I’ve admired the music of Wilhelm Stenhammar ever since, over thirty years
ago, I made a speculative purchase of an LP of his wonderful Second Symphony
in the recording by Stig Westerberg. Now on CD, this 1978 recording still
sounds excellent and, as a performance, it remains the best I’ve ever heard
(Caprice CAP 21151).
As far as I know, most of the recordings of his music originate in
Scandinavia so it’s mildly surprising – and very pleasing – to find a
Belgian orchestra responsible for these three performances. By coincidence,
it’s only recently that I encountered the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in
recordings of major works by Elgar (
review). Their playing impressed me then and it
impresses me once again in this Stenhammar programme. The Elgar recordings
were made in the same venue: de Singel, Antwerp. A different company was
involved then – albeit one that, like BIS, has a reputation for fine sound –
and both they and BIS have achieved excellent recordings in what seems to
be, acoustically, a very good venue.
There’s some fine music in Christian Lindberg’s programme though it seems
clear that Stenhammar had serious doubts about both
Excelsior! and
the Serenade. The overture was first performed in 1896, achieving only
modest success, and after a couple more performances Stenhammar appears to
have given up on getting it played again and it disappeared from view
completely for over seventy years after 1908. As for the Serenade, it was
first heard, as a six-movement work, in 1914 but was then withdrawn, a
failure, and extensively revised. The revisions included the complete
excision of one movement –
Reverenza – and the piece was
re-launched, as a five-movement work, in 1919. This time it prospered.
It’s not easy to understand why
Excelsior! was not more
favourably regarded. It begins in a mood of breezy confidence, which seems
to mirror the ‘Upwards and onwards’ sentiment of the extract from Goethe’s
Faust, which Stenhammar inscribed in the score. As the work unfolds
it is, perhaps, somewhat discursive and the composer is a little too
inclined to indulge in ruminative episodes. However, the music is
consistently attractive and it benefits here from a performance that mixes
finesse and commitment. I enjoyed it very much.
I also enjoyed Lindberg’s rendition of the Serenade. The first of its five
movements has the unusual tempo indication
Allegrissimo. Tomas
Block suggests, persuasively, in his notes that this might be interpreted as
meaning not that the speed is to be break neck but rather that the music is
to be played ‘with the greatest happiness.’ This would accord with the
fresh, smiling music that we hear. Though Lindberg doesn’t rush in an
unwarranted way his tempo is sprightly and this is an energetic, confident
performance. The second movement is a gentle, nostalgic piece in waltz time
and here the unnamed first clarinet and principal violin, Marta Sparnina,
make distinguished contributions. This is a lovely, affectionate reading of
the movement.
The scherzo is, for the most part, dexterous and spirited though there’s a
short central section which goes at a slower pace. The quiet ending is also
slow and that leads us seamlessly into the
Notturno. This is warmly
atmospheric music and in this performance there’s some lovely shaping of the
phrases. The Finale is the most substantial movement. Here, in the words of
Tomas Block, the music is ‘fresh and lively, and passes through a series of
powerful surges.’ It’s quite an elaborate and eventful movement and it’s
winningly played by Lindberg and his orchestra. The playful end is almost
modest in nature and is a delightful way to conclude a most engaging
work.
The programme is completed by an orchestral excerpt from Stenhammar’s
substantial cantata
Sången (
The Song). The libretto for
the cantata was written, at Stenhammar’s suggestion, by Ture Rangström. One
suspects the composer came to regret the choice. The notes quote from a
contemporary letter in which he moaned: ‘He really does make a meal of it’.
Knowing the words from the complete 1982 recording conducted by Herbert
Blomstedt (Caprice CAP 21358) it’s hard to disagree. The orchestral
interlude here recorded comes right at the start of the second of the
cantata’s two movements and it was probably intended to act as a contrasting
bridge between the two choral sections. It’s a short but solemn and
dedicated adagio. The music includes some majestic writing for brass and a
good deal of expansive string material; it’s almost Brucknerian. Lindberg
leads a noble, sonorous performance, his pacing pretty nearly identical to
Blomstedt’s.
With highly enjoyable music in excellent performances, very fine sound and
comprehensive documentation this disc represents an appetising proposition.
Normally my eyebrows would rise, disapprovingly, if faced by a playing time
of less than an hour. However, this is a case where value should be measured
in terms of quality rather than quantity. Please may we now have the same
forces in Stenhammar’s glorious Second Symphony?
John Quinn
Previous review:
Dan Morgan (April 2014 Recording of the Month)
