The main idea from Hugo Alfvén's Symphony no. 1 in F minor makes a wide, downward leap, reminding me in no small measure of the donkey 'hee-haw' motive from Felix Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream Overture. While the general feeling from the first movement is of a heavy, dotted-rhythmic skipping, punctuated by a strong brass element, Alfvén contrasts this with sweet, wind-laden pastoral episodes. Before I forget, what a bit of invention Alfvén brings by introducing a cello recitative at the very opening - this certainly makes a bold, yet personal musical statement.
The composer begins the second movement on an uneven footing, almost as if we are walking in on a relationship which has already started. Once again, the primary motive is a wide, downward leaping one, which only resolves gently at the very last small upward step. I am only taking apart these melodies to showcase the similarities of ideas between the first two movements, ones Alfvén embraces through great repetition. Instead of the rhythmic 'hee-haw' from earlier though, this one is full of inner, bubbling passion.
The opening flourishes of the third movement are a gas! Their harmonic movement reminds me of Prokofiev's Classical Symphony (BLOG), even if the approaches of the two composers are rather different. The chromatic burbling which immediately follows is a tad confusing, but I like this movement a whole lot. I feel like I am looking into a similar window akin to Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture (BLOG), or the like. The calmer middle portion is mightily Germanic sounding to my ears, with brass chorales and long-breathed, pulsing string lines.
A sense of seriousness returns from the first movement, even if the final movement paves its own way forward, instead of looking back. Overall, Alfvén's First Symphony is full of import with a light folk aspect sitting in the background. Neeme Järvi handles the symphony roughly, imbuing the music with bright personality and brassy drama. This recording ends up in much finer mettle than Naxos' later recording, which was rather anodyne in temperament, in my opinion at least.
In addition to the 40-minute symphony, three orchestral works are added as bonus items. The Uppsala Rhapsody is chock full of University tunes and student drinking songs, no doubt recalling most listener's to Brahms' Academic Festival Overture (BLOG). I love the opening brass chorale, which sets a studious tone, and some rip-roaring horns snarl memorably towards the middle.
I abjure to Stig Jacobsson's description of Drapa, although the English translation could be the culprit as well. In it, Jacobsson writes:
The instrumental splendour is kept on a tighter rein,
[...] The situation demanded great seriousness
and more rhetoric than really suited Alfvén.
If anything, orchestral splendor is all I hear in this music, plus the focus on harps seems a gaudy effect. The work is flashy and grandiose, and the thought of seriousness never entered my synapses whilst listening. Whether in comparison to Swedish Rhapsody no. 2 or Symphony no. 1, both sound of more serious stuff than Drapa. Either way, I like this music a lot, no matter what temperament one listener hears over another.
The final piece is the Andante Religioso from Alfvén's Revelation Cantata, a work which can be found complete on Sterling (BLOG). At under four minutes in length, this is hardly music to get riled up over, but it is a lovely addition nonetheless.
Really, this is all very colorful orchestral music. I might not hear an overt Swedish Nationalist approach, as Hugo Alfvén himself suggests of his own music, but it is well written and falls on the ears most satisfactorily. As I mentioned earlier, Neeme Järvi leading the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is not a subtle interpreter of this music, but I think this BIS recording is all the better for such an approach.
Works
Symphony 1 in F minor (40.40)
Swedish Rhapsody 2 'Uppsala' (9.54)
Drapa (10.21)
Revelation Cantata: Andante Religioso (3.41)
Performers
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, conductor
Label: BIS
Year: 1988; 2004
Total Timing: 65.49
No comments:
Post a Comment