The concert pianist Hans-Göran Elfving during his long career played a big portion contemporary music, especially Swedish and Nordic music, as well as modern classics, and has thus been an ambassadeur for new music, letting it meet its audience all around Europe. Many of his concerts contained several first performaces and several of the pieces on this CD are first recordings. He has appeared partly with own recitals, partly as an orchestra soloist and a chamber musician. He has toured in Sweden, in other Nordic countries including Iceland and in Germany. At his extensive tours, HGE has often appeared with nordic repetoirs and thus given recitals at Nordic House in Reykjavik, the Culture Centre at Hanaholmen in Helsinki and at Hässelby Castle in Stockholm. He has worked with several Swedish orchestras. HGE has studied with a.o. the pianists Emil Ånberg, Yngve Flykt, José Ribera and the professor Stina Sundell-Linné and also interpretation of romances as a pianist with Dorothy Irving. HGE has been interviewed by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation about his interest in performing new Swedish music.

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THE CRITICS: Tidningen Kulturen.se: " Hans-Göran Elfving is a prolific worker in the piano garden. Something of a gardener who pulled out un-known composers in the light. This CD spans a nice dramaturgical arc. Beginning with Debussy as both marine storms and taking a few dance steps in the evening in Naples. The light-hearted allocation continues with two pieces by Emil Sjögren (1853 - 1918) from his lyrical piano suites. A brisk version of the familiar Ritual fire dance from Manuel de Falla increases your heart rate. After the fire to the rumbling Fantasia Baetica, and then six short preludes by piano teacher Ragnar Thunaeus (1898 - 1972), romantic, comfortable, perfect for a coffee salon in Vienna, small well-made pastries. Most of Thunaeus' work had not been played publicly before Elfving induction that occurred after Thunaeus' death. Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976) is known for his operas, few are his solo piano pieces. The suite Holiday diary from 1934 is dedicated to his teacher and bubbling and splashing of water against the light. While concluding Night owns a crisp calmness, though a very quiet one. Torsten Nilsson (1920 - 1999) Om en resa (About a trip) is ten short pieces of between 39 and 111 seconds. The trip is a visit to the composer´s home region Skåne (Scania) and Denmark. An appropriation, a direct thought or feeling, and so reflection. The album ends with a heavy Brahms Rhapsody in B minor, familiar sounds to relax by and so the arc is closed. I get the feeling that Hans-Goran Elfving is trying to interpret the time when the pieces were written and not take them to our own time. He has a bit harsh laconic way of playing and, I believe, true to the intentions of the compositions, as Elfving interprets them. The 29 pieces seem somehow adopt their various composers guise. That's an honest approach with this low own profile, and so empathetic - The music, not the musician, in focus. The CD is so full it can be, almost 80 minutes."

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