Henry Holst – The Great Forgotten Danish Violinist

CD 1 Ralph Vaughan Williams  Violin Concerto in D minor, ´Concerto Accademico´ (1924-25)  1. I. Allegro pesante 2. II. Adagio 3. III. Presto Frederick Delius  4. Légende in E flat major (1895)  William Walton  Violin Concerto (1938-39)  5. I. Andante tranquillo 6. II. Presto capriccioso alla napolitana 7. III. Vivace Pablo de Sarasate  8. Zigeunerweisen Op. 20, (1878)  Fritz Kreisler 9. Liebesleid  CD 2 Franz Schubert  Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in B flat major, Op. 99  1. I. Allegro moderato 2. II. Andante un poco mosso 3. III. Scherzo. Allegro 4. IV. Rondo. Allegro vivace String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 ´Death and the Maiden` 5. I. Allegro ma non troppo 6. II. Andante 7. III. Menuetto: Allegretto 8. IV. Allegro moderato Joseph Haydn  Piano Trio No. 39 in G major, Hob.XV:25 ´Gypsy`  9. I. Andante 10. II. Poco adagio cantabile 11. III. Rondo all´Ongarese (Presto) Henry Holst © In 1923 Henry Holst presented himself as a candidate for the leader of The Berlin Philharmonic, which after the death of Artur Nikisch in the previous year now had Wilhelm Furtwängler as its chief conductor. He won the position over 14 competitors and relates himself: “That was quite something for an enthusiastic young violinist! From the last desk of the second violinists on Kgs. Nytorv to the highly responsible first desk in Bernburger Strasse, enjoying a close working relationship with such a great figure as Furtwängler”. Also in this orchestra he had many solo performances, but after eight years, in 1931, he was offered a position in England at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, an offer which to many people’s astonishment he accepted. If the political developments in the Weimar Republic had not been, as far as one can judge, a deciding factor, then it was probably a strong motivation for his farewell to Germany, where his friends asked him what on earth he wanted to do in “ein Land ohne Musik?” One should not be led into assuming that Henry Holst had family connections with England or English people, even though the name Holst might cause one to imagine this to be the case: one only thinks of the composer Gustav Holst. About his farewell to Germany and his time in England he himself relates in a speech he gave at a commemoration at the conservatoire: “I have never regretted taking that step. England was of course by no means without music. Many great names in the history of music have felt attracted to England: Haydn, Mozart, Weber and our own Niels W. Gade were active in England and benefitted considerably from recognition in that country. RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2026 CATALOGUE NUMBER: DACOCD 1009 EAN: 5709499100905 Download BOOKLET (PDF)   Related