Larsson's Lingonberries

Started by snyprrr, June 07, 2009, 07:12:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on January 20, 2017, 10:06:41 AM
Again that tempting "buy me" Cpo choice of artwork! Never having heard Larsson's music and confronted by the BIS and Cpo recordings I would definitely find myself swayed by these paintings! Not the right basis on which to choose a recording,of course!! ::)
Oh, I don't know - the cover painting is very important in my decision making when buying a recording.  ::)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn


springrite

I have the BIS recording of the symphonies and thoroughly enjoyed them!
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

vandermolen

Quote from: springrite on January 20, 2017, 05:58:45 PM
I have the BIS recording of the symphonies and thoroughly enjoyed them!
Me too.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

#24
Very much enjoying this. Can't understand why he withdrew it (Symphony 3)
[asin]B07FTL1TLC[/asin]
The first of the Three Orchestral Pieces reminds me of Franz Schmidt's 4th Symphony.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

#25
I was revisiting his Symphony No. 2 from this recording



A memorable work from beginning to end carrying an unmistakable Nordic feel to it that reminds of Atterberg, a little of Sibelius and Nielsen. The tuneful 2nd mov. is a delight with its carefree and pastoral nature. This work should be better known, the same goes to other works of his.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

kyjo

#26
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on June 17, 2023, 05:29:19 PMI was revisiting his Symphony No. 2 from this recording



A memorable work from beginning to end carrying an unmistakable Nordic feel to it that reminds to Atterberg, a little of Sibelius and Nielsen. The tuneful 2nd mov. is a delight with its carefree and pastoral nature. This work should be better known, the same goes to other works of his.

Indeed, Cesar! It's my favorite of his three symphonies, though the other two certainly have their merits as well. I love how, in the finale, Larsson transforms the instantly memorable main theme of the first movement into a ground bass figure that forms the basis of the powerful, passacaglia-like movement (shades of Brahms 4). In full, I've only heard the CPO recording with Andrew Manze conducting, but I sampled the BIS recording and found myself preferring Manze's brisker tempo in the first movement.

Other works by Larsson I really like are his beautiful, almost Finzian cantata God in Disguise, the darker and slightly more astringent Violin Concerto, the delightful Saxophone Concerto(!), and the neoclassical String Quartet no. 1. I see that he has a Cello Concerto which hasn't been commercially recorded (CPO take note)! It's interesting how much his style developed over the course of his career - from late-romantic/pastoral (first two symphonies) to neoclassical (a lot of stuff), to late-romantic with darker chromatic incursions (3rd symphony, VC), and finally to atonal/serial (the late stuff).

Great thread title, btw! ;)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

The new erato

I love the 12 concertinos op 45 set on BIS

kyjo

#28
Was just listening to this wonderful disc:



...which provides an excellent overview of Larsson's stylistic development over the course of his career. The Intima miniatyrer are beautiful little gems in Larsson's early, late-romantic/pastoral style. The first quartet is a real winner, written in a shapely modal/neoclassical style but with frequent chromatic "side-stepping" harmonies (as in the opening theme). The rather Nielsenesque slow movement is particularly captivating with its song-like outer sections enclosing a more animated, dance-like central part. Subtitled Quartetto alla serenata, the 2nd quartet is probably the least compelling work on the disc, as it rather lacks the lyrical "heart" of the other works, but it's not a bad composition by any means. The remarkably concise (just over 10 min.) 3rd quartet is a late work, certainly more astringent than the previous two but still accessible and hardly atonal/serial like some of his later orchestral works are. The first movement is a brusquely exciting affair, the second is playful, and the third is a poignant lament which veers between pained chromaticism and comforting diatonicism, eventually coming to rest on a G major chord. The performances by the Stenhammar Quartet are uniformly superb - hear how they tear into the opening movement of the 3rd quartet, for instance!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff