a previous recording