Cleve/ Vesca/ Brauner - Ballade Tragica

Music from Halfdan Cleve is finally on record! The present release is the world premiere recording of Halfdan Cleve's chamber works. Tor Johan Bøen has taken on the mission of bringing Cleve into the light and to make his music available for a wider audience. Cleve was not only a very successful composer, but he was also considered one of the greatest pianists in the Nordic region. Halfdan Cleve´s music has been neglected for almost 70 years; Several of his compositions only exists as manuscripts, there is not a major biography about him, and there is minimal of research done of his life and his musical activities - until now. Tor Johan Bøen (b. 1971) has a unique position in the world of Norwegian music, combining his career as concert violinist with musical research. He won the Norwegian competition for young violinists at age 13, and at 17 he joined the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. He studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music and continued his studies in the United States with Camilla Wicks at Louisiana State University and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Sergiu Luca at Rice University in Houston, Texas where he graduated with a Doctorate of Musical Arts in 2005. Tor Johan Bøen is noted for his performances of music from the Baroque era to the early 20th century on original instruments as well as performances on modern violin.