Abendstimmung Op.120a (1915)

Prolific though he was – mainly, though reluctantly, in the songs and salon pieces his publisher demanded from him – Sinding is known in this country for little more than his piano piece Rustle of Spring. Written nearly 20 years later than that deservedly popular piece, Abendstimmung (Evening Mood) is a rather more extended demonstration of the Norwegian composer’s genius for expressive melody. As a violinist himself, he wrote exquisitely for the instrument and, while the gentle bell sounds that open Abendstimmung and twice recur are effective enough in the piano arrangement, the original score for violin and orchestra must be even more seductively colourful.