Norwegian Saxophone by Ola Asdahl Rokkones

Martin Romberg, Kjell Habbestad, Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen

Ola Asdahl Rokkones

Norwegian Saxophone

Format: CD
Label: Lawo Classics
UPC: 7090020181844
Catnr: LWC 1162
Release date: 02 November 2018
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Label
Lawo Classics

UPC
7090020181844

Catalogue number
LWC 1162

Release date
02 November 2018

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

“Norwegian saxophone” is the first classical album from the versatile artist Ola Asdahl Rokkones, containing three world premiere recordings. Recorded in the legendary LENDOK Studios in Saint Petersburg, together with conductor Fabio Mastrangelo and The St. Petersburg Northern Sinfonia, this is a unique release of new Norwegian music for saxophone and orchestra.

“The Tale of Taliesin” by Martin Romberg (2009), “Bør” by Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (2014) and “Un rêve Norvégien” by Kjell Habbestad (2002/2015) have all been commissioned by Rokkones. Although the composers have been inspired by literary works, the music showcases the classical saxophone in three very different musical surroundings. With the saxophone as a narrator, we explore the ancient Celtic legend about Taliesin in a large orchestral work, the existentialistic poem “Bør” by Stein Mehren in a contemporary and experimental soundscape, and finally the famous visionary poem “Draumkvedet” where folkloristic elements fuse with a modern classical orchestral treatment.

Following a long and twisted path, this recording is the result of a process that has taken many years – for Rokkones' part almost half a lifetime, as he commissioned the first work in 2001 at the age of 18.

Ola Asdahl Rokkones (b. 1983) lives in Tromsø in the north of Norway, and is one of few saxophonists working both within classical music and jazz. As a classical musician, he has appeared as a soloist with several renowned orchestras in Norway, Russia, Germany and France, among them the Mariinsky Symphonic Orchestra. He has commissioned and premiered music by numerous composers. As a jazz and ensemble musician he is highly profiled through several groups. In 2010 he was selected as the Norwegian representative to the prestigious European Jazz Orchestra. He has contributed on six album releases. He has also worked with various dance- and theatre ensembles.

"Norwegisches Saxophon" ist das erste Klassik-Album des vielseitigen Künstlers Ola Asdahl Rokkones mit drei Weltersteinspielungen. Aufgenommen in den legendären LENDOK Studios in Sankt Petersburg, zusammen mit dem Dirigenten Fabio Mastrangelo und der St. Petersburger Nord-Sinfonie, ist dies eine einzigartige Veröffentlichung neuer norwegischer Musik für Saxophon und Orchester.
"The Tale of Taliesin" von Martin Romberg (2009), "Bør" von Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (2014) und "Un rêve Norvégien" von Kjell Habbestad (2002/2015) sind alle im Auftrag von Rokkones entstanden. Obwohl die Komponisten von literarischen Werken inspiriert sind, zeigt die Musik das klassische Saxophon in drei sehr unterschiedlichen musikalischen Umgebungen. Mit dem Saxophon als Erzähler erforschen wir die alte keltische Legende über Taliesin in einem großen Orchesterwerk, das existenzialistische Gedicht "Bør" von Stein Mehren in einer zeitgenössischen und experimentellen Klanglandschaft und schließlich das berühmte visionäre Gedicht "Draumkvedet", in dem folkloristische Elemente mit einer modernen klassischen Orchesterbehandlung verschmelzen.
Auf einem langen und verwinkelten Weg ist diese Aufnahme das Ergebnis eines langjährigen Prozesses - für Rokkones' Teil fast ein halbes Leben, denn er gab 2001 im Alter von 18 Jahren das erste Werk in Auftrag.
Ola Asdahl Rokkones (*1983) lebt in Tromsø im Norden Norwegens und ist einer der wenigen Saxophonisten, die sich sowohl mit klassischer Musik als auch mit Jazz beschäftigen. Als klassischer Musiker trat er als Solist mit mehreren renommierten Orchestern in Norwegen, Russland, Deutschland und Frankreich auf, darunter das Mariinsky Symphonic Orchestra. Er hat Musik von zahlreichen Komponisten in Auftrag gegeben und uraufgeführt. Als Jazz- und Ensemble-Musiker ist er durch mehrere Gruppen stark profiliert. Im Jahr 2010 wurde er zum norwegischen Vertreter des renommierten European Jazz Orchestra gewählt. Er hat an sechs Albumveröffentlichungen mitgewirkt. Er arbeitete auch mit verschiedenen Tanz- und Theaterensembles zusammen.

Artist(s)

Ola Asdahl Rokkones (saxophone)

OLA ASDAHL ROKKONES – ALTO SAXOPHONE Ola Asdahl Rokkones (b. 1983) is one of few saxophonists working within the fields of both classical music and jazz. He has studied with several acclaimed teachers including Lars Lien, Vibeke Breian, Jean-Yves Fourmeau and John-Pål Inderberg. In 2012 he received the culture prize of Tromsø Municipality, and in 2018 he was the laureate of the artist grant of the Troms region. In 2019 he was selected as one of the four recipients of the Barents Scholarship, “for valuable and outstanding contribution to the cultural life and cooperation across borders in the Barents Region”. In 2022 he was awarded an artist grant from Ingerid, Synnøve og Elias Fegerstens Stiftelse. As a classical musician, he has appeared...

OLA ASDAHL ROKKONES – ALTO SAXOPHONE Ola Asdahl Rokkones (b. 1983) is one of few saxophonists working within the fields of both classical music and jazz. He has studied with several acclaimed teachers including Lars Lien, Vibeke Breian, Jean-Yves Fourmeau and John-Pål Inderberg. In 2012 he received the culture prize of Tromsø Municipality, and in 2018 he was the laureate of the artist grant of the Troms region. In 2019 he was selected as one of the four recipients of the Barents Scholarship, “for valuable and outstanding contribution to the cultural life and cooperation across borders in the Barents Region”. In 2022 he was awarded an artist grant from Ingerid, Synnøve og Elias Fegerstens Stiftelse.
As a classical musician, he has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras in Norway, Russia, Germany and France, among them Arktisk Filharmoni, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mariinsky Symphonic Orchestra. With various constellations he has toured internationally, and performed in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, France, Austria, Russia, Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey, and Brazil. He has commissioned and premiered music by numerous composers, such as Alexander Aarøen, Alexander Manotskov, Terje Bjørklund, Agnes Ida Pettersen, Tine Surel Lange, Herborg Rundberg, Rakel Nystabakk, Helge Iberg, Kjell Habbestad, Martin Romberg, Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen, Erik Stifjell, Lars Skoglund, Håvard Lund, Bodvar Drotninghaug Moe, and Bjørn Breimo.
His discography includes eleven releases of various genres, including the albums Trio Brax (LWC1248) with Julia Neher and Sergej Osadchuk, and Norwegian Saxophone (LWC1162) with Fabio Mastrangelo and the St. Petersburg Northern Sinfonia.
Ola Asdahl Rokkones is an endorsed artist and official ambassador of Henri Selmer Paris Saxophones.

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The St. Petersburg Northern Sinfonia

Fulfilling the planned expansion of The St. Petersburg Music Hall Theatre's existing Northern Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra into a full-time symphony orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia was established in spring of 2016, under the leadership of Fabio Mastrangelo.
Since its inception, the Northern Sinfonia has taken part in numerous prestigious city events while continuing to present a regular concert series within the theatre’s season. Notable guest artists include Ekaterina Mechetina, Polina Osetinskaya, Giuseppe Albanese, Shlomo Mintz, Miroslav Kultyshev, Daniil Kramer, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Ola Asdahl Rokkones, Giampiero Sobrino, Larisa Dolina, and Goran Bregovich. Soloists of both the Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky theaters, as well as Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre frequently collaborate with the ensemble. In addition, young talented artists of the Elena Obraztsova International Academy of Music have often participated in various projects. Aside from traditional orchestral concerts, the orchestra also offers literary and family oriented programs together with popular actors and personalities such as Sati Spivakova, Vladimir Koshevoj, Gosha Kutsenko, Yuriy Galtsev, Andrey Noskov, Mikhail Morozov, and Sergey Migitsko. The Northern Sinfonia is a preferred guest of the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum, presenting each year original musical and cultural programs. The project 1917 Accord – Revolution and Music, performed in November 2017, attracted the attention and praise of numerous international guests at the sixth forum. At home, the orchestra is featured at the popular St. Petersburg International Festival – Opera Vsem (“opera all together”) where each year they showcase four different operatic titles. Furthermore, the orchestra often performs at prestigious concert venues in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, in halls all over Russia, as well as on tour in Italy, Europe, and the Middle East.
The orchestra’s repertoire includes both Russian and foreign classics, in addition to works by the most diverse contemporary composers. The exceptional artistry of the orchestra’s musicians, together with the collaboration with talented young artists and the desire to augment the repertoire through presenting contemporary works, is all enhanced by the expertise and undeniable charisma of leader Fabio Mastrangelo.

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Fabio Mastrangelo (conductor)

Fabio Mastrangelo (b. 1965) is Russia’s most sought after Italian-born conductor. Since 2013, he has been the Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Music Hall Theater as well as Principal Conductor & Music Director of its two orchestras, the St. Petersburg Northern Sinfonia and St. Petersburg Northern Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he serves as Principal Conductor of Sinfonica ARTica of the Yakutsk State Philharmonic, which he helped establish in 2012, and as Artistic Director of the Camerata Soloists Chamber Orchestra of the Novosibirsk State Philharmonic. In September 2018, he was named Principal Conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra-Russian Philharmonic. He also currently holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra. Additional positions include those of Music Director of the St. Petersburg International Festival – Opera Vsem (“opera all together”) and Artistic Director of the City of Togliatti Summer Music Festival – Classics on the Volga.
Mastrangelo frequently collaborates with Russia’s most prestigious orchestras and for a number of years has been a guest conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he made his 2007 debut with "Tosca". In 2008, he made his first Stars of the White Nights Festival appearance replacing Valery Gergiev on short notice and has been invited back since. In 2016, he conducted premiere performances of Andrea de Rosa’s newest production of Verdi’s "Simon Boccanegra", while in 2017 he conducted a new production of Verdi’s "I vespri siciliani". In recent years, he has made appearances with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Belgrade Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Bolshoi Theater Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Budapest MAV Symphony Orchestra (at Vienna’s Musikverein), Thüringer Symphoniker Saalfeld-Rudolstadt (Germany), Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Hamilton Philharmonic (Canada), the Latvian National Orchestra, and the OSI (Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana).

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Composer(s)

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen

Martin Romberg

Martin Romberg was born in Oslo, Norway in 1978. He studied classical composition with Michael Jarrell and fi lm music with Klaus Peter Sattler. Romberg composes music in a post-Romantic tonal language, based primarily on themes from fantasy literature, the visual arts, the world’s mythologies, and comic books. He endeavours above all to find expression in the borderland between popular culture and classical music. From his base in France he has worked with close to twenty orchestras throughout Europe, together with numerous choirs and soloists the world over. He has also worked extensively as orchestrator across genres with, among others, Ulver on its Messe I.X-VI.X and on the arrangement of Ingolf Wunder’s paraphrases of orchestral works by John Williams, released...

Martin Romberg was born in Oslo, Norway in 1978. He studied classical composition with Michael Jarrell and fi lm music with Klaus Peter Sattler. Romberg composes music in a post-Romantic tonal language, based primarily on themes from fantasy literature, the visual arts, the world’s mythologies, and comic books. He endeavours above all to find expression in the borderland between popular culture and classical music. From his base in France he has worked with close to twenty orchestras throughout Europe, together with numerous choirs and soloists the world over. He has also worked extensively as orchestrator across genres with, among others, Ulver on its Messe I.X-VI.X and on the arrangement of Ingolf Wunder’s paraphrases of orchestral works by John Williams, released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2012. The French editor Éditions Gérard Billaudot began publishing a selection of Romberg’s works in 2010.

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Kjell Habbestad

KJELL HABBESTAD (b. 1955) is Professor of Music Theory and Composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, of which he is a graduate in church music and composition. His catalog of works includes 97 opuses including dramatic works (operas, oratorios), orchestral works, solo instrument concertos, chamber works for various combinations of instruments, works for organ and piano, and a large number choral works. Habbestad’s larger works include The Moster Pageant, which has been performed annually in an amphitheater at Moster, Norway (on the island of Bømlo), since 1984; the oratorios One Night on Earth (1983) and Adam and Eve (2008); the operas Hans Egede’s Night (1995) and Nenia— in Memory of Fartein Valen (2014), all with texts by Paal-Helge...

KJELL HABBESTAD (b. 1955) is Professor of Music Theory and Composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, of which he is a graduate in church music and composition. His catalog of works includes 97 opuses including dramatic works (operas, oratorios), orchestral works, solo instrument concertos, chamber works for various combinations of instruments, works for organ and piano, and a large number choral works.

Habbestad’s larger works include The Moster Pageant, which has been performed annually in an amphitheater at Moster, Norway (on the island of Bømlo), since 1984; the oratorios One Night on Earth (1983) and Adam and Eve (2008); the operas Hans Egede’s Night (1995) and Nenia— in Memory of Fartein Valen (2014), all with texts by Paal-Helge Haugen. Also worthy of mention are the opera Karlstad 1905 — A Page in the History of Civilization (2016), and the musical The Count of Monte Cristo (2011), both with librettos by the composer.

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