Daniel Ottensamer - Nielsen-Grieg - Import CD

Credits:

Daniel Ottensamer

Description:

Daniel Ottensamer, principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic, presents his first solo album in a long time with Nielsen and Grieg from Scandinavia. This Nordic album by Daniel Ottensamer, a young clarinetist with the Vienna Philharmonic, combines Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto and Grieg's Lyric Pieces arranged for clarinet. The Ottensamer family is well known as a family of clarinetists with Daniel's father, the late Ernst (former principal of the Vienna Philharmonic), and his brother, Andreas (principal of the Berlin Philharmonic), and Daniel is increasingly recognized as the leader of "Philharmonics Vienna-Berlin" formed with the Vienna Philharmonic and other members. Daniel is also gaining recognition as the leader of Philharmonics Vienna-Berlin, a group formed by members of the Vienna Philharmonic and others. He grew up in a musically rich environment and absorbed a great deal of the Viennese tradition. This is an album that highlights the lyricism of Scandinavian music by a master clarinetist who is the 21st century heir to the Viennese school of clarinet music represented by Urach, Boskovsky, Prinz and others. Nielsen, who loved wind instruments, wrote a woodwind quintet between 1921 and 1922, and shortly thereafter began writing solo concertos for those five wind instruments, but only the flute concerto and clarinet concerto were eventually completed due to his deteriorating health. Much of Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto consists of clearly audible contrasts between the two main keys of F major and E major, and the orchestra is chamber-like, with prominent solo passages by the bassoon and horn, and snare drum also plays an active role. The solo parts are extremely difficult to play and inevitably set new technical standards in the clarinet world. This album includes another work by Nielsen, the "Fantasy for Clarinet and Piano," written by a young composer. The Lyric Pieces, a collection of 66 piano pieces in 10 volumes, was written by Grieg over a period of 38 years. The compositions are filled with melancholic moods and folkloric elements from Northern Europe.Ottenzamer has chosen pieces that, in terms of sound and structure, could have been originally composed for clarinet and piano, and has taken the liberty of adding clarinet counter-melodies to some of the pieces. Ottenzamer describes the album as follows. I have been fascinated from an early age by the Nordic music of Grieg and Nielsen and the Nordic folk music on which each composer based his masterpieces. By juxtaposing Nielsen's intricate clarinet concerto with Grieg's lyrical works, which are simple, straightforward, and deeply moving, I wanted to shed light on different aspects of Nordic music and the different tones of the clarinet involved. It is truly special to perform as soloist with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, where I have been principal clarinetist for many years. The musical support of my colleagues in the orchestra and Maestro Adam Fischer has been memorable, and I am grateful for the opportunity to record this performance on CD. I have had a musical connection with pianist Christoph Traxler for 15 years, and based on our deep friendship we co-arranged Grieg's "Lyric Pieces." Sony Music