More reviews at «Rayfield Allied»
Per Nørgård: violin concertos 'Helle Nacht' and 'Borderlines'
Stavanger Symhony Orchestra conducted by Rolf Gupta
BIS-CD-1872
Nominated for a 2012 Gramophone Award
"Herresthal plays here the reduction for chamber orchestra [of Helle Nacht] Norgård made at his suggestion in 2002, which gives the music an extra transparency that proves even more beguiling than the original. Herresthal plays compellingly."
Guy Rickards, Gramophone June 2012
A master violinist explores two atmospheric Nordic Landscapes: "This compelling disc serves as much as a showcase for the unfussy, no-nonsense musicianship of Norwegian violinist Peter Herresthal as it does for the rarified music of Danish composer Per Nørgård. Herresthal is by turns muscular, introverted and mercurial in the first concerto. Similarly, Herresthal brings a clean Romanticism to the work's almost folk-like melodies, only to explode into assertive action for its showy pyrotechnics. His vivid, committed reading brilliantly captures the work's luminous, crepuscular world.
The 'Bordelines' of the Second Concert's title refers to the frontier territory the soloist occupies between two radically contrasting sonic worlds…traditional Western equal temperament and a strange microtonal landscape created by overtones in the cellos and basses. Herresthal is entirely convincing, wringing the last expressive possibilities out of not just the ear-tweaking world of sixth- and quartertones, but also the relentless shifting between two systems."
David Kettle, The Strad, April 2012
"This disc deserves the warmest recommendation"
Richar Whitehoues, International Record Review, March 2012
"Per Nørgårds beide Violinkonzerte sind in den Händen von Peter Herresthal bestens aufgehoben. An Klangschattierungen und gestischer Plastizität bleibt er dieser faszinierenden Musik nichts schuldig. Doch an musikalischem Schattierungsreichtum, ebenso leidenschaftlich-energischer wie virtuoser Präsentation und klanglicher Tiefenschärfe übertrifft sie die bisherigen Einspielungen der hier aufgenommenen Werke.
Der Geiger Peter Herresthal erweist sich als denkbar geeigneter Interpret, um die Kostbarkeiten der Musik von Per Nørgård in Klang zu verwandeln. Mit singend-heller, schabender, kantig-kratziger oder ätherisch-schwereloser Klangeinfärbung erfüllt er die Klangtexturen mit Leben, gibt ihnen eine gestische Qualität, auf dass sie sich mit den hoch differenziert gestalteten Anteilen des Sinfonieorchesters Stavanger verbinden. Auf dessen Höhepunkt wird eine ausladende Violinkadenz freisetzt, die Peter Herresthal die Gelegenheit verschafft, Virtuosität mit klangsinnlicher, energisch zupackender Gestaltungskraft zu verbinden.
[Nørgård] dürfe sich glücklich schätzen, dass seine Werke von einem Solisten solcher künstlerischer Statur gespielt werden. Man darf hinzufügen: Nicht nur der Komponist, auch der Hörer."
Tobias W Pfleger, klassik.com, 03 July 2012
Konzerthaus Wien 26 January 2012
Thomas Adès: violin concerto 'Concentric Paths'
Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna conducted by Anu Tali
"Peter Herresthal übernommenen heiklen Solopart mit Ruhe, Sicherheit, Eleganz."
Kronen Zeitung, 29 January 2012
Thomas Adès: violin concerto 'Concentric Paths'
Melbourne Festival
Melbourne Symphony conducted by Thomas Adès
15 October 2010
"Herresthal traversed the first movement's undulations and patches of exposed freneticism with serene assurance. Equally outstanding was his delicacy in realising each of the second movement's innovative pairings, where Ades eschews rules to stunning effect, elucidating the solo violin's timbral diversity by matching it with unexpected instruments, grouped and individual."
Eamonn Kelly, The Australian, 15 October 2010
"Peter Herresthal played with an analytical precision tempered by great sensitivity to Adès complex structures and layered colourations."
Gary Anderson, Arts Hub, 18 October 2010
Olav Anton Thommessen: Bull's Eye
Oslo Philharmonic conducted by Rolf Gupta
BIS-SACD-1512
Norwegian Music Critics Award
"The performance and engineering could hardly be improved upon, Peter Herresthal is equally adept in managing the pyrotechnical demands of Bull and Thommessen."
Peter Quantrill, The Strad, May 2006
"Peter Herresthal does an excellent job…this one of the standout contemporary music releases of 2006."
David Hurwitz, Classic Today, 05 May 2006
"Cantabile is as much a showpiece for Peter Herresthal’s superb musicianship as the concerto. I recommend it on the strength of the performances, the recording, and the quality of the compositions, all of which make this something of a must for the new music enthusiast."
Dominic Clements, Classical CD Review, May 2006
Arne Nordheim: Complete Violin Music
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eivind Aadland
BIS-CD-1212
Spellemann Prize
“This CD leaves an overwhelming impression of composer and soloist in complete understanding. Herresthal stamps his personality on the piece and turns Nordheims lavish gestures in to meaningful musical discourse. It would be easy to sleepwalk through this music, but Herresthal manages to keep all its strands in to the air. Herresthal portrays the character of each section [of the Partita] with panache and the electronically engineered collage in the final movement is magical."
Philip Clark, The Strad, April 2001
“Expertly played by Peter Herresthal, who displays much virtuosity throughout."
Robert Layton, BBC Music Magazine, January 2001
"The violin playing is of incredible range and has remarkable clarity and tone. The writing is not easy to execute but Herresthal is remarkable in not only being able to play it well but also make it work for its own self expressions of excitement and motion as well as passionate interludes. I am in awe of the music and the musicianship on this CD. Here one hears brilliant compositions by Nordheim and incredible demonstrative and devastating virtuosity by Peter Herresthal."
Duane Harper Grant, Sequenza, 22 April 2001