Bartók: Divertimento & Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra & Eivind Aadland

• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz.113:
• 1 Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz.113: I. Allegro non troppo 09:17
• 2 Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz.113: II. Molto adagio 09:26
• 3 Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz.113: III. Allegro assai 07:25
• Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz.106:
• 4 Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz.106: I. Andante tranquillo 07:08
• 5 Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz.106: II. Allegro 07:34
• 6 Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz.106: III. Adagio 06:47
• 7 Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz.106: IV. Allegro molto 06:54
• Total Runtime 54:31

Info for Bartók: Divertimento & Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta

The two works on this album were commissioned by conductor Paul Sacher in the 1930s for the orchestra he founded in 1926, the Basel Chamber Orchestra. This orchestra was famous for it's adventurous programing, often combining baroque repertoire with contemporary works. Bartók's Divertimento nods at the baroque concerto grosso in it's use of individual groups of players, and the title 'divertimento' recalls Mozart's many examples of this form. By contrast, the earlier of the two commissions avoids any musical category - Bartók simply called the work Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste. 'Strings' in this works title includes harp and piano, 'percussion' adds not only timpani, but snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam and xylophone, and of course the sparkling sound provided by the celeste. It is a beautiful score, culminating in a brilliant finale with dance rhythms and folk dance syncopations.

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Eivind Aadland, conductor

Eivind Aadland
is one of Norway’s most respected conductors. Since 2020 he has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. He was Chief Conductor and Artistic Leader of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons from 2004, during which time he conducted the complete Beethoven and Mahler symphony cycles. His extensive work with Scandinavian orchestras includes regular guest engagements with the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonics, the Stavanger Symphony, the Gothenburg Symphony and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he has conducted acclaimed productions of Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte and Die Fledermaus for Den Norske Opera, Oslo.

He has also worked extensively in Asia and Australia. He is a frequent visitor to the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, the National Orchestra of Belgium and Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked with Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Lausanne and Scottish Chamber Orchestras and the symphony orchestras of Melbourne, Finnish Radio, Bamberg, Staatskapelle Weimar, SWR Stuttgart and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his career as a conductor, Eivind Aadland is a devoted collector of, and authority on, contemporary art. His private collection encompasses works in the diverse media of painting, photography, video and installation.

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO)
enjoys a national and international profile. German-born Sebastian Lang-Lessing has been the orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director since 2004.

Established in 1948, the TSO holds a unique place among Australian state orchestras due to its size and areas of expertise. With a full complement of 47 musicians, the TSO is an ideal interpreter of music of the Classical and early Romantic periods.

Resident in Hobart’s purpose-built Federation Concert Hall, the TSO plays throughout Tasmania and, since 2005, has presented an annual Sydney Season at City Recital Hall Angel Place. International touring has taken the orchestra to North and South America, Greece, Israel, South Korea, China, Indonesia and Japan.

Major international soloists who have appeared with the orchestra in its 60-year history include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Paul Badura-Skoda, Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel, Håkan Hardenberger, Nigel Kennedy, Radu Lupu, Igor and Valery Oistrakh, Heinrich Schiff, Isaac Stern and Paul Tortelier. A versatile orchestra, the TSO has also appeared with a range of popular and jazz acts including Kate Ceberano, James Morrison, Anthony Warlow and The Whitlams.

Booklet for Bartók: Divertimento & Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta