Last Spring Bugge Wesseltorft & Henning Kraggerud

• 1 Blåmann 04:57
• 2 Om Kvelden 06:11
• 3 Margit Hjukse 03:25
• 4 Stevtone 05:44
• 5 Hei hu 03:57
• 6 Jeg lagde meg så silde 05:58
• 7 Lilja 05:08
• 8 Last Spring 05:53
• 9 Byssan Lull 02:58
• 10 Den fyrste song 03:38
• 11 Gjendines Bådnlåt 05:48
• 12 Maria durch ein Dornwald ging 04:42
• 13 Sæterjentens Søndag 04:59
• 14 Improvisation Over La Folia 02:43
• 15 Til Ungdommen 03:42
• 16 Wiegenlied 03:11
• Total Runtime 01:12:54

Info for Last Spring

Two outstanding musicians out of two worlds – Bugge Wesseltoft; one of the great jazz pianists, and Henning Kraggerud; classical violinists – came home to celebrate their memories of Norway’s spring time: longingly and dearly they tell mystical lore of light-coloured nights and dark melancholy. They present minimalistic meditations and paint a musical picture of their homeland with greatest intensity that simply fascinates.

Every ACT Album has it ìs own story. Schloss Elmau plays a role in many. This magnificent hotel at the foot of the Bavarien Alps, far removed from everyday life and constantly flooded with culture, has inspired a number of outstanding artists from Gidon Kremer and Brad Mehldau to Esbjörn Svensson. Moreover in recent times several award-winning albums by ACT artists such as Joachim Kühn and Michael Wollny, Gwilym Simcock and Dieter Ilg have been recorded at this unique place. This time it was the launch pad for a new and surprising collaboration, simultaneously building a bridge between Classical and Jazz, and helping many people revisit and resume a long-awaited success story.

In early 2011, label owner Siggi Loch attended a concert by the Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud at Schloss Elmau. Afterwards, the two of them got talking, and Kraggerud mentioned the legendary Christmas album 'It's snowing on my piano' by his countryman Bugge Wesseltoft: 'That's our absolute favourite CD! It plays non-stop at our place every year from early December to the end of January.' Upon hearing that, Siggi Loch happily introduced himself as the producer of the album. 'Why don't you make another album for the rest of the year?' Kraggerud then asked. 'Would you play on it?' Loch countered. 'Of course,' came the immediate response. The only thing that remained was to convince Bugge Wesseltoft to join them on the project. He didn't hesitate to consent, and so it was that they came together in November 2011 to record 'Last Spring' in Oslo's famous Rainbow Studio, the place where 'It's snowing on my piano' was recorded.

It is no coincidence that the Classical musician Kraggerud is a fan of that CD, which is the most successful ACT album to date, and which has been lauded repeatedly since its release in 1997 for its 'almost celestial beauty' and as the 'greatest Christmas CD of them all' (Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung).

There are tangible musical predilections of Kraggerud that make understandable his love of the minimalistic and 'classically' austere 'It's snowing on my piano', which at the same time celebrates variation and the spirit of freedom. This 38 year-old is one of the most successful solo violinists of his time, having played with the best orchestras – most recently with the Danish National Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra – and conductors in the most prestigious concert halls around the world.

This multi-talented pupil of Camilla Wicks, Emanuel Hurwitz and Stephan Barratt-Due also lives out his passion as a chamber musician – for example in an all-star quintet with Martha Argerich, Joshua Bell, Yuri Bashmet and Mischa Maisky – as festival director, university professor and composer, and not least of all as improviser. This makes Kraggerud one of a growing number of classical musicians for whom the two great music forms Classical and Jazz are not mutually exclusive but instead complement each other – which goes without saying for this largely classically educated modern Jazz exponent.

This is important for Bugge Wesseltoft, the grand master of the synthesis of live electronics and jazz improvisation, to now show his more tranquil, classical side again. Together, Wesseltoft and Kraggerud let time progress one season from the winter theme of 'It's snowing on my piano' and put together a sparkling program of 16 pieces with connections to spring for 'Last Spring', which is founded mostly on Norwegian folk music. The title track is based on a theme from the great Nordic Romantic Edvard Grieg which is also apparent in many of the other tracks. Alongside folk songs like 'Om Kvelden' and 'Hei hu', also called upon are indigenous composers from various ages, largely unknown to us: from Anne Haavie, deceased in 1888, and Lars Søraas the Elder, to the Danish organist Otto Mortensen, who died in 1986 and the young singer and lyrist Øyonn Groven Myhren. Then there is also an improvisation on the baroque La Folia, the oldest melodic-harmonic compositional structure, and finally a rendition of Johannes Brahms' Lullaby.

As the title intimates, 'Last Spring' is a revisiting of spring. It is not an exulting, whirling awakening, but a sustained, minimalistic meditation, oriented strongly towards the details, the variance of the melodies, the breadth and beauty of the sound. It is based on the most perfect interaction possible: Wesseltoft's soft piano daubs melt like wax into the pizzicato melodies that Kraggerud entices out of his 1744 Guarneri violin, his Harald Lund viola and his unique six-stringed viola Concorda.

This magical duo succeeds in gleaning new sound ideas and facets from spring, just as the original concept intended. There won't be much doubt as to which CD will be playing from February to May in Norway. And not just then and there...

Bugge Wesseltoft, piano
Henning Kraggerud, violin, viola & viola concorda

Recorded by Jan Eric Kongshaug, Nov. 22 & 23, 2011 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, Norway
Mixed and mastered by Jan Eric Kongshaug
Produced by Siggi Loch

Bugge Wesseltoft
Seit der norwegische Keyboarder 1990 als Mitglied der Band von Bassist Arild Andersen die internationale Jazzszene betrat, hat er eine wirklich beeindruckende Wandlung durchgemacht: Weg von den nordischen Jazztraditionen, die er u.a. mit Landsleuten wie Jan Garbarek und Andersen auf Alben für ECM hegte und pflegte, hin zu seiner eigenen neuen Konzeption des Jazz, die sich nicht scheut, Elemente von Deep House, Ambient Music, Drum’n’Bass, Big Beat und Funk gleichberechtigt zu integrieren.

Jazz aus Norwegen ist jahrzehntelang weltweit - außer natürlich in Norwegen selbst - vor allem mit dem in München beheimateten ECM-Label des deutschen Produzenten Manfred Eicher assoziiert worden. Seit Eicher ab 1970 (meist im Team mit dem exzellenten Osloer Toningenieur Jan Erik Kongshaug) Aufnahmen von Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, Sidsel Endresen, Jon Balke und zuletzt Ketil Bjørnstad produzierte und auch international erfolgreich lancierte, gilt das ECM-Label unter anderem als Brutstelle dieser speziellen Variante des Jazz.

Ungeachtet der eigentlich kaum zu überhörenden Tatsache, daß Garbarek, Rypdal, Andersen und Co. trotz mancher Gemeinsamkeiten doch über sehr unterschiedliche musikalische Eigenheiten verfügen, zimmerten europäische und amerikanische Kritiker - in meist gar nicht mal böser Absicht - mit professioneller Hingabe aus mehr oder minder netten folkloristischen Clichés eine Schublade, in die fortan alle norwegischen Jazzkünstler ebenso ungefragt wie unreflektiert hineingesteckt wurden.

Aus genau dieser Cliché-Schublade hüpfte 1996 wie ein Springteufel der damals 32jährige Keyboarder und Sound-Tüftler Jens Bugge Wesseltoft mit seinem Album ”New Conception Of Jazz”. Wesseltofts musikalische Biographie weist zwar eine ganze Reihe von Verknüpfungspunkten zu den meisten der vorgenannten norwegischen Künstler auf. Darüberhinaus arbeitete er aber auch mit stilistisch ganz anders orientierten Künstlern wie dem Schlagzeuger Billy Cobham oder dem brasilianischen Popstar Gilberto Gil zusammen.

”Ich wollte etwas machen, das meine ganze musikalische Persönlichkeit widerspiegelt”, erläuterte der Keyboarder 1996 das Konzept seiner Einspielung. Dabei ist der Jazz definitiv Wesseltofts Ausgangspunkt. Sein Vater ist ein in Norwegen etablierter Jazzgitarrist und so wuchs Bugge daheim mit Platten wie Miles Davis’ ”Kind Of Blue” auf. Wie viele aufstrebende Jazzmusiker seiner Generation bezog er seine Inspiration primär von amerikanischen Größen wie Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock und Chick Corea. Dazu gesellten sich dank der norwegischen Herkunft aber bald auch Leitbilder vom Schlage Jan Garbareks, Terje Rypdals, Arild Andersens und Jon Christensens.

Später, nachdem er selbst eine musikalische Laufbahn eingeschlagen hatte, konnte Bugge Wesseltoft mit diesen vier norwegischen ”Jazz-Gurus” zusammenarbeiten und eine Menge von ihnen lernen. Ebenso sehr hat sich Wesseltoft aber auch im Bereich der zeitgenössischen norwegischen Rockmusik umgetan, sowohl als Instrumentalist als auch als Produzent. All dies führte ihn musikalisch schließlich dorthin, wo man ihn heute findet: auf und zugleich zwischen allen stilistischen Stühlen. Und das breitgefächerte Spektrum seiner diversen Erfahrungen floß auf ausgesprochen natürliche Weise auch in sein ”neues Jazzkonzept” ein.

”Ich mag es, über eine bestimmte Form oder Soundscapes zu improvisieren”, gesteht Wesseltoft. ”Es fasziniert mich, rhythmische Elemente zu schaffen und eine Klanglandschaft metrisch zu manipulieren. Das ist für mich allemal interessanter und kreativer als das traditionelle Thema-Solo-Thema-Ding herunterzuspulen.”

Henning Kraggerud
Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud is an artist of exquisite musicianship, who combines an unusually sweet tone and beauty of expression with impressive virtuosity, drawing audiences and critics alike towards the genuine quality of his playing. Henning maintains a busy diary as soloist with many of the world’s major orchestras, building relationships with leading conductors. In Summer 2010 he gave a critically-acclaimed performance at the BBC Proms with the Danish National Symphony under Thomas Dausgaard, and a highly successful season followed including concerts with the Hallé Orchestra, the Bergen Festival, the West Australian and Tasmanian Symphony orchestras, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and a recital at New York’s Lincoln Center.

After a triumphant debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Osmo Vänska in 2010, Henning has been invited to re-join the conductor at the New World Symphony in the 11/12 season. A favourite with US audiences, Henning has worked previously with the Detroit Symphony under Peter Oundjian and the Seattle Symphony under Vassily Sinaisky among others, and this season returns to the Cincinnati Orchestra as well as performing as soloist and conductor with both the Pacific and Vancouver Symphony orchestras.

The play/directing element of Henning’s career is fast developing as he proves his exceptional talent in this role. In 2009, he stepped in at late notice to play/direct the Britten Sinfonia at the City of London Festival; such was his success that the ensemble invited him as guest director on two major touring projects in 2011. His performance with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in the 09/10 season was hailed by the New York Times for his “sweet, polished sound” and the “melting beauty” of his playing. He has performed as play/director with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and in the 11/12 season joins the Basel Chamber Orchestra on a tour to include the Rheingau Festival. Extending his work with chamber orchestras further, Henning returns this season to the Geneva Chamber Orchestra where he has been invited to curate a complete programme for violin and viola along with Ilya Gringolts and conductor David Greilsammer.

With a strong Scandinavian profile, Henning continues to work extensively in his home region, including recent concerts with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra with Jukka Pekka Saraste. He has maintained frequent collaborations with the Helsinki and Oslo Philharmonic and the Norwegian Chamber orchestras, as well as strong links with many of the Norwegian festivals. The current season sees a return to the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

In Summer 2011, Henning began his role as co-Artistic Director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music, succeeding Leif Ove Andsnes.

With his strong commitment to chamber music, Henning performs both on violin and viola at the major international festivals; recent collaborations have included a ‘Szymanowski Focus’ at London’s Wigmore Hall and New York’s Zankel Hall curated by Piotr Anderszewski, and performances at the Verbier Festival with Joshua Bell, Leonidas Kavakos and Martha Argerich. This season, Henning joins musical colleagues at the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, Poland’s prestigious International Festival Wratislavia Cantans, the Holland Summer Festival and the Cheltenham Festival.

As a solo recitalist, the current season sees Henning’s recital debut in Tokyo, where he will perform the complete unaccompanied Violin Sonatas by Ysaye; he has recorded all these works for Simax for which he received the prestigious Spellemann CD award. He also brings this programme to the Yerevan International Music Festival this season, and with frequent collaborator Christian Ihle Hadland, gives recitals in Dublin and Manchester.

Booklet for Last Spring