Hillborg’s first Violin Concerto, composed in the early 90s, is a pivotal work in his oeuvre. Composed in the wake of his highly experimental Clang & Fury and Celestial Mechanics – both of which employ complex and unconventional tuning systems – the concerto displays a more pragmatic approach, though the drama it sets up is far from conventional, with a very fluid soloist-orchestra relationship. Esteemed conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, who has recorded the concerto in 2002, has described it as one Hillborg’s best pieces.