Hugo Alfvén

 

Hugo Alfvén picture on a coin
Hugo Alfvén
1872-1960

Hugo Alfvén is a Swedish composer whose career was contemporaneous with Wilhelm Stenhammar.

While Stenhammar was considered a conservative Romantic composer, Alfvén was thoroughly fixed in the late-Romantic idiom. Many use Richard Strauss as a point of comparison to Alfvén's output, but I would also add Brahms to the list.

For years, I only lived with Alfvén's Swedish Rhapsodies on record, eventually making my way through his choral music, and only lately to his symphonies and other orchestral works.

Alfvén mainly wrote for voice and chorus with orchestral music following up in his catalog. Unlike composers of his time, he never contributed to opera, and as far as I can tell, there are no concertos, string quartets, or any chamber music contributions in his oeuvre.



Recordings and reviews currently on hand
(Click orange links to visit a musing):


 

Recording Round-up
•  Choral & Orchestral Roundup