Henning Kraggerud is a risk-taker, which mostly is a good thing. In the Sibelius he plays with tremendous intensity and feeling, particularly in the extremely fleet finale, which, thanks to Bjarte Engeset’s pinpoint precision, lacks nothing in rhythmic clarity (note the rhythm in the strings and timpani at the outset). Elsewhere, such as the first-movement cadenza, or the climax toward the end of the slow movement, Kraggerud’s passionate take on the music makes it sound as though life and death issues really are at stake, despite some roughness of tone now and again. It’s a distinctive performance, made only more attractive by the presence of the Serenade in G minor. The Christian Sinding Violin Concerto also is delightful–decidedly Nordic in feeling, fresh as a spring day, and not a note too long. The much later Romance reveals little in the way of musical development, but it retains just as many virtues.
There are two problems, though. First, Kraggerud is a major-league breather, gasping and grunting his way through the music in a fashion that becomes as annoying as it is predictable. Second, the sound oddly places the soloist in a perspective different from that of the orchestra, an effect exacerbated by his unnatural center-channel placement on SACD (which I do not recommend). In stereo, the engineering is much more natural, though still not ideal. I have no problem recommending this recording for the Sinding, and for Kraggerud’s exciting talent. Next time, though, the engineers should tell him to put a mute on the respiratory activity.
