Episode 38: Nordic Sounds

This episode features works both rare and familiar by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, and Norwegians Edvard Grieg and Johan Halverson, all presented live in concert on the stages of the Heifetz International Music Institute. Performances by the legendary Shmuel Ashkenasi, rising star Angela Chan, and promising Heifetz students past and present.

This Episode’s Playlist

Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40

V. Rigaudon
Kobi Malkin, violin | Rachell Ellen Wong, violin | Stephanie Block, viola | Coleman Itzkoff, cello
Kreeger Museum Of Art, Washington DC
Heifetz Institute Recording | 12.15.2016

Jean Sibelius:
Romance, Op. 78 No. 2
WaItzes, Op. 81 No. 3
Berceuse, Op. 79 No. 6
Rondino, Op. 81 No. 2
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin | Dina Vainshtein, piano
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.13.2018

Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
I. Allegro molto ed appassionato [excerpt]
Liana Branscome, violin
Hui-Chuan Chen, piano
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.07.2015

Jean Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 56, “Voces intimae”
III. Adagio di molto
V. Allegro ma pesante
Kettle Run Quartet: Clara Kim violin |  Elinor Detmer, violin | John Czekanski, viola | Miles Levine, cello
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute recording  | 08.06.2022

Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40
III. Gavotte
Kobi Malkin, violin | Rachell Ellen Wong, violin | Stephanie Block, viola | Coleman Itzkoff, cello
Kreeger Museum Of Art, Washington DC
Heifetz Institute Recording | 12.15.2016

Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
II. Allegretto espressivo all Romanza
III. Allegro animato
Angela Sin Ying Chan, violin | Miki Aoki, piano
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute recording  | 07.25.2019

Georg Frideric Handel / Johan Halverson: Passacaglia  [excerpt]
Nigel Armstrong, violin | Steven Baloue, viola
South Market Stage, Grace Christian Church, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute recording | 04.22.2022

Go Deeper

• Heifetz faculty member Shmuel Ashkenasi and outstanding alumna violinist Angela Sin Ying Chan, both of whom are featured in this episode, will be part of the inaugural Heifetz Hear & Now concert of the 2023-24 season.  Joining them will outstanding Heifetz alums Matt Cohen, viola; Andres Sanchez, cello, and faculty pianist Allison Freeman.  Tickets and Info
• This episode features a portion of the Passacaglia, first written as part of a keyboard sonata by Georg Friderich Handel, and then transformed into a virtuoso showpiece for two instruments by the Norwegian composer Johan Halverson.  Check out this video made by Heifetz alums Rachell Ellen Wong (also coming to the Heifetz Hear & Now series) and Andrew Gonzalez. Marvel at the music-making, and enjoy the visual tour of our home base of Staunton, Virginia! 
• "I can see it all before me…snow, hail, storm and every kind of foul weather, huge male choir with open mouths, the rain streaming into them, myself conducting with waterproof cape, winter coat, galoshes, and umbrella! And a cold afterwards, of course, or goodness knows what kind of illness! Oh well, it’s one way of dying for one’s country!”  Read the story about the dismal climate conditions surrounding the premiere of two commissioned works by Edvard Grieg – one beloved, one forgotten!