Youthfulness and energy are modern ideals, and for Ensemble Allegria, with their strong affection for music and their average age of 25, the sky is the limit. In this recording, aptly called VOLT 22 for the 22 string players, they meet with three composers, one still full of youthful vigour, the other two past middle-age and looking back. Admittedly, it is difficult to put all three of them into one framework: Haydn lived his life under quite different circumstances, both personally and socially, from Bartók and Shostakovich. Although the Seven Years' War (1756-63) was practically fought on Haydn´s doorstep, it is hardly noticeable in his first cello concerto. The Second World War and its consequences, however, certainly had an impact on the music of Béla Bartók and Dmitri Shostakovich. Bartók saw it coming when composing in 1939, while in 1960 his Russian colleague was lucky to have survived it. In the shadows of Hitler and Stalin, a quite different atmosphere characterizes their works. Nevertheless, the three works in this recording are all bursting with extreme contrasts, containing both intensity and contemplation. Thus they challenge Ensemble Allegria and their principal cellist, Frida Fredrikke Waaler Warvagen, in a most welcome manner.

Ensemble Allegria is a group of young, enthusiastic string players who share a passion for work and a joy of playing. The ensemble was founded in 2007 by students at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Following an extraordinarily rapid development, Ensemble Allegria is today a frequent guest at prestigious music festivals, including the Bergen International Festival, the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, the Northern Lights Festival in Tromso, and Gezeitenkonzerte in Germany.

The ensemble has collaborated with artists such as Lawrence Power, Martin Fröst, and Tine Thing Helseth. In 2012 it was the only ensemble to be awarded the Statoil Talent Award for classical music. Ensemble Allegria's debut album, "Allegria" (LAWO Classics, 2013), has received glowing reviews in Norway and abroad. The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet gave it a '5' rating on a scale of '6', and Fanfare (USA) wrote: "Ensemble Allegria brings razor-sharp attacks, a huge dynamic range, and tremendous energy".