Yngve Skold (1899-1992)

[madaboutmahler]

Listening to the Symphony No.3, First Movement on youtube.

Was this taken from a radio broadcast? Presumably it was. In which case where is the rest of the symphony?

It is romantic but self-confident late romanticism. It is the sort of music which would have been regarded as out of place and out of time in Sweden by the 1940s onwards but could now get a favourable reception.


....AND I am impressed by the Scherzo of Symphony No.4!

If young Erik was able to make contact with a record label like CPO in Germany or Sterling in his native Sweden they might be interested!

Probably was a radio broadcast, yes. Not sure about the rest of the symphony! I will ask Erik!
Glad you enjoyed those two movements.

I shall suggest that to Erik. Apparently Skold's works have been suggested to the major Swedish orchestras before and they didn't want to programme them, as he was not an "international composer". If I am successful in my ambition as a composer, I will make sure to program some of Skold's works!

Daniel

[Dundonnell]

Bo Hyttner (the boss of Sterling) has recorded plenty of Swedish music which is not "international"; as indeed have CPO.

An orchestra will play anything if they get paid to do it

http://www.sterlingcd.com/catalogue/

[madaboutmahler]

Bo Hyttner (the boss of Sterling) has recorded plenty of Swedish music which is not "international"; as indeed have CPO.

An orchestra will play anything if they get paid to do it

http://www.sterlingcd.com/catalogue/

haha Well, I will suggest it to Erik!
Daniel

[Dundonnell]

Seriously....

Recording music is all about money. If you can persuade a record company to invest in making a recording you will always be able to find an orchestra who-if paid in full and on time -will play the piece and a conductor to conduct it. There ARE conductors out there who claim to be able to conduct anything and who want their name noticed.

Even better....find a Radio Orchestra, in Germany or the United Kingdom, for example, whose musicians do not have to be paid extra because recording is part of their contract.
Then you just have to pay the conductor and the radio company/station

The trick is to interest the record label

[madaboutmahler]

Seriously....

Recording music is all about money. If you can persuade a record company to invest in making a recording you will always be able to find an orchestra who-if paid in full and on time -will play the piece and a conductor to conduct it. There ARE conductors out there who claim to be able to conduct anything and who want their name noticed.

Even better....find a Radio Orchestra, in Germany or the United Kingdom, for example, whose musicians do not have to be paid extra because recording is part of their contract.
Then you just have to pay the conductor and the radio company/station

The trick is to interest the record label

I suppose it is! I shall forward this message to Erik as a suggestion!
Daniel

[vandermolen]

Listened to symphony No 2 in the car yesterday and enjoyed it. It has a catchy first movement and a slow movement of wistful melancholy, rising to an impassioned climax.  The last movement was more uninhibited than expected - quite exciting with lots of drum sequences. Peterson-Berger and Atterberg often came to mind.

[calyptorhynchus]

I just stumbled across this composer on YouTube. I agree with the posters here in saying that his Symphony No.2 is really very good and deserves a place in the repertoire. Unfortunately his other works don't seem so interesting.

[SymphonicAddict]

This is a tremendously attractive piece! So Nordic, so heartfelt, invigorating. And yeah, definitely great comparisons with Atterberg, Peterson-Berger, Stenhammar, Rangström. Easly at the same league. Like Sköld, Rosenberg has a special appeal to my tastes as well.

[Symphonic Addict]

This week I came across this composer again and I listened to his symphonies 2-4. No. 2 is a very joyful work, but the next ones are much more serious and menacing. No. 4 (on the video below) made an especially strong impression on me. I consider it should belong to the greatest Swedish symphonies. A powerful and brooding piece that somehow reminded of Holmboe in its intensity and severity. The recording and performance are more than serviceable, something important to appreciate the quality of the music.

https://www.youtube.com/v/6D4d9efOrqg

[J]

I find the work (Symphony No.4) gray and anonymous, without thematic distinction, and lacking coherence, - my first listen reaction only, but its greatness is not apparent.  We hear with different ears.  Skold's Symphony No.2 is just far more communicative and ingratiating (you'd likely agree), with No.4 expressive of a private world you must share in some fashion, but most will not.

                                                                                         

[Symphonic Addict]

I'm glad to disagree with you. I don't need to be an expert to detect when a work is interesting or not, and this one is for me. I hear different things in this gripping symphony. Music is not always about memorable themes. The way this work unfolds makes it for me.

I wonder what works are interesting for you.

[J]

When you make the claim for a heretofore utterly obscure work that it belongs among the "greatest Swedish Symphonies" you might not be wrong, but there's a hurdle to surmount if you wish to move that judgment out from the realm of mere subjectivity (which you might not care to).

But stopping short of that hurdle, and speaking only out of my own subjectivity as well, lining up Skold's 4th with, say, the respective 2nd & 3rd Symphonies of Nystroem & Rosenberg (which all share a somewhat similar language, wouldn't you agree?), I question if Skold doesn't fall way short.

Not that we need to rank everything, or insist on a uniformity of likes and dislikes, but it just raised my eyebrows that a work you found so superlative largely failed to hold my attention, let alone grip me in any way whatsoever.  Repetition could change that assessment, of course.  Interested to hear others' evaluation if they are drawn to a listen.

[Mirror Image]

When you make the claim for a heretofore utterly obscure work that it belongs among the "greatest Swedish Symphonies" you might not be wrong, but there's a hurdle to surmount if you wish to move that judgment out from the realm of mere subjectivity (which you might not care to).

But stopping short of that hurdle, and speaking only out of my own subjectivity as well, lining up Skold's 4th with, say, the respective 2nd & 3rd Symphonies of Nystroem & Rosenberg (which all share a somewhat similar language, wouldn't you agree?), I question if Skold doesn't fall way short.

Not that we need to rank everything, or insist on a uniformity of likes and dislikes, but it just raised my eyebrows that a work you found so superlative largely failed to hold my attention, let alone grip me in any way whatsoever.  Repetition could change that assessment, of course.  Interested to hear others' evaluation if they are drawn to a listen.

Regarding subjectivity, when I think of the great Swedish symphonies, I can only think of a few: Stenhammar's 2nd, Pettersson's 7th, Nystroem's Sinfonia del Mare and Atterberg's 3rd. I had listened to a bit of the Skold and found it pleasant, but I'm not doing cartwheels in terms of finding some hidden gem that has been brought to light and that has enriched my own musical journey.

[vandermolen]

Regarding subjectivity, when I think of the great Swedish symphonies, I can only think of a few: Stenhammar's 2nd, Pettersson's 7th, Nystroem's Sinfonia del Mare and Atterberg's 3rd. I had listened to a bit of the Skold and found it pleasant, but I'm not doing cartwheels in terms of finding some hidden gem that has been brought to light and that has enriched my own musical journey.

I'd add Rosenberg's 3rd Symphony (possibly 2, 4, 6 as well) as well as Atterberg's No.5 'Funebre' to your list of great Swedish symphonies John.

[Mirror Image]

I'd add Rosenberg's 3rd Symphony (possibly 2, 4, 6 as well) as well as Atterberg's No.5 'Funebre' to your list of great Swedish symphonies John.

Very nice, Jeffrey. I've got Rosenberg's 3rd, I should revisit it.