In the early romantic period, struggling with the aftermath of absolutism’s collapse, people had to find new solutions in all realms of communal life. Because old certainties vanished, another vision of society emerged, shaped by artists: poets, painters and musicians. They viewed a higher world order in nature, to be felt by the individual, and expressed in a synthesis of all arts.

Especially in music, these ideas were embodied with a new freedom of stylistic decisions. The sonatas for natural horn and fortepiano by Franz Danzi, Ferdinand Ries und Nikolaus von Krufft are virtuosic compositions with stunning dialogues between the horn and piano parts. They explore the full range of timbres, flamboyantly surpassing classical structures in search of new modes of expression.

The verve and profusion of colors in the performance of Steinar Granmo Nilsen and Kristin Fossheim incorporate the early romantic idea that music was the most royal of all arts.