***** A legacy well worth remembering

SCHMIDT Guitar Concerto1,2. Echoes1,3,4. Toccata No. 13. Double Concerto for Violin and Accordion1,3,5  1Max Artved, cond; 1Royal Danish Academy of Music CO; 2Jesper Sivebæk (gt); 3Bjarke Mogensen (acc); 4Rasmus Kjøller (acc); 5Christine Åstrang (vn)  OUR RECORDINGS 9.70858 (41:38)

Ole Schmidt (1928–2010) is best known to collectors as the conductor of a complete set of Carl Nielsen’s symphonies. It was a watershed recording at the time. The set featured the London Symphony Orchestra, was released originally on Unicorn, and is still available on the Alto label. If Schmidt has a “Forgotten Legacy”, as this release is titled, it would be as a composer rather than a conductor, although his own music has retained a foothold in his native Denmark, where he is known for his series of ten String Quartets. Schmidt also wrote quite a few concertos, notably for flute, clarinet, oboe, brass instruments, and accordion. Many of these may be found on disc or as downloads in the Da Capo catalogue.
As well as the works featuring accordion on this disc, there are two Accordion Concertos, a Symphonic Fantasy for Accordion and Orchestra, and doubtless other solo pieces in Schmidt’s output. Scandinavian composers have utilized the instrument in a serious way in concertos and symphonies; fascinating examples may be found in works by Poul Ruders. Schmidt’s Double Concerto for Violin, Accordion (2005), heard here, is in a straightforward fast/slow/fast three-movement form (as is the Guitar Concerto), and exhibits the composer/conductor’s experienced understanding of instrumental timbres. The slow movement (Andante) contains a long passage where the two solo instruments play together: The violin’s ecstatic melodic line over the top of rich, middle-register accordion chords is ideally balanced, and as high strings and woodwind lines begin to join in, the texture becomes enhanced. The Allegro finale bustles along with everybody (including the timpanist) having a ball. Bjarke Mogensen, who plays the solo part stunningly, worked with the composer on matters of technique and interpretation.
The Guitar Concerto dates from 1976, revised 2024/25—but not by the composer, who had been dead by then for fifteen years. The story is told in a personal note by the guitarist Jesper Sivebæk. Although the concerto was composed and premiered in the ‘70s, Schmidt was not happy with it. In particular, he felt his writing for the instrument was clumsy and unidiomatic. Subsequently he sent the manuscript to young Sivebæk with a view to reworking the piece, but died soon after without the two of them having the chance to get together. Sivebæk rediscovered the score in 2024, and his excitement was rekindled. He fully revised the solo part, and made other changes to the third movement that Schmidt had only hinted at.
The model for the concerto appears to be Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, which Schmidt had conducted frequently. The first movement is a joyful allegro, sprightly but of course lacking the Spanish characteristics of Rodrigo’s masterpiece. Instead, if anything, it has a Les Six style insouciance. À la Rodrigo, the slow movement begins with a slowly strumming chord, but in this case it is played by the harp as the guitar unfolds the subtly decorated lyrical theme. The melody has an attractive improvisatory quality. A cadenza follows. It all sounds highly idiomatic thanks to Sivebæk, who is a superb guitarist. The big change, and a major contrast to Rodrigo’s work, comes in the third movement, Toccata. Here the soloist swaps his acoustic instrument for a Gibson electric guitar, giving the music a driving ostinato and jazz/rock feel. The changing metres and modern 20th century harmonies maintain Schmidt’s voice, so this movement does not sound detached stylistically. The changes Sivebæk made concern the guitar’s sonority, utilizing such effects as a wah-wah pedal, distortion, and so on. This concluding movement is short, sharp, and exciting. The concerto was neglected for a number of years, but it should not be part of a forgotten legacy: Sivebæk’s work and this excellent recording hopefully will arouse the interest of others.
The two shorter works are a Toccata for solo accordion, substantial at 7 minutes and played by Mogensen with aplomb, and a mysterious piece for orchestra with two accordions, Echoes. Bongos play an important part in the somewhat turbulent texture of this brief work. All the musicians in this program serve to bring Schmidt’s legacy to vibrant life, including conductor Max Artved (also a proclaimed oboist) and the Royal Danish Academy of Music Chamber Orchestra. As usual with OUR releases, the sound is vivid and present. A terrific release, highly recommended. It seems to be available as a download or on vinyl, but I presume a CD will appear eventually. (Does anyone over 20 buy vinyl these days?) Phillip Scott