Nordic Spring

NORDIC SPRING • Terje Tønnesen (vn, cond); Lars Anders Tomter (va); Norwegian CO • SIMAX 1264 (61:46) GRIEG Holberg Suite. ATTERBERG Suite for Violin, Viola, and String Orchestra. SVENDSEN Romance. NIELSEN Little Suite. BRAEIN Serenade for Viola and Orchestra. SIBELIUS Valse triste Nordic spring? I don’t know where the “spring” comes from (not one work on the disc has anything to do with spring), but Nordic this program certainly is. All four countries are represented, in six works from as many composers, in repertory ranging from the thrice-familiar to the virtually unknown, at least outside of their countries of origin. On the surface, the repertory may appear a bit bland, but the playing is so fresh and vibrant, the textures so clear, the sound so rich and warm, that even a C-Major scale from the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra would be worth listening to. The fullness of sound they achieve comes partly from favoring the number of instruments at