Edvard Fliflet Bræin: Chamber Works is a richly curated recording that brings to light the rarely heard chamber music of one of Norway’s most versatile 20th-century composers. Best known for his orchestral works and opera Anne Pedersdotter, Edvard Fliflet Bræin (1924–1976) reveals a different, more intimate musical voice in this collection of chamber pieces, interpreted by a remarkable ensemble of Norwegian performers. 

 

 

Mezzo-soprano Christina Herresthal makes her recording debut with the EP Sånger från Aftonland,, featuring the ensemble Hehku under the direction of conductor Aliisa Neige Barrière. The centerpiece of the release is Danish composer Per Nørgård’s hauntingly lyrical song cycle, composed in 1956 when he was just 24 years old—the same age Herresthal was when she recorded the work in 2022 as a heartfelt tribute for Nørgård’s 90th birthday. 

Den nye utgivelsen fra pianist Nils Anders Mortensen og Engegårdkvartetten er viet Schumanns kvartett og kvintett for piano og strykere. Robert Schumann produserte i 1842 et stort antall kammermusikkverk, deriblant piano-kvintetten op. 44 og pianokvartetten op. 47, begge i Ess-dur. The new release from Nils Anders Mortensen and the Engegård Quartet is devoted to Schumann’s quartet and quintet for piano and strings. Robert Schumann produced a large number of chamber music works in 1842, among them the piano quintet op. 44 and the piano quartet op. 47, both in E flat major. 

 

 

«Phonetix» er Lars Liens første soloutgivelse på LAWO Classics. Hoveddrivkraften bak prosjektet er Liens ønske om å utforske saksofonens vokale muligheter, med musikk og tekst som berører universelle og eksistensielle spørsmål. “Phonetix” is Lars Lien’s first solo release on the LAWO Classics label. The driving force behind the project is Lien’s interest in exploring the saxophone’s vocal capacity, with music and texts touching on universal and existential questions. 

 

 

Norwegian pianist, Eva Knardahl (1927-2006), was one of Norway´s foremost pianists of the 20th century. She had an expansive repertoire and diverse musical experiences. In 1984 she became the first professor of chamber music at the Norwegian Academy of Music. This record exclusively features “gems” which, in the 20th century, were played over and over again in private homes and the concert halls in Norway. Today, the repertoire is still well known to Norwegian students of music and established pianists, alike. 

The release of Mozart Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1, the first in a new multi-volume recording series featuring acclaimed Norwegian pianist Christian Ihle Hadland. With this project, Hadland embarks on an in-depth exploration of the complete solo piano works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, presenting a fresh, insightful view on one of the most iconic figures in classical music. 

 

 

Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester feirer i 2015 sin 250 år lange og stolte historie med jubileumsprosjektet og CD-utgivelsen «OPUS 250». Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating its proud, 250-year-long history in 2015 with an anniversary project and CD release “OPUS 250”. 

 

 

Med CD-en «the first beauty» fullfører Oslo Kammerakademi trilogien med harmonimusikk fra tre epoker. Oslo Kammerakademi’s third recording, “the first beauty”, completes a trilogy of “Harmonie” music from three epochs. 

 

 

Trio Brax er et kammermusikkensemble med base i Tromsø, og som ble grunnlagt i 2015. I dette som er deres første innspilling viser de frem musikk av de tre norske komponistene Kjell Habbestad, Håvard Lund, og Helge Iberg, samt musikk av Paul Hindemith. Med den uvanlige kombinasjonen av bratsj, tenorsaksofon og piano, står Trio Brax fram som en sjelden blomst innenfor klassisk kammermusikk. Trio Brax is a chamber music ensemble based in Tromsø, Northern Norway, founded in 2015. In this first recording they showcase music by the three Norwegian composers; Kjell Habbestad, Håvard Lund, and Helge Iberg, as well as music by Paul Hindemith. With the unusual combination of viola, tenor saxophone and piano, Trio Brax is an odd flower in the world of classical chamber music. 

 

 

På Alpaca Ensembles første utgivelse på LAWO Classics får vi høre resultatet av deres nære samarbeid med de nålevende komponistene Karin Rehnqvist og Ellen Lindquist. Begge komponistene skriver musikk som reflekterer rundt hvordan mennesket hører til i en natur som er større enn oss. I det første verket på platen tar Karin Rehnqvist lytteren med ut i verdensrommet, mens Ellen Lindquist i siste spor åpner et vidstrakt landskap. On Alpaca Ensemble’s first release on the LAWO Classics label we hear the result of their close collaboration with contemporary composers Karin Rehnqvist and Ellen Lindquist. Both composers write music that reflects on humanity’s place in a world profoundly greater than us. In the first work on the recording, Karin Rehnqvist takes the listener into outer space, while on the last track Ellen Lindquist paints us a vast landscape. 

 

 

What happens when the vast machinery of the symphony is entrusted to just seven musicians? At first, the idea seems absurd. Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel was written for one of the largest orchestras of its time; Ravel’s La Valse is an apocalyptic dance that normally takes every inch of a concert stage to contain. Even Prokofiev’s deceptively light Classical Symphony relies on the precision of a full ensemble. How can all that thunder and color possibly fit into the hands of a string quartet, double bass, accordion, and piano? That is precisely the provocation behind Boye’s Café Orchestra’s new album. 

På denne utgivelsen presenterer sopran Isa Katharina Gericke og Joachim Knoph sentrale deler av den norske komponisten Johan Kvandals (1919–1999) musikk for sang og piano. Kvandal var en markant stemme i norsk musikkliv, og hans musikk har vist seg å nå stadig nye lyttere. On this release, soprano Isa Katharina Gericke and Joachim Knoph perform some of the more central pieces from Norwegian composer Johan Kvandal's (1919–1999) music for voice and piano. Kvandal was a heavyweight of the Norwegian music scene and his music has proven to reach more and more new listeners. 

 

 

Musikken på denne utgivelsen er skrevet av komponister som ofte jobber med audiovisuelle uttrykk. I arbeidet med verkene sine er de i dia­log med et startpunkt; en historie, et uttrykk, en omgivelse, en emosjon – en serie bilder og han­dlinger som fordrer samspill. Dette premisset fascinerer cellist Audun Sandvik. The music in this release is written by composers well-versed in working with audiovisual expression. When working on their creations, there is a clear point of departure; a story, a musical expression, an environment, an emotion. This is a series of images and actions that requires interaction, and proved to be a tantalising premise for cellist Audun Sandvik. 

 

 

«Tundra» er Knut Erik Sundquist og Nils Anders Mortensens andre duo-CD – et prosjekt med utelukkende russisk musikk. “Tundra” is Knut Erik Sundquist and Nils Anders Mortensen’s second duo CD — a project featuring exclusively Russian music. 

 

 

Det skulle ta nesten 50 år før Grisey's ungdomsverk Mégalithes (1969) for 15 messingblåsere fikk sin norgespremiere. Til åpningen av nyMusikks festival Only Connect i 2018 fremførte NyNorsk Messingkvintett og Brasskompaniet verket under ledelse av dirigent Halldis Rønning. Denne innspillingen dokumenterer dette særegne konsertprosjektet.

It took nearly 50 years for Gérard Grisey’s early work Mégalithes for 15 brass instruments (1969) to receive its premiere performance in Norway. NyNorsk Messingkvintett and Brasskompaniet conducted by Halldis Rønning performed the work in 2018 for the opening of nyMusikk's international contemporary music festival Only Connect. The recording documents this unique concert project. 

 

 

Originally released in 1997 as a limited physical edition, Åsmund Feidje’s unique and genre-defying album Hallayö, music written for the ballet by Jorma Uotinen for the Finnish National Ballet, will finally be made available on all major digital streaming platforms now. This long- overdue release offers a new generation of listeners the chance to discover one of Norwegian contemporary music’s most distinctive and atmospheric works. 

Tine Thing Helseth og Kåre Nordstoga spilte inn albumet «Magical Memories» i Oslo domkirke, under Norges lockdown i slutten av august og begynnelsen av september 2020. De jobbet fra sent på kvelden til de tidlige morgentimene for å få den perfekte lyden. Trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and organist Kåre Nordstoga recorded the album “Magical Memories” in Oslo Cathedral during Norway’s lockdown in late August / early September 2020. They worked from late in the evening into the early hours of the morning to carefully capture the perfect sound. 

 

 

Samtlige av Slettholms kammerverker for saxofon er nå for første gang samlet på en plate. De aller fleste av verkene har aldri vært utgitt på CD før. 

 

 

Mozart: Viennese Quartets marks the final volume in the Engegård Quartet’s ambitious and deeply personal journey through Mozart’s complete string quartets. The six works featured here—K.168 to K.173—were composed in Vienna in 1773, a period of artistic growth and experimentation for the young composer. These quartets reveal Mozart’s increasing command of form and texture, blending elegance with emotional complexity and a bold sense of invention. 

 

 

In Richard Strauss’s early Cello Sonata Op. 6, we hear flickers of his distinct musical personality sprouting amid cracks in a traditional Germanic facade. Not many works from Richard Strauss’s teenage years still get performed, but this one has become part of the repertoire. Piano and cello are woven tight here, in this case moving from the lyrical verve and heavy Brahmsian chords of the opening to a four-part fugue. Mendelssohn’s easy lyricism can be heard in the Romance-like Larghetto while the same composer’s elfin lightness peers through Strauss’s final Allegro vivo. 

The posthumous recording Wall of Light was released, honoring the visionary Norwegian composer Morten Eide Pedersen. The album brings together an extraordinary constellation of performers: BIT20 Ensemble, Ensemble Allegria, Currentes, trombonist Sverre Riise, and flutist Ingela Øien. Their collective artistry offers a powerful and deeply considered interpretation of Pedersen’s late works, illuminating the clarity, intensity, and structural imagination that defined his musical voice. 

Arvid Engegård og Knut Eriks Sundquist er to ringrever i den norske klassiskverdenen. Deres nye utgivelse på LAWO Classics, Duo Brilliante, er en hyllest til den italienske bassisten Giovanni Bottesini og hans fantastiske verk Gran Duo Concertante. Arvid Engegård and Knut Erik Sundquist are two seasoned veterans in the world of Norwegian classical music. Their new release on the LAWO Classics label, Duo Brilliante, is a tribute to the Italian double bass virtuoso Giovanni Bottesini and his remarkable work, Gran Duo Concertante. 

 

 

Denne utgivelsen markerer på sett og vis en musikalsk hjemkomst for Sara Övinge, siden hun har valgt en litt mer kronglete karrierevei enn fiolinister flest. Sara har oppsøkt og fordypet seg i samtidsmusikk, iransk musikk, komposisjon, impro, artpop og en hel del annet. Hele hennes praksis vitner om et sterkt indre behov for å være en medskapende musiker, en som setter sitt preg på det musikalske uttrykket på en mer gjennomgripende måte enn bare å spille det som står på stativet. This release marks a musical homecoming for Sara Övinge, since she has chosen a slightly more convoluted career path than most violinists. Sara has sought out and immersed herself in contemporary music, Iranian music, composition, improvisation, and art-pop amongst several other musical pursuits. Her entire modus operandi points to a strong and intrinsic need to be a 'co-creating' musician, one who leaves her mark on the musical expression in a more comprehensive way than simply playing the notes on the stand. 

 

 

På sin nye plate «Aria» presenterer Vegard Landaas og Anders Eidsten Dahl et knippe med noen av musikkhistoriens flotteste arier, i et eklektisk utvalg som strekker seg fra barokkomponisten Alessandro Marcello til nålevende, norske komponister og arrangører. 

 

 

«Telemann: 12 Solo Fantasias» er Caroline Eidsten Dahls fjerde utgivelse på LAWO Classics. Her gir hun oss velklingende blokkfløytetolkninger av Telemanns (svært dansbare) fantasier for solofløyte, TWV 40:2–13. Menuett, sarabande, bourrée, gigue, gavotte, hornpipe og polonese; som svært mange andre komponister brukte Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) danser som utgangspunkt for sine komposisjoner. "Telemann: 12 Solo Fantasias" is Caroline Eidsten Dahl's fourth release on LAWO Classics. In this release Eidsten Dahl's offers us rich-sounding recorder interpretations of Telemann's (decidedly danceable) fantasies for solo flute, TWV 40: 2–13. As with many other composers, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) based many of his compositions on dances, including minuets, sarabandes, bourrées, gigues, gavottes, and polonaises. 

 

 

Kan de beste klassiske verkene vinne på å bli transkribert til orgel? Hvilke nye dimensjoner kan åpnes? Nils Henrik Asheim prøver å besvare dette ved å overføre Edvard Griegs «Ballade» og Geirr Tveitts «Hundrad Hardingtonar» til konserthusorgelets fargepalett. Det er blitt et prosjekt som bør vekke stor interesse. 

 

 

Det Norske Blåseensembles nye CD The Mission tar utgangspunkt i møtet mellom europeisk kunstmusikk og indiansk tradisjonsmusikk fra 1600- og 1700-tallet. Resultatet svinger det skikkelig av! Lytteren presenteres for vakker musikk, dansende rytmer og syd-amerikansk temperament. 

 

 

Oslo-Filharmonien og Vasily Petrenko presenterer den første utgivelsen i en serie med innspillinger av Richard Strauss’ orkestermusikk. The Oslo Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko present the first of a new series of recordings of Richard Strauss' orchestral music. 

 

 

Fjordklang features 19 selected works from the “Vestfold Cycle” — a growing series of 43 compositions written by composers with ties to the region. The cycle began with five pieces premiered at their very first concert and has since grown into a unique expression of Vestfold’s creative energy. The album also features music by two key figures in the local music scene: Olav Berg (Horten) and Roger Arve Vigulf (Sandefjord), both of whom have written original sextets for the ensemble. 

De unge, talentfulle strykerne i Ensemble Allegria gir i disse dager ut sitt andre album på LAWO Classics, «VOLT22». Her presenterer de et rått og elegant repertoar, med musikk som skaper store kontraster og høy spenning. The talented young string players in Ensemble Allegria have recently released their second album on the LAWO Classics label, “VOLT22”. Here they present a viscerally elegant repertoire, with music rich in contrast and excitement.