For his first Symphony, Stenhammar wrote very much in the German model, the one of his training and schooling. This would include Brahms, but also the burgeoning effect of Bruckner and Wagner.
The story is told that once Stenhammar heard Sibelius' Symphony no. 2, he yanked his symphony from the public.
I can understand having your mind opened up by new musical waves, and even wanting to promote one's own homeland in their music, but a complete removal seems hasty. The liner notes mention the composer wanting to revise the work, but never got around to it, so I often wonder if he was ashamed or embarrassed by his past.
Regardless, I cannot understand this work's obscurity. Symphony no. 1 in F Major is simply beautiful music, and if there is no essence of his later ties to folk traditions or Stenhammar's unique Neo-Medieval style, it is not a hindrance at all.
This symphony is structured traditionally in four movements, with the outer ones taking up the lion share of its runtime. The work opens on a sixtet of horns, who have a major role throughout the work. The general feeling of the symphony is affable, lyrical, with moments of grandeur and majesty, so any comparisons to Bruckner or Wagner are understandable, even if Brahms is my main comparison point.
Stenhammar has a lovely way with melodies. Perhaps it is the classical arching approach; the third movement is the gem of the work for this listener, especially focusing on inherent tunefulness and orchestral textures. Motivically speaking, I enjoy how Stenhammar structures the symphony, and if he is not as experimental or daring as his contemporaries, it does not make his music any less enjoyable.
As far as I can tell, this live, 53-minute performance is only one of two which has made it into the CD era. The recording date is noted as September 1982, the year Neeme Järvi took up the conducting post in Gothenburg, so this must be one of their earliest recorded collaborations.
One can sense Gothenburg is not yet his orchestra. Stenhammar's Symphony no. 2 under Neeme Järvi, recorded live at the start of the next season (1983), finds Gothenburg a well-oiled machine comparable to this earlier one. The French Horns sound like boozy trombones at times, although the orchestra as a whole is alert and responsive, and BIS' sonics are well done, even if the live-concert shuffling between movements could have been edited out.
Still, Symphony no. 1 in F Major remains a real rarity, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Sure this isn't Stenhammar at his preferred state of compositional being, but the work is a beauty, and often compelling. Why has nobody come back to the well? Oh well...this one will suffice, and Neeme Järvi is always an energetic force in the music of underdog composers.
Of course, Järvi came back to the first Symphony with Gothenburg, but on DG. There is less of an excitable sense of discovery there, but they are also able to dig deeper into the music after having spent more time together as conductor and ensemble, with a more refined orchestral palate. Yet, I like this early recording, and it comes as a set with a whole lot more Stenhammar music over 4CDs on BIS.
Listen on YouTube
Work
Symphony no. 1 in F Major
I. Allegro (17.06)
II. Andante (10.33)
III. Allegro (9.37)
IV. Allegro (15.17
Performers
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, conductor
Label: BIS
Year: 1982
Total Timing: 52.56
Find more Stenhammar recordings HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment