Released in April 2026 on NAXOS, New Nordic Pocket Concertos presents seven newly written violin concertos by composers from across the Nordic region. Among the featured works are concertos by Poul Ruders, Sunleif Rasmussen, and Joel Järventausta.
Poul Ruders’ Pocket Concerto (2021) is based on his earlier Three Tiny Pieces for Great Friends (1999), originally written for violin and piano. Arranged here for violin and chamber ensemble, the work unfolds in three concise movements: Romanza, Passione and Aria.
Sunleif Rasmussen’s Rósan í Vetrarljósi (The Rose in Winter Light) also follows a three-movement structure. The work evokes poetic imagery of a rose emerging in the cold winter light, unfolding through contrasting musical atmospheres that move between fragile lyricism and radiant sonorities.
In Songs, Games and Dances, Joel Järventausta explores a sequence of contrasting moods across six short movements. The piece moves between chorale-like stillness, lyrical song and playful dance, culminating in a fiery cadenza and an energetic concluding section.
Featured on this album is violinist Niklas Walentin and the Danish Chamber Players under the direction of Anne Marie Granau. The album explores the idea of the “pocket concerto”: a compact reinterpretation of the Romantic violin concerto in a chamber music setting.
New Nordic Pocket Concertos is available for streaming and digital download via NAXOS and Spotify.
