Halfdan Cleve - Piano Concerto No.5 Op.20 (I)

Eva Knardahl / Hanover Radio SO / Willy Steinar
Halfdan Cleve (5 October 1879 -- 6 April 1951) was a Norwegian composer, born and raised in Kongsberg. He lived some time in Germany. Some examples on his output as a composer are piano concertos, other piano works, and some chamber music. He was described as a child prodigy. He married and had four children.
Throughout his early childhood he was tutored with a firm hand by his father, the organist Andreas Klewe. A child prodigy, he made his first appearances on the concert stage at the age of five. The strictness of his training is exemplified by the fact that he was not allowed to play anything other than the works of Johann Sebastian Bach until he was sixteen! For the next three years his musical training was undertaken by Otto Winter-Hjelm, after which he studied in Berlin under Professor Raif and the brothers Xaver and Phillip Scharwenka. In 1902 he married Berit Winderen, a student of Theresa Carreno, and made numerous concert appearances together, both in Norway and abroad. Halfdan Cleve composed five piano concertos, a violin sonata, a piano quintet, songs with orchestral accompaniment and over one hundred piano pieces.

[@IanScott750]

Yet another example of excellent music by a composer of whom very little is known or heard. Thank you for introducing me to so many 'lost treasures'.

[@Clivejvaughan]

Ah.. another terrific Scandinavian - should have known. Thanks !

[@SteinArneJensen]

Thanks for posting this. Do you know the source of the recording? If it is a recorded radio broadcast, do you know where and when?

[@JCHBONNET]

Unfortunately, I do not know, I got it through my network of rare classical music lovers !

[@JCHBONNET]

@Clivejvaughan I have just updated the description. :D

[@Clivejvaughan]

This, like so many 'unknown' concerti, is very 'listenable'. Can you tell us anything about the composer ?