No thread on this worthwhile composer from Sweden. I have been listening to his Symphony No 4 this evening (CPO). Wiren's wife said that she could hear the summer storm of 1952 in the Symphony. The opening has a great sense of looming threat and impending catastrophe (such works invariably appeal to me ;D). It is quite short, just 18 minutes, but has much depth and power. Wiren tends to get written off as a symphonist but nos 3 and 4 are fine works in my opinion.
Here is the CD below:
Quote from: vandermolen on April 26, 2009, 02:51:31 PM
No thread on this worthwhile composer from Sweden. I have been listening to his Symphony No 4 this evening (CPO). Wiren's wife said that she could hear the summer storm of 1952 in the Symphony. The opening has a great sense of looming threat and impending catastrophe (such works invariably appeal to me ;D). It is quite short, just 18 minutes, but has much depth and power. Wiren tends to get written off as a symphonist but nos 3 and 4 are fine works in my opinion.
Wiren is one of those Scandinavian composers rather written off by the otherwise estimable Robert Layton. Layton believes that Wiren's music lacks thematic interest. A fairer assessment is given by Mark Morris in his "Dictionary of Twentieth Century Composers". Writing about Symphony No.4, Morris says
"....is a marvellously vital work, whose polish and completeness sparkles. Rhythmically alive, it still shows a busy injection of neo-classical verve, and the scoring is searchingly lucid. The melodic flair remains predominant, but is broadened by a darker streak, especially in the repeated pattern of two irregular rhythmic figures of the bass of the first movement, in the sinuous opening, and in the massed string introduction to the slow movement(recalling Martinu)."
Do you know the Wiren concertos-for piano, violin, and cello?
The disc of Wirens string quartets on the Daphne label (I bought mine from cduniverse) is absolutely marvellous,
Quote from: Dundonnell on April 26, 2009, 03:01:26 PM
Wiren is one of those Scandinavian composers rather written off by the otherwise estimable Robert Layton. Layton believes that Wiren's music lacks thematic interest. A fairer assement is given by Mark Morris in his "Dictionary of Twentieth Century Composers". Writing about Symphony No.4, Morris says
"....is a marvellously vital work, whose polish and completeness sparkles. Rhythmically alive, it still shows a busy injection of neo-classical verve, and the scoring is searchingly lucid. The melodic flair remains predominant, but is broadened by a darker streak, especially in the repeated pattern of two irregular rhythmic figures of the bass of the first movement, in the sinuous opening, and in the massed string introduction to the slow movement(recalling Martinu)."
Do you know the Wiren concertos-for piano, violin, and cello?
Once, again thank you Colin! Yes, Robert Layton is rather snooty about Wiren, as he was about Pettersson, 'rampant self-pity etc' I agree with your Morris quote. I only really know the symphonies and the Serenade for strings but hope to discover more. which concerto is the best in your view? Off to work now :(
Quote from: erato on April 26, 2009, 09:21:48 PM
The disc of Wirens string quartets on the Daphne label (I bought mine from cduniverse) is absolutely marvellous,
Something else for me to explore - thanks.
Quote from: vandermolen on April 26, 2009, 09:25:31 PM
Once, again thank you Colin! Yes, Robert Layton is rather snooty about Wiren, as he was about Pettersson, 'rampant self-pity etc' I agree with your Morris quote. I only really know the symphonies and the Serenade for strings but hope to discover more. which concerto is the best in your view? Off to work now :(
I think that I would put the Violin Concerto just ahead of the Piano Concerto, Jeffrey. It is certainly the work for which Wiren himself had the most affection.
I only know the String Serenade Op 11 but it is one of my desert island pieces. Maybe I should take the time to investigate more. This was the way I discovered Hummel (via one disc of his PCs).
Quote from: Dundonnell on April 27, 2009, 01:00:48 PM
I think that I would put the Violin Concerto just ahead of the Piano Concerto, Jeffrey. It is certainly the work for which Wiren himself had the most affection.
Actually Colin I find that I do have the Cello Concerto (coupled with Symphony No 3) - so I'll give that a listen to.
Quote from: vandermolen on April 28, 2009, 03:25:17 AM
Actually Colin I find that I do have the Cello Concerto (coupled with Symphony No 3) - so I'll give that a listen to.
I am very fond of the concerto - lot's of lovely ideas and it's very sensitively scored and thought out - I just wish it were a little more memorable!
Quote from: Guido on April 28, 2009, 02:51:47 PM
I am very fond of the concerto - lot's of lovely ideas and it's very sensitively scored and thought out - I just wish it were a little more memorable!
That is Layton's criticism-lack of thematic interest. Try the violin concerto!
Oops - should have read above... don't like conforming to critics opinions... but we did come up with this separately - maybe there is something in it (not everyone can be a first rate tunesmith after all!)
I will certainly try the violin concerto though.
I just grabbed Symphonies 4 and 5. (Damn you Jeffrey! My children will be out on the street because of all of your great recommendations!) I haven't listened to 5 yet, but 4 is a keeper.
Quote from: Dundonnell on April 26, 2009, 03:01:26 PM
Wiren is one of those Scandinavian composers rather written off by the otherwise estimable Robert Layton. Layton believes that Wiren's music lacks thematic interest. A fairer assessment is given by Mark Morris in his "Dictionary of Twentieth Century Composers". Writing about Symphony No.4, Morris says
"....is a marvellously vital work, whose polish and completeness sparkles. Rhythmically alive, it still shows a busy injection of neo-classical verve, and the scoring is searchingly lucid. The melodic flair remains predominant, but is broadened by a darker streak, especially in the repeated pattern of two irregular rhythmic figures of the bass of the first movement, in the sinuous opening, and in the massed string introduction to the slow movement(recalling Martinu)."
Both the 3rd and 4th are superb. Very Nordic; very sparing in many ways. A no nonsense composer, at least judging from the works I know. There are some Sibelian hints in the 3rd. Is there indeed a piano concerto? I'll have to check this one out.
Do you know the Wiren concertos-for piano, violin, and cello?
The cd with the Piano and Cello Concertos-
....and the Violin Concerto-
ack,... I start to drool every time I see a Caprice cd.
I have SQs 3-4. No.3 is in typical "charming" mode, whilst No.4 exhibits the "hardening of the language" experienced by so many composers at this time (Chavez, Bloch, Malipiero, etc.).
No.5 is from 1970. Dun, what's it sound like? I predict you don't like it much. Am I wrong?
Quote from: jowcol on April 30, 2009, 02:11:12 PM
I just grabbed Symphonies 4 and 5. (Damn you Jeffrey! My children will be out on the street because of all of your great recommendations!) I haven't listened to 5 yet, but 4 is a keeper.
Yes, but when you and your family are huddled together, out on the streets in mid winter - you will gain an even better appreciation of the 'approaching storm' section at the start of Wiren's 4th Symphony - it will all come alive for you - so actually you should really be grateful to me ;D.
ps To add insult to injury, Wiren's Third Symphony is the most often performed of his symphonies - I am listening to it at the moment and would recommend it as you liked No 4.
BIS CEO Robert von Bahr's honesty strikes again...
Here's his eClassical daily deal writeup (http://www.eclassical.com/pages/daily-deal.html?cache=purge) of Dag Wiren's piano trios (http://www.eclassical.com/wiren-dag-2/dag-wiren-chamber-music-vol-1.html).
"I wish I could say something more positive about this CD than that the artists are excellent and really do what they can, but I find the music boring. I am sorry that I do, but I habe [sic] been honest in my comments and I intend to continue being that. However, I can also be wrong, and several persons I know find Wirén's music charming and beautiful."
larsson bump
In my exploration of new music, I stumbled upon this Swedish. I listened to his symphonies on Youtube (2, 4 and 5) and the third one on Spotify. I can say I liked all that stuff. Reminiscences of Sibelius were more than clear on the symphonies 2 and 3. Some time ago I had already played the Serenade for strings, which is a real gem, what sparkling it is!
Wiren composed some great music indeed. I need to revisit those CPO recordings of the misc. symphonies (w/ Thomas Dausgaard). I also believe I have some of his music on the Swedish label, Caprice.
Quote from: Brian on August 09, 2014, 06:17:14 AM
BIS CEO Robert von Bahr's honesty strikes again...
Here's his eClassical daily deal writeup (http://www.eclassical.com/pages/daily-deal.html?cache=purge) of Dag Wiren's piano trios (http://www.eclassical.com/wiren-dag-2/dag-wiren-chamber-music-vol-1.html).
"I wish I could say something more positive about this CD than that the artists are excellent and really do what they can, but I find the music boring. I am sorry that I do, but I habe [sic] been honest in my comments and I intend to continue being that. However, I can also be wrong, and several persons I know find Wirén's music charming and beautiful."
I hope RvB only meant these trios are boring. I love Wiren's symphonies and that magical Serenade.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on September 07, 2017, 03:41:06 PM
In my exploration of new music, I stumbled upon this Swedish. I listened to his symphonies on Youtube (2, 4 and 5) and the third one on Spotify. I can say I liked all that stuff. Reminiscences of Sibelius were more than clear on the symphonies 2 and 3. Some time ago I had already played the Serenade for strings, which is a real gem, what a sparkling it is!
I very much agree with you Caesar (as I usually do! :))
I especially like symphonies 3,4 and 5. I even have two recordings of Symphony 4, the monothematic opening of which is very brooding and powerful. I think that Wiren's wife said it reminded her of an oncoming storm if I remember correctly. Robert Layton was quite dismissive of Wiren's symphonic work, describing it as 'short-breathed' but I don't agree with him as I also disagree with his comments on the music of Allan Pettersson ('rampant self-pity......')
Quote from: vandermolen on September 08, 2017, 01:36:04 AM
I very much agree with you Caesar (as I usually do! :))
I especially like symphonies 3,4 and 5. I even have two recordings of Symphony 4, the monothematic opening of which is very brooding and powerful. I think that Wiren's wife said it reminded her of an oncoming storm if I remember correctly. Robert Layton was quite dismissive of Wiren's symphonic work, describing it as 'short-breathed' but I don't agree with him as I also disagree with his comments on the music of Allan Pettersson ('rampant self-pity......')
I don't agree with that opinion either, I think it's the opposite. Wiren on the mentioned works is warm, he displays a bunch of energy, although the symphonies 4 and 5 are a little more advanced, but there is no lack of creativity/inspiration.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on September 08, 2017, 02:18:02 PM
I don't agree with that opinion either, I think it's the opposite. Wiren on the mentioned works is warm, he displays a bunch of energy, although the symphonies 4 and 5 are a little more advanced, but there is no lack of creativity/inspiration.
Just listening to Symphony 4 CPO recording - terrific brooding opening. I really like this symphony and totally agree with Caesar.
I don't know his symphonies yet (I intend to rectify that situation soon), but Wiren's Violin Concerto is a very fine work - overall lyrical and optimistic but with some disturbing, violent passages along the way:
https://youtu.be/ZmC79GgHf4E (https://youtu.be/ZmC79GgHf4E)
Quote from: kyjo on September 11, 2017, 08:53:41 AM
I don't know his symphonies yet (I intend to rectify that situation soon), but Wiren's Violin Concerto is a very fine work - overall lyrical and optimistic but with some disturbing, violent passages along the way:
https://youtu.be/ZmC79GgHf4E (https://youtu.be/ZmC79GgHf4E)
Try Symphony 4 Kyle - am sure you'd enjoy it.
Just listened to Wiren's Symphony no. 4 - great stuff! (No surprise that I enjoyed it since you recommended it, Jeffrey! ;D) Throughout the piece there are juxtapositions between quiet, eerie passages and louder, rhythmic, almost jazzy sections. The opening of the finale sounds uncannily like the opening of the "nuclear wasteland" finale of Vaughan Williams' Symphony no. 6 - I wonder if Wiren knew that work?
Quote from: kyjo on September 12, 2017, 09:53:55 PM
Just listened to Wiren's Symphony no. 4 - great stuff! (No surprise that I enjoyed it since you recommended it, Jeffrey! ;D) Throughout the piece there are juxtapositions between quiet, eerie passages and louder, rhythmic, almost jazzy sections. The opening of the finale sounds uncannily like the opening of the "nuclear wasteland" finale of Vaughan Williams' Symphony no. 6 - I wonder if Wiren knew that work?
Delighted that you enjoyed it Kyle :)
I hadn't thought of the VW No.6 connection - very interesting.
Coincidentally I've listened to Wiren's 4th Symphony several times over the last couple of days.
Exciting looking new release of music by this underrated Swedish composer:
[asin]B077PKNR8M[/asin]
I've just reminded myself of Symphony 3 by listening to Thomas Dausgaaed's performance on CPO. What a fine work it is.
Does anyone have this?
(https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/619Q4qqcOyL._SR600%2C315_PIWhiteStrip%2CBottomLeft%2C0%2C35_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
The samples sounded OK to me but seeing it dismissed as boring by the man who owns the label that released it doesn't inspire confidence.
Very much enjoying this CD, especially the lyrical early quartets. They remind me a bit of those by Malipiero which I also like:
(//)
Quote from: vandermolen on February 18, 2019, 10:02:40 AM
Very much enjoying this CD, especially the lyrical early quartets. They remind me a bit of those by Malipiero which I also like:
(//)
Yes, I like it too!
The other day I was revisiting the Naxos CD of the string quartets. Unmistakably Nordic in their soundworld, none disappoints, but I felt Nos. 4 and 5 like the more interesting. They share that seriousness of the symphonies 4 and 5. There were moments where Sibelius was brought to my mind, so I can detect Sibelius like an influence.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 24, 2020, 06:28:51 PM
The other day I was revisiting the Naxos CD of the string quartets. Unmistakably Nordic in their soundworld, none disappoints, but I felt Nos. 4 and 5 like the more interesting. They share that seriousness of the symphonies 4 and 5. There were moments where Sibelius was brought to my mind, so I can detect Sibelius like an influence.
Very cool, Cesar. I've been meaning to look more into Wirén. All I have are the symphonies on CPO (w/ Dausgaard) and the
Violin Concerto (+ some other works) on the Caprice label. I recall much of the music having a Neoclassical, leaner quality to it. Would this be accurate? It's been years since I've heard any of his music.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 24, 2020, 06:33:36 PM
Very cool, Cesar. I've been meaning to look more into Wirén. All I have are the symphonies on CPO (w/ Dausgaard) and the Violin Concerto (+ some other works) on the Caprice label. I recall much of the music having a Neoclassical, leaner quality to it. Would this be accurate? It's been years since I've heard any of his music.
I think the Neoclassical tinge on some of his music is spot on, John, though Wirén makes it sound Nordic and very of his own methinks. You might like these quartets. Nos. 2 and 3 tend to sound more rustic, whilst nos. 4 and 5 show a more rigorous facet of him as a composer.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 24, 2020, 06:58:13 PM
I think the Neoclassical tinge on some of his music is spot on, John, though Wirén makes it sound Nordic and very of his own methinks. You might like these quartets. Nos. 2 and 3 tend to sound more rustic, whilst nos. 4 and 5 show a more rigorous facet of him as a composer.
Thanks, Cesar. I'll have to look into those SQs once I become more familiar with Wirén's music language. Also, I just bought the Caprice disc that has the
Cello Concerto,
Serenade for Strings, etc. Audio samples sounded rather nice.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 24, 2020, 06:28:51 PM
The other day I was revisiting the Naxos CD of the string quartets. Unmistakably Nordic in their soundworld, none disappoints, but I felt Nos. 4 and 5 like the more interesting. They share that seriousness of the symphonies 4 and 5. There were moments where Sibelius was brought to my mind, so I can detect Sibelius like an influence.
I listened to the 3rd quartet on that Naxos CD recently and enjoyed it greatly with its folksy spirit and modal harmonies. I also really like his Violin Concerto, which is by turns a lyrical, sometimes anxious, and ultimately life-affirming work. Wirén is a composer who's able to say a lot in a short time span, which I really admire.
I remembered another beautiful work: the Piano Trio No. 1. This is a must hear for fans of this composer. The slow movement is achingly moving. And Kyle is right about Wirén's ability to be succinct in his works, and this trio is a proof of it. I hadn't appreciated this composer before, but now things are changing for good!
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 25, 2020, 02:00:38 PM
I remembered another beautiful work: the Piano Trio No. 1. This is a must hear for fans of this composer. The slow movement is achingly moving. And Kyle is right about Wirén's ability to be succinct in his works, and this trio is a proof of it. I hadn't appreciated this composer before, but now things are changing for good!
Thanks for bringing it to my attention; I haven't heard it yet. Not many mid-20th century composers wrote piano trios/quartets/quintets, so it's always great to find more examples!
Just listening to my favourite Wiren score - the brooding Symphony No.4 of 1952. Wiren's wife told him that the monothematic opening reminded her of the approaching summer storm of 1952 - strongly recommended - it packs a lot into 18 minutes:
(//)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._4_(Wir%C3%A9n)#CITEREFHurwitz2018
The most recent interesting piece I've heard by him is the Piano Concerto which is found on this CD. It's quite cool how Wirén expressed what he intended in relatively few time. His ideas are very concise.
(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/CAP21513.jpg)
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on August 19, 2021, 10:56:14 AM
The most recent interesting piece I've heard by him is the Piano Concerto which is found on this CD. It's quite cool how Wirén expressed what he intended in relatively few time. His ideas are very concise.
(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/CAP21513.jpg)
Thanks Cesar - I have that CD somewhere and must fish it out. Wiren's chamber music has been a recent field of discovery for me.
Apparently, Wirén composed Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest entry sometime in the 1960s, which was performed by none other than the great operatic baritone Ingvar Wixell. Haven't listened to it yet, although I gather it's available on YouTube. I'm guessing it probably doesn't go "Waterloo..."
Quote from: vandermolen on August 19, 2021, 11:51:21 AM
Thanks Cesar - I have that CD somewhere and must fish it out. Wiren's chamber music has been a recent field of discovery for me.
His Piano Trio No. 1 with its poignant slow movement is particularly attractive to me. If you find the CD, please tell me what you think about the concerto, no matter if you liked it or not.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on August 19, 2021, 01:54:05 PM
His Piano Trio No. 1 with its poignant slow movement is particularly attractive to me. If you find the CD, please tell me what you think about the concerto, no matter if you liked it or not.
Yes, I'll let you know Cesar - I've noted your comments about the Piano Trio No.1 which I will also look out for.