Alexander Fiterstein played the solo part hotly and expertly in the clarinet concerto "Memorial," by the Swedish composer Henrik Strindberg Paul Griffiths, New York Times, February 2000
Håkan Rosengren called from California and said "Now it's time to do something for Ansgar".
Ansgar Krook was the conductor who founded the KammarensembleN and who passed away all too early in a difficult disease. Håkan was a member from the start and Etymology was one of the first pieces that they commissioned and they used to play it everywhere they went, to the Ultima Festival, to Copenhagen... They also recorded it for their first CD.
We agreed on a new concert for clarinet and orchestra. I asked him "What do we call it?" His answer was short: "Minne" (Memorial).
The complete work is in three movements, each one dedicated to a friend who died too early.
Commissioned by Rikskonserter it was premiered by Håkan Rosengren and the Sundsvalls Kammarorkester conducted by John Storgårds, 1998. Two years later it was performed in New York by Alexander Fiterstein and the Juilliard Orchestra led by Donald Palma. I'll never forget how Donald welcomed me to the rehearsal: "Henrik, we like your piece!"
HS
- FOCUS! 2000 festival in New York by Alexander Fiterstein and the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Donald Palma.
Each movement has the name of a lost friend: Ansgar Krook, Liselotte Sandén, Ronny Olsson.