Hundsnes: Clavinatas Nos. 1-7, Piano Sonata No. 1 & Downtoned Beats Laura Mikkola

• Svein Hundsnes (b. 1951):
• 1 Clavinata No. 1 04:08
• 2 Clavinata No. 2 03:20
• Piano Sonata No. 1:
• 3 Piano Sonata No. 1: I. — 05:40
• 4 Piano Sonata No. 1: II. — 07:04
• 5 Piano Sonata No. 1: III. — 04:46
• Svein Hundsnes:
• 6 Clavinata No. 5 03:59
• 7 Clavinata No. 4 04:53
• 8 Clavinata No. 3 03:10
• Downtoned Beats:
• 9 Downtoned Beats: I. Cymbal Prelude and Distant Groove 05:18
• 10 Downtoned Beats: II. Dark Bourrée and Intermezzo 03:55
• 11 Downtoned Beats: III. Scherzo 03:25
• 12 Downtoned Beats: IV. Danse Noire 04:22
• Svein Hundsnes:
• 13 Clavinata No. 7 05:00
• 14 Clavinata No. 6 05:04
• Total Runtime 01:04:04

Info for Hundsnes: Clavinatas Nos. 1-7, Piano Sonata No. 1 & Downtoned Beats

Svein Hundsnes is one of Norway’s most important living composers. He has written a wide-ranging body of music encompassing several vivid styles, moving seamlessly from tonal and non-tonal music to include jazz, rock and even funk. Hundsnes’ sequence of Clavinatas – one-movement free-standing pieces with a symmetrical form that often include toccata-like vitality – embody qualities that make his music so distinctive. Often syncopated, they possess short motifs, intensity and emotional ambiguity. Piano Sonata No. 1 and Downtoned Beats reflect his delight in drama and dance grooves. Finnish pianist Laura Mikkola has studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and the University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. She studied with Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, Dmitri Baskirov, Tapani Valsta and attended masterclasses of Ferenc Rados. Ms. Mikkola has been the recipient of many awards, among them the second prize in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition of Brussels (1995), the first prize in the International Unisa Transnet Piano Competition in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, the first prize in the Maj Lind Competition in Helsinki (1992), and the first prize in the International M. Ravel Piano Competition in France (1988).

Laura Mikkola, piano

Laura Mikkola
Die finnische Pianistin Laura Mikkola studierte an der Sibeliusakademie von Helsinki, am Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia und an der University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Sie hat bei Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, Dmitri Baschkirow, Tapani Valsta und Ferenc Rados gelernt.

Sie ist Preisträgerin mehrerer Wettbewerbe wie 2. Preis und Publikumspreis 1995 beim Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Brüssel; Young Artist Preis 1995 in Finnland; beim Internationalen Unisa Transnet Klavierwettbewerb in Pretoria, Republik Südafrika 1994; beim Maj Lind Klavierwettbewerb in Helsinki, 1992 und beim International Maurice Ravel Klavierwettbewerb in Frankreich, 1988. Ihre Auftritte führten sie durch ganz Europa, Japan, China, Afrika, Australien, Süd- und Nordamerika. Sie spielte mit den Los Angeles Philharmonics, mit dem Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra von Sankt Petersburg, den Münchner Symphonikern, Royal Philharmonic of Flandres, dem Orchestre National de Belgique und vielen anderen Orchestern in aller Welt.

Laura Mikkola brillierte unter dem Dirigat von Spitzendirigenten wie Esa-Pekka Salonen, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Philippe Entremont, Leif Segerstam, Valery Gergiev, Aleksandr Lazarev. In Laura Mikkolas Repertoire finden sich fast alle Klavierkonzerte, darunter diejenigen von Bartók, Prokofjev, Rachmaninow, Ravel, Saint-Saens und alle Klavierkonzerte von Rautavaara. Rautavaara schrieb auch eigens Werke für die finnische Pianistin.

2003 rief Laura Mikkola das Iitti Music Festival ins Leben und hat seitdem mit großem Erfolg die künstlerische Leitung inne.

Booklet for Hundsnes: Clavinatas Nos. 1-7, Piano Sonata No. 1 & Downtoned Beats