Harald Sæverud Orchestral Music vol 1 – Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

The most distinctive Norwegian composer of the previous century

Harald Sæverud is considered by many to be the most distinctive Norwegian composer of the previous century. Sir John Barbirolli once said: “Whether you like the music of Sæverud or not there is no mistaking who wrote it, and this can be said of few composers of the present day.” This 2-CD album, which is the first in a series of two, includes several of Sæverud´s orchestral works, performed by Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Dmitri Kitajenko. Here is everything from the symphonic masterpiece that is Sæverud´s fifth symphony and the violently expressive sixth symphony, to the lyrical, almost pastoral, piece “Canto Ostinato” and the near-mystical “Rondo amoroso”.