Ness, J Ø: Mad Cap Tootling (Violin concerto)

“Catch Light” is a portrait of the outstanding violinist Peter Herresthal, and features performances of four new violin concertos specially written for him. The title track is composed by Nils Henrik Asheim, whilst the other works are by Gisle Kverndokk, Henrik Hellstenius and Jon Øivind Ness. Also featured on the disc are the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestras, the BIT20 ensemble, and the percussionist Peter Kates.

Norwegian violinist Peter Herresthal was born in 1970 and is recognised as a brilliant and inspired performer of contemporary music for violin. He enjoys a close relationship with Denmark's leading composer Per Nørgård. Peter has also given the Norwegian and Spanish premieres of Thomas Adès’ violin concerto Concentric Paths, and its Australian premiere at the Melbourne Festival with the composer conducting. Peter Herresthal is professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo and visiting professor at The Royal College of Music, London. He will curate a concert series at the Bergen Festival from 2011 to 2014.

Although all are contemporary pieces, the four violin concertos on this new CD are very different in character. In every one of them Peter Herresthal has been directly involved in the creational process, and in this way different aspects of his unique qualities as a musician are reflected in each work.

The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned and premiered the work ‘Low Jive’ by Jon Øivind Ness in 2008, and now they release a portrait of this fascinating composer, whose music is powerful and symphonic with references to popular culture, post punk and Zappa. Allowing the intensity and rhythmical drive of popular music to fuse with the structures and multi-layer thinking of art music, Ness creates music which is pulsating and refined. The result is a rare, unpredictable beauty.

Mad Cap Tootling is a violin concerto written for Peter Herresthal, a violinist among the leading interpreters of contemporary music in Europe today. The political title of the piece depicts FORMER president George W. Bush and his behaviour prior to the Iraq invasion. Another prominent performer is Øystein Birkeland, to whom Ness wrote Wet Blubber Soup – the title is a play on words from a Godley and Creme remix. In this piece, Ness himself remixes the contrasting elements of the concerto.

Low Jive for full orchestra and the duo Gust both share a mesmerizing dark atmosphere. In the latter piece for viola and double bass, Ness creates a disturbing gloom where flashes of icy light only occasionally brake through. The whole orchestra is on stage again for the Low Jive in grand, unhurried and vigorous movements – like a monumental dance in the depths. The title is derived from Slowdive, a song by 80s band Siouxie and the Banshees.