Stein-Erik Olsen has released many highly acclaimed albums throughout his career. For his first guitar concerto recording he teams up with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, renowned for its outstanding sound – rooted in outstanding musicianship.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields
The London-based orchestra is formed from a group of leading musicians. Originally directed by Sir Neville from the leader’s chair, the collegiate spirit and flexibility of the original small, conductor-less ensemble remains an Academy hallmark. This tradition continues today with virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell as Music Director.
Villa-Lobos’s Guitar Concerto from the original manuscript
Stein-Erik Olsen has previously performed Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Guitar Concerto on many occasions, but this time he has a copy of the original manuscript as a starting point, sent to him by the Villa-Lobos Museum in Rio de Janerio. This has resulted in a number of new ideas for interpretation, and inspired a new reading of the whole piece for this recording. Leo Brouwer’s Concerto Elegiaco is an exiting and inventive, virtuoso composition. The second movement is nothing short of a musical gem, perhaps the most exquisite in the field of guitar concertos.
‘Bergen Concerto’ – dedicated to Stein-Erik Olsen
Nikita Koshkin, born in Moscow, Russia, is a virtuoso guitarist but his international reputation has been established by his superb compositions performed world-wide. The ‘Bergen Concerto’ was written for Stein-Erik Olsen in 2007. The piece is joyful and fresh – also with material clearly rooted in Koshkin’s homeland Russia.
