Capriccio

Item details

Description +
- Duration: 7 min.
  
  The Capriccio is a loosely structured composition with an improvisatory style, that gives the performer a free approach to the music. All small details give influences to the general impression. Important are the frequent tempo changes connected with dynamics.
Instrumentation +
- Marimba (5-octave)
Watch+
About the composer +
- Hans Magne Græsvold was born in Vennesla near Kristiansand, Norway in 1936. He started playing the flute at the age of 7 and received his education in composition and flute at the Oslo Conservatory of Music and the University of Oslo. He made his debut as a flautist in Kristiansand in 1958 and in Oslo in 1962. After completing his Master`s degree in Music he became Assistant Professor at the University of Trondheim in 1963 where he remained until 1973. His main subjects were music history, composition, harmony and flute. In 1973 he moved back to the south and took up a similar position at the Agder Conservatory of Music in Kristiansand (from 2007 Agder University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Music). In addition to his teaching Græsvold has contributed many articles to several scientific publications. In 1986 he was the editor of Edvard Grieg´s Vocal compositions with Orchestra, published by Peters in 1986, and in 1999 he co-edited with Terje Mathisen an edition of the songs of Sigurd Lie. Very little of this talented composer`s work has been published and Græsvold and Mathisen continue to edit and publish his compositions for choir, orchestra and ensembles.
  
  As a composer Græsvold was initially influenced by Norwegian folk music, but later took inspiration from European composers especially Bartok, Schoenberg and Messiaen. His music includes several orchestral works (amongst them a flute concerto and a clarinet concerto) and chamber music (3 piano duos, 2 string quartets, 1 quartet for flute & strings, 2 sonatas for flute and piano, a suite for violin & piano, 1 piano sonatina and 1 guitar sonatina). In addition to several single movements for piano, guitar, flute, violin, cello, accordion, organ and 30 romances, Græsvold has also made several contributions to church music with his 3 cantatas, 2 masses and 30 motets. In addition he has made a large number of arrangements for different ensembles. He is a member of the Norwegian Society of Composers.
  
  In 2007 Græsvold was awarded the Kings`s Order of Merit in gold as an acknowledgement for his work as a musician and composer.
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, July (60) 2012)
  
  Norwegian Flautist and composer Hans Magne Graesvold has delivered a new flavor to the contemporary marimba repertoire. This seemingly improvisatory work provides the performer and listener with an exciting eight minutes of shifting dynamics and tempi.
  
  Using the full range of the instrument, the performer must possess advanced four-mallet technique. Single independent (inside and outside), double vertical, single alternating, double lateral (inside and outside), and triple lateral (inside and outside) strokes are all used.
  
  The non-idiomatic nature of the composition is a breath of fresh air. Sometimes it takes a non-percussionist to think outside the box, and in many cases, that results in something quite new.
  
  Due to its difficulty, I do not expect to see this piece explode onto the solo marimba scene; however, advanced players looking for a challenge should give it a try.
  
  —T. Adam Blackstock
Credits +
- Photo: Simon Hansen
  Front Cover graphics and layout: Ronni Kot Wenzell
  Dedicated to Ronni Kot Wenzell
  Engraving: Hans Magne Græsvold/Johan Svitzer
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition Svitzer
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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