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Stenhammar - Symphony no.2, Serenade

£12.69

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Label: BIS

Cat No: BIS2424

Barcode: 7318599924243

Format: Hybrid SACD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Orchestral

Release Date: 4th January 2019

Works

Stenhammar, Wilhelm

Serenade in F major, op.31
Symphony no.2 in G minor, op.34

Artists

Gothenburg Symphony

Conductor

Herbert Blomstedt

Works

Stenhammar, Wilhelm

Serenade in F major, op.31
Symphony no.2 in G minor, op.34

Artists

Gothenburg Symphony

Conductor

Herbert Blomstedt

About

It was in 1953, 65 years ago, that Herbert Blomstedt conducted the Gothenburg Symphony for the first time. Since then he has been back on numerous occasions, performing a wide range of works – only not those by Wilhelm Stenhammar. Blomstedt has told of how an international career gave him little opportunity to study and conduct Stenhammar’s music. At the age of 85, however, when he no longer had any obligations as a chief conductor, he thought ‘now or never’ and began to study the composer’s major scores in earnest. And when the time came to perform and record them, what other orchestra could he choose but the Gothenburg Symphony – Stenhammar’s ‘own’ orchestra which he conducted between 1907 and 1922.

The works on this disc are possibly the finest orchestral music that Stenhammar composed and he gave the premières of both with the orchestra, Symphony No.2 in 1915 and the revised version of the Serenade in 1920. In fact, he even dedicated the symphony to the members of the orchestra, his ‘dear friends’.

Sound/Video

Paused

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Symphony no.2 In G Minor, Op. 34 - 1. Allegro Energico
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Symphony no.2 In G Minor, Op. 34 - 2. Andante
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Symphony no.2 In G Minor, Op. 34 - 3. Scherzo - Allegro, Ma Non Troppo Presto
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Symphony no.2 In G Minor, Op. 34 - 4. Finale - Sostenuto - Allegro Vivace
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Serenade In F, Op.31 - 1. Overtura
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Serenade In F, Op.31 - 2. Canzonetta
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Serenade In F, Op.31 - 3. Scherzo
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Serenade In F, Op.31 - 4. Notturno
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Serenade In F, Op.31 - 5. Finale

Europadisc Review

It seems a shame that Wilhelm Stenhammar’s music, unlike that of his Nordic contemporaries Sibelius and Nielsen, is still relatively little-known outside his native Sweden. Following an early dalliance with Wagnerian late-Romanticism, Stenhammar nailed his colours firmly to the Sibelian mast, most obviously in his Second Symphony, which forms the main work on this splendid new disc from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under veteran conductor Herbert Blomstedt. Recorded by BIS in superb sound, maybe this is the disc to rectify the situation.

The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra has a unique connection with Stenhammar, for he was their first conductor and instrumental in establishing them as Sweden’s foremost symphony orchestra. They not only gave the 1915 premiere of the Second Symphony but are its collective dedicatees; they know this music better than anyone, and it shows in every moment of this authoritative and brilliantly assured performance, recorded live at the Gothenburg Concert Hall in December 2013. The acoustic may be a shade dry, but every detail of Stenhammar’s exquisitely clear orchestration is caught, and the presence of an audience is little in evidence save for the palpable ‘live’ frisson to the music making.

Blomstedt too seems to know this music inside out. He may now be in his 92nd year, but he’s no slouch when it comes to matters of tempi. He keeps the music moving along when it matters, yet he also allows it time to breathe, with beautifully-judged phrasing and a sense of open-air ‘woodiness’ to the orchestral sound. The modally infused opening Allegro energico, with its glances to the world of folk song, unfolds with complete naturalness, as does the solemn processional of the second movement Andante. In the lilting third movement Scherzo echoes of Sibelius are once again plentiful, but the beautifully dreamy Trio section is a singularly distinctive tribute to the Gothenburg orchestra’s woodwind section, every bit as brilliant now as it evidently was in 1915.

The Finale is a fugal masterpiece, reflecting Stenhammar’s middle-age obsession with the study of counterpoint which helped shape his cool post-Romantic soundworld, but also placing this work in a tradition stretching back via Bruckner’s Fifth to the world of Haydn and Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ Symphony. Needless to say, under Blomstedt’s magnificently clear-headed guidance the Gothenburg orchestra negotiate the music’s multi-layered textures with extraordinary clarity, while also bringing a thrilling urgency to the mounting climaxes. This is a performance that comfortably sits at the top of the pile, even against such strong competition as the recent Antwerp account under Christian Lindberg (also on BIS).

That judgement is firmly cemented by the generous coupling: Stenhammar’s gorgeous Italy-inspired Serenade in F major, heard here in its five-movement revision of 1919, which was likewise premiered by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Blomstedt and his players perfectly capture the sunlit aspects of this happy work, in another live performance from June 2014. A sense of occasion is immediately apparent with the almost Mendelssohnian opening of the Overtura, which soon takes on more opulent hues. Most radiant of all is the second movement Canzonetta, with a meltingly beautiful central violin solo, followed by a quicksilver Scherzo and a lingering Notturno that presents the beauties of a Florentine night as refracted through the eyes of a north European. The Finale resists any temptation to festive tub-thumping, and its throw-away ending – like everything else here – is handled to perfection, setting the seal on a disc that is sure to win Stenhammar’s music many new admirers as well setting new standards for those who already love it. Unhesitatingly recommended, and a marvellous way to start the New Year!