UK appearance and prestigious Danish award for Vilde Frang
The young violin talent Vilde Frang will perform with the BBC Philharmonic as part of the Leeds International Concert Season in October.
The concert will see soloist Vilde Frang, conductor Vassily Sinaisky and the BBC Philharmonic in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Shostakovich’s Symphony No 15 and Elgar’s overture Cockaigne.
Although only 23 years old, the up-and-coming violinist has travelled around the world with a number of symphony orchestras. She made her debut only ten years old with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. At the age of twelve, she first played with the Oslo Philarmonic Orchestra. Since then, Vilde Frang has studied at Barrat-Due’s Institute of Music in Oslo, the Music College in Hamburg and is now undertaking a master’s degree at the Kronberg Academy in Frankfurt.
In September, Vilde Frang was awarded the prestigious Danish Queen Ingrid Honorary Prize of DKK 250 000 in Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen. The prize was presented by Her Royal Highness Queen Margrethe II and her two sisters Princess Benedicte and Queen Anne Marie. Tivoli's music director Nikolaj Koppel gave a speech motivating the Royal Family's choice of Vilde as recipient for 2009. He emphasised that Vilde has successfully managed the transition from child prodigy into grown musician. Her exceptional talent has always been obvious, and she is now standing on the brink of an impressive international career. She is awarded the prize to ensure that she is given the most favourable and comfortable circumstances to develop her talent further.
Only shortly before Vilde Frang received the honorary prize, her debut CD on the EMI label was released. She has recorded concertos by Sibelius and Prokofiev with WDR Sinfonieorchester Cologne conducted by Thomas Søndergård. The recording is released first in Scandinavia and will be on the market in the rest of Europe later this autumn. The CD has already been reviewed in several newspapers and it has been received most favourably.
“It has only been a question of time before the next magic Miss Violin would announce herself. Here she is. Vilde Frang is the name of the delicate young lady from the high North, who has the promise of going all the way to the top.”
Stuttgarter Zeitung, 11 April 2008
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