Carl Nielsen: Violin concerto and Symphony no. 4 – Arve Tellefsen

Arve Tellefsen and Sir Yehudi Menhunin

Arve Tellefsen’s ability to captivate and communicate with audiences ranks him among the greatest violinists of today. His career has taken him to all the major European venues and he has toured extensively in the Far East. He has also worked with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. On this album Tellefsen, with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Sir Yehudi Menuhin, performs two works by the extraordinary Danish composer Carl Nielsen.

Nielsen’s Violin Concerto comes from the middle period of his creative career, a sunny, unusually formal and well-received work exhibiting progressive tonality. The composer’s fourth symphony displays less rich harmonies, denser textures and darker colours than ever before, and with greater complexity of thought came a more angular melodic language and a higher norm of dissonance. From the explosive beginning to the astonishing power and seemingly inexhaustible reserves of energy in the finale, the symphony is no less than a triumph of symphonic music.