Gramophone review: Wind music by Kvandal/ Mozart

By Elin Kvandal | 14. November 201723. November 2017

– Johan Kvandal is a Norwegian composer who writes with an evident respect for Mozart’s approach to the wind ensemble: This alone makes the coupling a good one.

His idiom is neo-classical, his harmonic style only occasionally going beyond a fairly straight- forward, cromatically inflected diatonicism. There are some jolly hunting sounds in the Scherzo of the second nonet, and a suitably nocturnal texture and harmonic density in the succeeding Adagio. A bracing piece, the Gramphone writes.

Nonets for eight wind instruments and double bass nr. 1 op. 54 and nr. 2 op. 57. Wind Serenade in C Minor K388/ K384a1. The Norwegian Wind Ensemble. Simax/ Conifer PSC1 037.

(excerpt)

Review in Gramophone, July, 1989

Visions Norvegiennes pour orchestre op. 67 (1985) 1:34
Symphony nr. 1 op. 18 (1959) - Movement I - 32` 1:21
Antagonia op. 28 (1979) - Movement III - 23` 1:16
Concerto for Chamber Orchestra op. 55 (1980) - 15` 1:27
Symphonic Epos for Orchestra op. 21 (1962) - 18` 5:27
Divertimento for String Orchestra op. 3 (1941) - 18` Johan Kvandal 1:39
Sinfonia Concertante op. 29 (1968) - 18` 1:29
Symphonic Epos for Orchestra op. 21 (1962) - 18` 5:27
Antagonia, Op. 38 Concerto for Two String Orchestras and Percussion (1973) - Movement I - 23` 1:13
Norwegian Overture for Orchestra op. 7 (1951) -7` 2:17
Skipper Worse Suite op. 28.b (1968) - Movement II - 17` 1:02
Triptychon for Orchestra op. 53 (1979) - 13` 0:15
Sinfonia Concertante op. 29 (1968) - 18` 1:29
Sinfonia Concertante op. 29 (1968) - 18` 1:29
Symphony nr. 1 op. 18 (1959) - Movement III - 32` 1:19
Variations and Fugue for Orchestra op. 14 (1954) - 15` 2:31
Skipper Worse Suite op. 28.b (1968) - Movement I - 17` 0:51
Symphony nr. 1 op. 18 (1959) - Movement I - 32` 1:21
Antagonia op. 28 (1979) - Movement II - 23` 2:07
Skipper Worse Suite op. 28.b (1968) - Movement I - 17` 0:51
Symphony nr. 1 op. 18 (1959) - Movement III - 32` 1:19
Visions Norvegiennes pour orchestre op. 67 (1985) 1:34
Sinfonia Concertante op. 29 (1968) - 18` 1:29
Symphony nr. 1 op. 18 (1959) - Movement I - 32` 1:21
Symphony nr. 1 op. 18 (1959) - Movement I - 32` 1:21
Sonata for Strings op. 79 (1994) - 12`45 2:00
Sonata for Strings op. 79 (1994) - 12`45 2:00