AlfvA©n: Symphony No. 3

The best possible introduction to Hugo Alfven's music

Hugo Alfvén, a Swedish near-contemporary of Edvard Grieg, is not nearly as well-known. His most famous composition, Midsommarvarka (Midsummer Vigil, or Swedish Rhapsody No. 1), is occasionally programmed for "pops" concerts, but much of his music is little-known, if at all. And a good part of it is better than this popular rhapsody.

This well-thought-out Naxos release should go far toward correcting this oversight. It contains three of his very best compositions, including the tone poem Legend of the Skerries and the Dalecarlian Rhapsody (Dalarapsodi, or Swedish Rhapsody No. 3), about which more later in this review.

Alfvén's Symphony No. 3 in E major is a winner, full of melody in the best way that Dvorak's symphonies are. The opening Allegro con brio and the second-movement Andante could well have been written by Dvorak, in terms of their lyrical tunefulness and lilt. The Andante even opens with an English horn solo, much in the manner of Dvorak's 9th Symphony, but the parallels shouldn't be stretched too far. There is also an overall "Russian" feel to the orchestral color, as one might hear in the music of Glazunov. The concluding movement is a galop much in the style of Offenbach, or, much more to the point, Shostakovich, as in one of his lighter ballet suites. It is a joyous romp, and those who enjoy the light music of Shostakovich (as do I) will clearly see the connection.

Alfvén has been described as a Swedish equal to Richard Strauss in his tone-poem abilities. I'm not necessarily buying this argument, as I believe Alfvén to be individualistic enough to stand on his own. Legend of the Skerries, while full of the craft which Strauss brought to the genre, is nonetheless original and genuine Alfvén. A fairly youthful work, written in 1904 when Alfvén was barely in his thirties, this tone poem is full of grandeur and epic sweep. The first main theme, beginning at about 2 minutes into the work, is something that John Williams might well have written for one of his Spielberg film scores. (In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the key ideas of this theme were in fact "borrowed" by Williams, a notorious plagarizer.)

The gem of the album is clearly the Dalecarlian Rhapsody, a mature work written in 1931. I listened to this track a number of times, each time held in thrall by the opening solo and the instrument playing it. I concluded that it could only be a solo for soprano saxophone, but one played so well that this conclusion was reached with no small effort on my part. (The solo instrument has no attribution in the booklet notes. I was to find out later, from a friend who has the same work performed on a BIS release by different forces, where the instrument did receive attribution, that I was in fact correct in my judgement.) For those of you who have had their ears polluted by the kazoo-like sounds coming out of Kenny G's horn, I recommend that you acquire this album if only to discover how beautiful this instrument can sound, and how perfectly Alfvén the orchestrator has chosen it for its haunting qualities. Ravishingly performed!

Niklas Willén (a Swede) and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra acquit themselves remarkably well in this Naxos release, in fact one of the very best RSNO performances I've ever heard on record. And the Naxos sound is stunning.

Now, if I could only find out who the soloist in the Dalecarlian Rhapsody is, I would seek out more work by this remarkable instrumentalist!

A terrific introduction to this underrated, and immediately accessible, composer. Very highly recommended!

Bob Zeidler November 21, 2000

Great stuff!

Naxos seems to have a mission to show the music listening world that there are a LOT more works out there to enjoy other than just the standards by Beethoven, Brahms etc. Hugo Alfven, a Swedish composer who seems to reflect the orchestral brillance of Richard Strauss with the tradition of Brahms wrote 5 very effective symphonies. Other than the set on BIS with Jarvi, these seem to be the only other digital recordings. Thanks, once again Naxos for giving us this wonderful series. I can only say that at this price, this is an excellent investment! I just don't understand why the previous reviewer only gave this 3 stars. I would encourage any interested music lover to get this CD, and investigate the world of this Swedish master! August 8, 2000

An Excellent Introduction to Swedish music

Most committed music-lovers and collectors of CD's find that Swedish music is virtually non-existant in their collections. Although they may have pieces by Edvard Grieg and Jean Sibelius, their collection of Scandanavian music ends here. An excellent and inexpensive introduction to some delightful Swedish music is this CD with some beautiful music by Hugo Alfven. I discovered this wonderful composer's music from listening to his songs during a recital by Barbara Bonney in New York City. Alfven's songs were also a favorite of Jussi Bjoerling; he frequently sang them at recitals and closed his concerts with encores by Alfven. This CD contains the beautiful and sparkling Symphony #3 played by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Niklas Willen. Also on the CD is the poignant and nostaligically sad "Dalecarlian Rhapsody," in reality a tone poem, which reflects the loneliness and great expanse of Sweden. Parts of the music are imbued with a bit of Satanic darkness which is also a part of this romantic tradition. The final tone poem, "The Legend of the Skerries," is also a very poignant and beautiful composition. If you enjoy Sibelius' portrayal of the dark, mystical elements of the Finland forests, I think you will also cherish Alfven's music. Naxos also has a companion disc which contains his darker Symphony #1, the very beautiful Suite from "The Mountain King" (perhaps Alfven's most approachable orchestral work with the exception of Swedish Rhapsody #2), and an upbeat Festival Overture. Naxos is to be commended for issuing these two CD's. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra plays well, the sound is excellent if not outstanding, and the price is certainly right. Highly recommended! March 4, 2000

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