Early Romantic Horn Sonatas Steinar Granmo Nilsen & Kristin Fossheim

• Ferdinand Ries (1784 - 1838): Grande Sonate in F-Dur op. 34:
• 1 Grande Sonate in F-Dur op. 34: I. Larghetto. Allegro molto 12:33
• 2 Grande Sonate in F-Dur op. 34: II. Andante 03:18
• 3 Grande Sonate in F-Dur op. 34: III. Rondo Allegro 07:54
• Franz Danzi (1763 - 1826): Sonate Es-Dur op. 28:
• 4 Sonate Es-Dur op. 28: I. Adagio. Allegro 11:11
• 5 Sonate Es-Dur op. 28: II. Larghetto 06:13
• 6 Sonate Es-Dur op. 28: III. Allegretto 04:30
• Nicolaus von Krufft (1779 - 1818): Sonata E-Dur:
• 7 Sonata E-Dur: I. Allegro moderato 11:11
• 8 Sonata E-Dur: II. Andante espressivo 04:57
• 9 Sonata E-Dur: III. Rondo alla Polacca 05:52
• Total Runtime 01:07:39

Info for Early Romantic Horn Sonatas

In the early romantic period, struggling with the aftermath of absolutism's collapse, people had to find new solutions in all realms of communal life. Because old certainties vanished, another vision of society emerged, shaped by artists: poets, painters and musicians. They viewed a higher world order in nature, to be felt by the individual, and expressed in a synthesis of all arts. Especially in music, these ideas were embodied with a new freedom of stylistic decisions. The sonatas for natural horn and fortepiano by Franz Danzi, Ferdinand Ries und Nikolaus von Krufft are virtuosic compositions with stunning dialogues between the horn and piano parts. They explore the full range of timbres, flamboyantly surpassing classical structures in search of new modes of expression. The verve and profusion of colors in the performance of Steinar Granmo Nilsen and Kristin Fossheim incorporate the early romantic idea that music was the most royal of all arts.

Steinar Granmo Nilsen, natural horn
Kristin Fossheim, fortepiano

Recorded in June 2014 at Jar Church, Akershus, Norway

Steinar Granmo Nilsen
is currently employed by the Norwegian Wind Ensemble in Halden and plays with a number of Scandinavian Early Music ensembles. He has previously worked for many years in the Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces in Oslo. He studied at music academies in Trond- heim, Freiburg and Oslo with Stein Villanger, Ifor James, Renée Allen and Frøydis Ree Wekre.

In 1999 Granmo Nilsen took part in the prestigious Festival d’Art Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence in France as a member of L’Academie Européenne de Musique. He participated as orchestral musician, chamber musician and soloist and was awarded for his efforts with the prize of the Academy’s instrumentalist of the year. In 2000 he won the second-prize in the Princess Astrid’s Music Award.

He teaches natural horn and valve horn at the Norwegian Academy of Mu- sic. He is also a very active and sought- after chamber musician and soloist on both modern and historic horns and with a repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music.

2004 he recorded «An Invitation to a Voyage» for horn and band by Trygve Madsen with The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces for SIMAX, and 2012 the Sonata op. 17 by Beethoven with Kristin Fossheim for 2L. Recently he produced the CDs «Beethoven» and «Leipzig» with Oslo Kammerakademi for LAWO Classics.

Kristin Fossheim
holds position as Associate Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) in the field of accompanyment. She specializes in fortepiano and recorded several CD ́s at 2L: in addition to this CD she has recorded all of Beethoven’s sonatas for fortepiano and cello and natural horn, with Bjørn Solum and Steinar Granmo Nilsen (2002 und 2012), as well as «Sommernatt», romances of Johannes Haarklou, together with Linda Øvrebø (2010).

As teacher at NMH her field of interest includes repertoire for flute, viola, cello and song, as well as works by Mozart and Beethoven on fortepiano. The last year her artistic research has been focusing on Schumanns «Dichter- liebe» with professor Are Sandbakken.

Kristin Fossheim has performed as soloist with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra as well as numerous other Norwegian orchestras.

Kristin Fossheim regularly works with singers like Cecilie Cathrine Ødegården, who after her Diploma at NMH now works at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet. This duo partnership includes lieder-repertoire from classical as well as romantic litterature.

Kristin Fossheim har performed with many outstanding soloists, like Elise Båtnes, Henninge Båtnes Landaas, Dag Jensen, Trond Hallsten Moe, David Friedemann Strunck to mention a few.

Booklet for Early Romantic Horn Sonatas