Concerto No. 2 for Xylophone and String Orchestra (Roikjer)
General Info
Year of Published: 2021
Publisher: Edition Sviter
Level: Advanced
Price: €45.00
Instrumentation
Xylophone and String Orchestra
Description
When Edition Svitzer was contacted in 2011 by the then timpanist in The Royal Danish Orchestra Søren Monrad, Monrad's announcement was clear and distinct. He had come into possession of something very valuable, which under no circumstances should be lost. During a tour of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Monrad had spotted some handwritten pages by Kjell Roikjer. One of the pages was provided with the heading Concerto No. 2 for xylophone and string orchestra.
Monrad found no indication of when the work should have been composed. But when Kjell Roikjer's first xylophone concerto was among his most acclaimed works, it was with great enthusiasm that Monrad began to read through the newfound work. He made an agreement with Edition Svitzer that the publisher should keep the material safely stored and begin further work when the timing felt right. In the middle of the pandemic in 2020, the timing was finally as it should be, and consequently Edition Svitzer began to put the pages together. It was clear that the third movement of the work was incomplete, the cadence in the first movement was lacking and that there was extensive work to decipher the faded copy of the handwritten manuscript. After careful consideration, it was decided that the composer Casper Cornelius should take on the task of editing and finishing composing Kjell Roikjer's dazzling work. Based on studies of Kjell Roikjer's other works, Cornelius has sought to complete the work in the same style and spirit.
Edition Svitzer's most important task since the beginning has been to protect the cultural heritage both at home and abroad. Our mission is cemented with the release of Kjell Roikjer's Concerto No. 2 for xylophone and string orchestra, and we hope that you will take very well to the close-lost work that you now have in your hands.