Guitar and recorder music

Among the instruments for which Holmboe developed an interest in his later career, prompted by particular performers, were the guitar and the recorder. He wrote a number of works featuring each instrument, both separately and together.

All of the works involving guitar have been recorded and appear together on a disc featuring Jesper Sivebæk called Solo and Chamber Works for Guitar (Da Capo 8.226143).

The works included are as follows:

• Guitar Sonata No.1, op.141 (M.300)
• Guitar Sonata No.2, op.142 (M.301)
• 5 Intermezzi, op.149 (M.309)
• Parlare del più e del meno (To talk about this and that), op.176 (M.339)
• Duo Concertanto, op.167 (M.328) for violin and guitar
• Canción y danza (or Canto e danza), op.191a (M.361) for recorder and guitar
• Folk ballad arrangements for recorder and guitar (M.yUn)

The folk arrangements are unique to this recording. All the other works have been recorded elsewhere.

The two Guitar Sonatas and the 5 Intermezzi were originally recorded by Maria Kämmerling, who gave the premiere of all three works. Her recording is available on both LP and CD (Paula LP/CD 30), but apparently not for download or streaming.

Parlare del più e del meno has been recorded by two other guitarists, both on the Classico label. Erling Møldrup recorded the piece on Lyrical Landscapes – Guitar Music by the Ancient Moderns (Classico CLASSCD 640).

The other recording is by Per Dybro Sørensen and appears on a collection called Outline (Classico CLASSCD744).

The Duo Concertanto was first performed and recorded by Kim Sjøgren and Lars Hanibal, who were known as Duo Concertante. The original release was on EMI, on both LP and CD (EMI 7496791 and 7496792, respectively).  The same collection has been re-released more recently as Journey (OUR Recordings 8.226902, which sometimes also gets described as being on the Da Capo label). Other composers represented are Mikkelborg, Herman Koppel and Jersild. Notably, iTunes only lists the composers and works, for some reason ignoring the album's title.

Canción y danza / Canto e danza (the first title is used in Rapaport's catalogue and also appears elsewhere, but recordings seem to have used the second version) has also been recorded by DUO Oldrup/Lauridsen on a collection called Eyktime (Gateway Music). This appears to be a self-funded effort. I am not certain, but it appears both a CD version and a download/streaming version are available, certainly the latter.

Turning to works specifically featuring the recorder, the Trio for Recorder, Cello and Harpsichord, op.133 (M.289) has been recorded twice. The first recording is by Michala, David and Hanne Petri, for whom the piece was written, and was included with other works for the same instruments on a LP/CD called The Modern Recorder (RCA Victor Red Seal 7946-2 RC or RD87946, although some sources list it as Sony BMG).

The second recording is by a group called the Euterpe Ensemble. The recording, from about 1993/4, appears to be simply called Danish Music (Horizon 9301) and includes a variety of works for violin, recorder, cello and harpsichord.

The Sonata for recorder and harpsichord, op.145 (M.305), was also written for the Petris but was not recorded along with the Trio. In 2014 Michala Petri finally recorded the work with Mahan Esfahani, including it on an album called UK DK (OUR Recordings 6.220611).