Hillborg: Violin Concerto No. 2 / Liquid Marble

At the occasion of the 70^th birthday of Swedish contemporary composer Anders Hillborg, the award-winning conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra release an album with some of his most recognizable works. Together with violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing and soprano Hannah Holgersson they have recorded Hillborg’s compositions: Liquid Marble, Kväll and Violin Concerto No. 2.

In the orchestral piece Liquid Marble Hillborg experiments with extremes. The rising cascades of sound in the introduction, the rapid runs of the strings and woodwinds, and an ecstatic ragtime episode are just some of the components of the work.  As in many other works, Hillborg wants to inspire listeners with a suggestive title. He explains: “Liquid Marble is a contradiction that I hope can evoke associations with the music”. The work Kväll for violin, soprano and orchestra features elements of folk music.

Hillborg's Violin Concerto No. 2 is a very energetic but also a meditative piece: ethereal sounds are punctuated by insistent calls from orchestra and soloist. The music is often dreamy, but also contains powerful, rhythmically driven sections. Eldbjørg Hemsing says about the work and fascination for Anders Hillborg’s music: “I was first introduced to Anders Hillborg’s sound world a few years ago and I just found it fascinating, beautiful, and exciting! Playing his second violin concerto is exhilarating: spanning from the most ethereal moments you’ll ever hear to memorable, catchy rhythmic sections, this concerto takes you on an unforgettable journey. It’s an escape that engulfs you from beginning to end.  As a violinist, the concerto rewards me every time I play it, with new excitement and sense of fun.  It was a highlight of my career to record it with incomparable Esa-Pekka Salonen and the outstanding Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.”