Vivaldi / Kraggerud: Four Seasons [Between the Seasons]

Henning Kraggerud was recently delighted to receive an ECHO Klassik award for "Best Concert Recording" for his NAXOS album of Mozart's Violin Concertos, which German music critics have also almost universally acclaimed as a modern reference recording. Now the Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor presents his take on another repertoire classic: Vivaldi's most famous concert cycle, The Four Seasons, on the program of Kraggerud's latest album. But it wouldn't be Kraggerud if he hadn't come up with something to enhance the program even further. And so he has juxtaposed Vivaldi's music with his own compositions (some composed specifically for this occasion, some selected from his previous oeuvre to fit the program), effectively using Vivaldi's music as a mirror for the 21st century. All the while, we are served another interpretation of Vivaldi's timeless classic that is worthy of becoming a reference recording, from which one can never get enough in such a fresh, perfectly focused recording. Henning Kraggerud is the artistic director of the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra's chamber orchestra. This interesting Norwegian orchestra, which has received numerous awards since its founding in 2009, is funded 50% by the Norwegian cities of Tromsø and Bodø. It is considered one of the "northernmost" symphony orchestras in the world and is a great example of successful Norwegian cultural policy.