Author: sivelov

Peter Burwasser : “His broad performing repertoire, from Bach to living composers, is reflected in his music for solo piano. This is not to say that Sivelöv does not write with original flair and energy, but it is probably most useful to consider this material as homage. The very choice of a set of 24 preludes is a strong nod towards Chopin and Bach, among others, and the ghosts of both of those giants appear in this music. The strongest flavor here is 20th-century Modernism, in the manner of Prokofiev or Hindemith, material that itself is often in a Neoclassical style. As a generalization, Sivelöv sounds like both a performer and composer who works in a joyous and even humorous way. This is heard in fast, loud music and a tendency to run up and down the keyboard. Some of the music is even a bit bangy, but in a fun way. One of the preludes is described in the composer’s notes as having no key signature, and he directs the pianist to use the forearms to create clusters of notes. … He returns to a kind of Lisztian bravura in the Toccatina Feroce and finds entrancing sonorities in the Jeux de Cordes, which is played standing up so that the pianist can strike the strings of the piano by hand with a mallet. … It is a fittingly interesting and enjoyable way to conclude a delightful recital by this talented young artist.” —Fanfare Magazine, March/April 2016 Jonathan Woolf : “The major work here is the series of 24 Preludes, written between 2010 and 2015. Consciously seeking to write a cycle in the tradition of Chopin, Scriabin and Debussy is one thing but aligning, as Sivelöv says, with the influence Bach and jazz is another entirely and presents quite a potentially potent stylistic pottage. … There’s a tangy bite to some of these preludes – a brusque little March theme, a loquacious cantilena, a barbaro that suggests Bartók, virtuosic panache, terse romanticism in miniature, the use of the forearms to play clusters in a misterioso mood, harmonic wanderings, atmospheric quasi-improvisatory passages, and even the introduction of a French Overture [No.20] that has the effect of a similar contextual moment in the Goldberg Variations. As if all this wasn’t enough we find a few Arabic-inspired phrases in the penultimate Prelude and a fittingly dramatic conclusion. The composer is his own best executant but I hope pianists pick up on this cycle or cherry-pick from it. … The first of the Due Notturni shows the dreamier side of the composer’s muse whilst its companion gravitates to active intensification of material shared between the hands. There’s a brief Toccatina Feroce that certainly lives up to its name, and two Impromptus from 2015. The first is deliberately Satie-like though soon moves away from that rather stifling atmosphere. The second is rather quiet and showing once again the quasi-improvisatory qualities that must have been gleaned from jazz. Jeux de Cordes is all dynamism and rhythm. He plays with the mallet on the strings of the piano with one hand whilst the other takes a more conventional route via the keyboard. Exciting.” –Music Web International, January 2016 Mikael Bengtsson : “Recordings like this tend to develop into a tricky and problematic musical adventure. The risk is that the composer might get into a narrow box when interpreting his own work as there is no “second opinion” on the works, no chance to look at them from a different perspective. … But Sivelöv managed it well. He let go of the music, let it live its own life, let it be outside the box but never too much. … he finds himself in a musical borderland. He is inspired by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin and sprinkles this with big, heaping measure of modernism although there are also clear and distinct jazz influences. Best track, or rather, the funniest one is the most innovative: Closing “Jeux de Cordes,” composed in 2015 and played while standing with a wooden mallet in one hand which used to strike the string.” –Norran, February 2016 “But what I left with was a subtler enjoyment of the way his mind has assimilated so much iconic Western classical music, which then enters his own compositions like benign ghosts. The First Prelude, for example, begins so close to Schubert’s Marche militaire that it feels like an hommage until Sivelöv’s quick, restless imagination veers off at unexpected angles. This is fascinating music that is made approachable by the composer’s lucid writing. Finally, Sivelöv plays a fine Steinway D that has been captured in flawless recorded sound.” —Fanfare, May/June 2016

I prefer this recording over the one by Angela Hewitt”- Erik Wallrup OPUS magazine   “Niklas Sivelov finds the true playfullness of Bach”   5 stars out of 5 Martin Nystrom Dagens Nyheter   “Sivelov elicits, with his dazzling technique, the depth of J. S. Bach“ Tobias Lund  Sydsvenska Dagbladet   “Bach with a lot of surprises“ Mikael Bengtsson  Norra Västerbotten  

“These piano pieces are fascinating. Don’t expect a cool Nordic atmosphere‚ this music is modern, jagged often dissonant and reminiscent of Prokofiev. Two works are premiere recordings. The program ends with a dynamic Toccata written when Norgard was only 17. …All of this is superbly played by Swedish pianist Niklas Sivelöv, and the rich piano sound in these recordings made in Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Music are solid sonically. © 2017 ClassicalCDReview.com”

Symphony no. 1 Nordico score durata 30 min 1. Ode to nature 2. Ode to Edward Munch 3. Fire Dance of the Witches Publisher: STIM/Svensk Musik

Symphony no 2 the Myth of Sisyphus durata 34 min Publisher: STIM/Svensk Musik

“Early Piano pieces” Music by Per Norgaard ★★★★★ “The Sonata determinate (1949/50) is already gritty, its craggy central slow movement beautifully delivered by Sivelöv. Other delights include a set of three incredibly touching intermezzi Trifoglio,…”  International Piano, March 2018,  “Sivelöv plays with great affection and feeling, imbuing each and every page with just the right sensibility and feeling.” “a delightful album and one that illustrates the early career path of this excellent composer.” The Art Music Lounge, November 2017 ★★★★★ “The artistic quality is certainly amazing” Magasinet Klassisk DK 6 stars in the German magazine Piano News “Man weiss nicht, was man hier mehr bewundern soll: den Einfallsreichtum dieser ebenso originellen wie intellektuellen Werke oder die Art und Weise, wie Sivelöv Ihnen zu Leibe rückt-mit einer Mischung aus Spielwitz, Pathos, Entdeckerfreude und Leidenschaft, die einfach nur begeistret.” More reviews and info: https://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recordings/norgard-early-piano-works