Otto OLSSON (1879-1964)
Symphony in G minor, Op.11 (1901-02) [57:20]
Gävleborg Symphony Orchestra/Mats Liljefors
rec. May 1996, Ljusgården, Polhemsskolan, Gävle
STERLING CDS1020-2 [57:20]
Otto Olsson is best known for his organ works and in fact
recorded as an organist. A student in Copenhagen he had the good fortune to
be taken under the wing of Emil Sjörgen and in his early twenties composed
his only orchestral symphony (the organ symphonies are relatively well known
in their field) whose premiere he directed in 1902. It was then to lie unperformed
until Stig Westerberg performed it with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
in 1979. So, some groundwork had been laid for this 1996 recording directed
by Mats Liljefors.
It may well be, as annotator Curt Carlsson suggests in his notes, that the
symphony can be seen as an examination piece in counterpoint, orchestration
and composition but as he also acknowledges it has some distinctive features.
The brusque Beethoven-meets-Schubert opening orchestral chords are followed
by an intense slow theme leading to a Schumannesque accelerando. The orchestration
is actually very effective, and even at the age of 23 Olsson knew how to generate
rhythmic impetus. Perhaps the rather echo-laden acoustic blunts some of these
aspects but I wouldn’t say by much. Olsson has the grace to keep his
instrumental choirs clear in the Scherzo and whilst others might have been
tempted to muddy their writing and whilst his does, it’s true, shows
some influence of Grieg, there are sportive moments for the flute and bassoon.
The heart of the symphony is the exceptionally expansive 23-minute Adagio,
with its powerful organ-like sonority. Despite this, Bruckner is not the model,
one feels, rather Franck, whose Symphony in D minor would, let’s not
forget, have been something of a novelty still for Olsson. Occasionally, despite
the elegance and richness, and the solo violin and horns’ windswept
romantic calls, there is a touch of the salon about things; even, at one stage,
a strikingly almost-Elgarian cadence too, presumably a result of their shared
Franco-German musical inheritance. After this quietly moving and very expansive
movement the finale, which embraces some fugal development, is more concise
though still not simplistic.
The symphony plays for 57 minutes in this performance and there’s no
coupling, but it’s a big if youthful statement in its own right and
the recording is highly engaged and richly characterised. Liljefors directs
with real commitment and control.
Jonathan Woolf
|
To gain a 10% discount, use the link below
& the code MusicWeb10
|
 |