Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra - Knut Vaage: Gardens of Hokkaido

There are three works featured on this new CD by the highly regarded contemporary Norwegian composer Knut Vaage. The first, �Gardens of Hokkaido�, is a concerto for piano and orchestra, whilst the second, entitled �Cyclops�, is for orchestra alone. Finally the third, �Chaconne�, is a piece for flute, harp and orchestra. All of the music is performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.Knut Vaage lives and work in Bergen, Norway where he makes his living as a composer. He works within different musical genres, exploring the regions where improvised and composed music overlap. Vaage�s music is regularly performed by orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles both at home and abroad. At the moment he is working on a new full-scale opera for the Norwegian Opera.This concerto for piano and orchestra entitled Gardens of Hokkaido was written for the pianist Einar R�ttingen and the BPO. The idea for the piece came during a train voyage to the island of Hokkaido in Japan. And listening to this music might very well be experienced as a journey at high speed through a landscape. The Cyclops, a one-eyed giant, is known from Greek mythology. Vaage�s orchestral work utilises the mythical world as a structural idea allowing the listener to take part in the tug of war between chaos and concentration. Chaconne is of course a traditional compositional pattern where a chord progression is repeated, forming the basis for variation. In Vaage�s Chaconne each section is given a specific character, and the different sections engage in a dialogue constituting both the moulding element and the musical dramatic structure for the piece.Personnel: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ingar Bergby, Eivind AAdland, Ole Kristian Ruud (conductors). Einar R�ttingen (piano), Gro Sandvik (flute), Turid Kniejski (harp)