The recording features Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 “Paris”, Haydn’s Symphony No. 92 “Oxford”, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, each reimagined with clarity, nuance, and the vibrant character that defines Oslo Kammerakademi’s artistry. Under the direction of David Friedemann Strunck, the ensemble brings precision and expressive depth to these transcriptions, illuminating the elegance and energy of the originals while celebrating the unique textures of wind instruments.

The Silk Road features four works. Two of them are by 19th-century composers who were fascinated by the music of North Africa and the Middle East: Camille Saint-Saëns’ work for military band, Orient et occident (1869), and André Caplet’s three-movement Suite Persane (1900). The release also contains two works commissioned by Oslo Kammerakademi: the story of The Last Days of Sultan Selim III (2011) retold in music by Turkish composer Mert Karabey, and the album’s title work, Gisle Kverndokk’s suite The Silk Road (2017), inspired by music that might have been encountered along a trade route between Venice and China.

One hundred and forty years ago, flutist, composer, educator, and conductor Paul Taffanel wanted to bring the winds into the musical spotlight. He believed that French wind players, who had become leaders in the field, didn’t quite get the recognition they deserved. He thus founded a chamber music organization for winds – Société de musique de chambre pour instruments á vents – whose objective was to spread and promote chamber music repertoire for these very winds. 

The press took note of Taffanel’s project and the magazine La Revue et Gazette de Paris described the ensemble’s raison d’être in the following way after its premiere on 6 February 1879: “A group of artists has just met with the commendable goal of making chamber music for wind instruments better known, something we have far too much neglected at our concerts.” Taffanel took the classic octet as his starting point, the orchestration that had given rise to the Harmonie music of Mozart and Beethoven’s time, but the society also aimed to profile soloists and bring new French and foreign works to light. A selection of these works is represented on this album.

During their first 10 years, the Oslo Kammerakademi has released a number of acclaimed recordings on the LAWO Classics label, and in this, their anniversary year – along with pianist Christian Ihle Hadland – offer some extra special treats for piano and winds!

Woodwind music (Harmoniemusik) was in fashion. Musicians played at table and in the private gatherings both with the emperor in Vienna and with other royals and nobles throughout central Europe. Harmonimusikk could be heard in parks and gardens and on streets and beaches. Mozart seized this opportunity to enchant Vienna in brilliant fashion way. No one had quite the lyrical gift when writing for windplayers as Mozart.

These works for wind octet by Klein, Kvandal and Yun are regarded as cornerstones of the recent literature, and they rest on a common aesthetic and ethical foundation, together with the newly composed wind octet by Magnar Åm. It is interesting to note that the works of all the composers featured here have ties to origins, whether specifically in relationship to this genre of music, or in a more spiritual-philosophical sense.

The majority of composers associated with what today is called Norway’s musical golden age travelled to Leipzig to study. Both Edvard Grieg and Johan Svendsen studied with the legendary composer, conductor, and pianist Carl Reinecke. The Dane Emil Hartmann was also in Leipzig for a brief period of study.

Oslo Chamber Academy presents on its debut CD chamber music by Beethoven for wind octet. This repertoire ranges from the “Storm and Stress” compositions of the young Beethoven to the mature Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7 transcribed for wind octet with double bass.