Album insights
Eyvind Alnæs, a prominent figure in the 20th-century music scene in Oslo, served as an esteemed organist for 37 years at various churches before concluding his career as the organist and cantor at Oslo Cathedral. In the early 1900s, sustaining oneself as a full-time church musician in Norway was unfeasible, compelling Alnæs to diversify his income through various musical pursuits. Alongside directing choirs, he chaired the Norwegian Composers' Association and served on the committee of TONO, the Norwegian performing rights society. Alnæs, renowned as a pianist and piano accompanist, published piano and organ schools and music collections for practical use while teaching piano and organ.
Alnæs received his musical training at a private conservatory in Oslo and continued his studies in Leipzig, receiving composition lessons from Carl Reinecke. Following the premiere of his First Symphony in 1896, he secured a scholarship to study composition with Julius Ruthard in Berlin. Noteworthy early works from his time in Berlin included the Variations symphoniques for orchestra (1898) and several smaller piano pieces. Despite showcasing his ambitions as a composer in a 1900 concert that presented his orchestral music in Leipzig, he, like Grieg, found himself juggling numerous musical obligations that consumed the time he could have dedicated to composing. Alnæs' compositional output comprised a significant number of song collections, asserting his position as one of Scandinavia's most frequently performed song composers. His piano music, predominantly poetic miniatures, also held a significant place in his repertoire, emphasizing his inclination towards creating marketable music. While he composed chamber and choral music, the piano concerto and the Second Symphony stood as his only major works post-1900.
In D major, Op. 27, the piano concerto, and the two symphonies by Alnæs follow classical forms and late Romantic harmonic styles, aligning him in the tradition of Rubinstein and Rachmaninoff. Described as a typical lyricist by his colleague Gerhard Schjelderup in 1921, Alnæs was seen as a musician grounded in traditional expression accessible to his listeners. Schjelderup critiqued Alnæs' piano music as empty and lacking significance, yet his judgment likely did not consider the dynamic and energetic piano concerto, a far cry from the weekly chorale improvisations of the cathedral organist.
The concerto's first movement unfolds in brilliant D major, showcasing a grand and impressive character reminiscent of Rachmaninoff. Vibrant virtuosic piano passages alternate with an orchestral texture, boasting the weight of Wagnerian elements with eight horns, six trombones, four trumpets, and two tubas. In stark contrast, the second movement exudes a tragic demeanor akin to a funeral march. A timpani roll reminiscent of Grieg transitions the listener into a graceful waltz featuring a delightful blend of popular melody and virtuosic piano writing, prompting spontaneous applause.