The music of Jesper Koch (b. 1967) is in a constant and fruitful dialogue with the past. Often melodious with tonal connotations and with a dreamlike quality that seeks to escape from reality in the cello concerto Dreamscapes, feels at home in oases of happiness and nostalgia in the violin concerto Arcadia Lost, and in the clarinet concerto Lonesome deals with different aspects of loneliness. The three concertos are presented here in world premiere recordings featuring the soloists they were written for. They in their turn share a deep connection with the Odense Symphony Orchestra, always close to the composer’s heart.

Danish composer Jesper Koch’s breakthrough came early, for at the age of 25 he won first prize at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris in 1992 with the work Ice-Breaking (1991). Since then, Jesper Koch has assiduously written music in many genres, laying the main emphasis on instrumental music, and he feels particularly at ease with the symphony orchestra.

All three solo concertos were dedicated to the performers on this album, including Odense Symphony Orchestra, which over the years has been Jesper Koch’s faithful partner.

Koch’s music is melodious and often tonal, often searching themes as nostalgia and lost dream worlds. He leads the way through a fluid blend of fantasy and reality.

Born in England, conductor Justin Brown studied at Cambridge University and Tanglewood Institute with Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein. Internationally acclaimed in both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Justin Brown is General Music Director of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe in Germany and was Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in the US.