3-way project
Stein-Erik Olsen's new album, 3-way project (Simax
PSC 1253) has been very well recieved.
The Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende gave the
album top remarks and wrote:
- The possibilities found in the guitar are utilised
with elegance and knowledge, creating many special and fascinating
moods along the way. Technically and musically Stein-Erik Olsen
has never been better. [Espen Selvik, Bergens Tidende]
Classical Guitar Magazine about the
album:
- It is all played superbly by Stein-Erik Olsen.
[Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar Magazine]
- Stein-Erik Olsen meistert jede Klippe...... Eine
wirklich faszinierende Platte. [Agas]
Current activities
New Guitar Concerto
”Bergen Concerto”
dedicated to Stein-Erik Olsen 2006.
Koshkin comments on the Bergen Concerto:
"I wanted to write something very beautiful and strong, the concerto
of the larger scale than usually we meet in the repertoire, in
the scale of Stein Erik Olsen. And I decided to use the full
size symphony orchestra to have all the colours on my palette.
I've
been several times to Norway. This country is very impressive
to me. It is the country of the excellent musicians. And I admire
a lot the severe Norwegian beauty and the people. They love music
and they understand it very well. Maybe also because of that
my music was always very successful in Norway. And of course
I was in Bergen, the native city of one of my favourite composers
- Edward Grieg. So I decided not only to dedicate the music to
Stein Erik but also to give a second dedication in the title,
to connect the music with Bergen, and by that with the Norwegian
music, with great Edward Grieg traditions, with my beloved Scandinavia.
The
concerto is in three movements - very classical structure. The
tension goes through the whole work and gets to the highest degree
in the monumental final movement. The second movement is all "white" as
a snow in winter. Not a single alliterated note. The climax is
very unusual for guitar concerto. It is strong and majestic as
the Norwegian fiords. The final starts as a simple funny Polka
but going through the development it's changing into a powerful
dramatic movement - the climax of the whole composition.
In the guitar part I use some specific techniques, which I know
Stein Erik is very good with. In the cadenza the soloist has to
tune the guitar from D to E while playing, and the closing scales
needs a special fingering. In general the guitar part is very virtuoso
and rich."
New CD's coming.
"L'espace entre nous"
In collaboration with Gro Sandvik (flute) Stein-Erik
Olsen is working on a new CD with Russian and American music written
for flute and guitar. Gro Sandvik is a Professor of flute at the
Grieg Academy - University of Bergen and a Visiting Professor of
Flute at the University of Iowa School of Music.
Repertoire:
- Noel Zahler: "L'espace entre nous" (For Gro Sandvik
and Stein-Erik Olsen)
- Nikita Koshkin: "Oratorium Lacrimae" (For Gro Sandvik
and Stein-Erik Olsen)
- Edison Denisov: "Sonata for flute and guitar"
- Lowel Liebermann: "Sonata"
”The Ida Presti Project” (2007-2008)
The manuscripts of these pieces were recently found in Paris.
"The Ida Presti Project" is being done in collaboration with
Olivier Chassain, professor at the CNSM in Paris.
The recording will take place at the Musée da la Musique
in Cité de la Musique in Paris. We have been given permission
to use Presti and Lagoys famous Bouchet guitars which are part
of the collection of instruments in Musée de la Musique. |
