I listened to a fleeting moment of "Oxberg Variations" and liked it. Is this composer good? Can anyone recommend any other works, or any recordings of this work?
unfortunately, there aren't not many recordings by a composer that might well appeal to a large audience.
The works I heard were rythmically inventive and brillantly orchestrated ( I like the way he uses percussion). I have several works on tape ( alas, no taperecorder anymore..) and vividly remember well crafted, quite "muscular" music in a late Romantic/early expressionistic idiom. Hindemith, Bartok, Stravinsky ---normal influences for an artist born in 1910.
Symphony nr 5 "Lapponica" is a powerfull and gripping work that I would love to have on CD.
At the website of the Swedish Society for Performing rights I found this portrait/interview :
http://www.stim.se/stim/prod/stimv4eng.nsf/alldocuments/C13DF177C605B1E4C1256B6E004492E5
His father was composer Sigurd von Koch (1879-1919), and as a boy Erland would lie beneath the grand piano and hear Wilhelm Stenhammar and Ture Rangström play, among others. Since that time he has met many of the big names in 20th century music, including Rachmaninov, Bartók, Stravinsky, Hindemith and Alfvén.
Studies abroad
Although he grew up in musically rich surroundings, music was never the obvious option for Erland von Koch. It was not until his teenage years that he began playing piano and soon became interested in jazz. Together with some friends he formed the first jazz band - 'Electric Band' - at Östra Real secondary school in Stockholm, and he led the 'Diddle Kiddies' and 'Optimistic Stompers', always in dark glasses in case a teacher happened by.
At the end of the 1920s he won two composition contests organised by the Edda upper secondary association. His interest in music grew, and he gradually began considering a future as a composer.
Studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music followed, resulting in a degree in music majoring as a cantor and organist. This was followed by composition, conducting and piano studies in Berlin. The plan was to study under Hindemith, who unfortunately fell into disfavour with the Nazis and was forced to hand Erland von Koch over to his friend and colleague, Paul Höffer. He chose Claudio Arrau as his piano teacher and for conducting he studied under Clemens Krauss.
I ask him what he considers his biggest success as a composer.
"I would say my 'Liten svit för kammarorkester' (Small Suite for Chamber Orchestra), op. 1, which I debuted with - both as composer and conductor - at the Academy in 1934."
The 1930s Generation and the Monday Group
When Erland von Koch returned to Sweden in the late 1930s he was voted into the Association of Swedish Composers, FST, and he made his definitive breakthrough with 'Piano Concerto No. 1' which premiered in 1938 with the Stockholm Concert Association and pianist Herman Hoppe.
Erland von Koch, Lars-Erik Larsson, Dag Wirén, Hilding Hallnäs and Gunnar de Frumerie all debuted in the 1930s after studying in France and Germany. They all had similar aesthetic values, and came to be known as 'Trettiotalisterna', literally 'the Generation of the 1930s'. Their music is relatively accessible and they were more influenced by Bartók, Hindemith and Honegger than by Schönberg and twelve-tone music.
The younger, radical generation which eventually made up the so-called 'Monday Group' came into opposition with the 'Trettiotalisterna', whom they considered far too traditionalistic. The Monday Group and its advocates had a strong influence on the Swedish music scene for a long time, partly because they held most of the important administrative positions. The 'Trettiotalisterna' felt left out in many respects, but the audiences appreciated their music.
Folk music and the Sami
During the 1940s, Erland von Koch became interested in Swedish folk music. Over the next decade this led to a series of works with some degree of folk musical influence, such as 'The Oxberg Variations' (1956), 'Lapland Metamorphoses' (1957) and 'Dance Rhapsody' (1957). As recently as 1990 he wrote 'Bilder från Lappland' (Images of Lapland), six choral songs based on Sami 'yoik' chants.
Personally, Erland von Koch thinks that he has been too readily and arbitrarily associated with folk music. After all, folklore is one of many elements in his style, and it is now almost fifty years since he moved on to concentrate on other styles.
This is how he describes his journey between the styles: "A tendency towards neo-classicism during the 1930s, a 'romantic' period around the mid-40s, orientation towards a more modern expression in the 1960s, and since then greater freedom encompassing all the trends and isms."
Even so, his interest in folk music and Sami chants strengthened his involvement in the Sami cause and environmental issues, which was expressed most powerfully in his symphony No. 5, 'Lapponica'. It was dedicated to the Sami people and is a kind of protest music against the way this indigenous people has been treated.
The melody is key
Erland von Koch's portfolio encompasses a large number of works in varying styles and forms. It includes 6 symphonies, 15 solo concerts, 12 'Scandinavian dances', the 'Impulsi' and 'Oxberg' trilogies for orchestra, the children's opera 'Pelle Svanlös' (Pelle - the Cat with the Very Short Tail), 5 ballets, an extensive repertoire of songs and even a few hymns.
"That's right, there's plenty on my conscience," he jokes.
He has also composed several solo works, some of the better known being those entitled '18 Monologues' - a series of skilfully executed studies of the orchestral instruments' capacity and expressive scope.
In addition - often simply to make a living, as he puts it - he has written the music for around 30 films, including half a dozen by Ingmar Bergman.
Animated rhythmic aspects - perhaps influenced by his time as a jazz pianist and by Bartók - are characteristic of Erland von Koch's music, as is the prominent role he assigns the melody. "The way I see it, the melody is the key element, the very life and soul of the music, and I have always endeavoured to cultivate its many expressive qualities," he explains.
Distinctions
Alongside his composing, Erland von Koch also worked as a harmony teacher at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between 1953 and 1975. During the 1940s he was employed at Radiotjänst as conductor and harmony expert, and was also chairman of the Fylkingen New Music & Intermediate Art Society. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1957 and a professor in 1968.
Over the years he has been awarded a large number of prizes and distinctions: the Christ Johnson Prize in 1958, Vasaorden (RVO) in 1967, Litteris et artibus in 1979, the Atterberg prize in 1979 and the Alfvén prize in 1981. He was awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Music medal for musical promotion in 2000.
Erland von Koch likes to quote Sibelius: "Don't think that the years make it any easier to compose music - it just gets harder and harder." At the same time, though, he says he is an incurable optimist:
"Above all I think that music can help us see - and even trust - the powers of good in life."
Mattias Franzén
Thanks for the information. Does anyone else know anything about this composer or his works?
Only the trivial and irrelevant observation that he is only the second person I've heard of, with the name Erland.
The first was my first clarinet instructor, Erland Nordstrom.
I found this on http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2000/aug00/koch.htm. That disc is now on my wishlist!(http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2000/aug00/koch.jpg)
ERLAND VON KOCH (b.1910)
Lappland-Metamorfoser (1957) 12.49
Impulsi (1964) 11.35
Echi (1965) 13.03
Ritmi (1966) 11.43
Oxberg-Variationer (1956) 17.26
Stockholm PO/Stig Westerberg
rec Stockholm Concert Hall, Jan-Sept 1977; 26 May 1960 (Oxberg)
SWEDISH SOCIETY DISCOFIL SCD 1024 [66.36]
Clean, sharply delineated, folksy without kitsch and strongly rhythmic, von Koch's music has made small impact internationally. Time for reassessment.
Von Koch was born into a cultured family. Guests at his home included Rangstrom and Stenhammar. His father, Sigurd, was also a composer, and sadly he died when his son was only nine passing on to him his love of the sea, of music and of the Stockholm archipelago. Studies at the Stockholm Conservatory lead on to work with Claudio Arrau and writing music for Ingmar Bergman's early films.
These three pieces are a counterpart to the named orchestral works of William Mathias. They are each tone poems or orchestral studies. The approach is similar to the explosive energising music one finds in Uuno Klami's Kalevala Suite or even Copland's El Salon Mexico. There are traces of Stravinsky and Holmboe. The music 'feels' big and is often marked out by dance fragments stamping and flickering. The woodwind writing is notable for carrying the front-line interest. Too, however, Von Koch employs the percussion to dramatic effect as well as for colour. The music is refreshing and in no way cloying or prolix.
Impulsi, Echi and Ritmi are grouped as the Impulsi Trilogy. The predominance favours verve and virile life. There is a pronounced Hungarian element (Kodaly and Rozsa rather than Bartok) in the Lappland Metamorfoser and, up to a point, the Oxberg Variations (note some Hovhaness-like trombone 'slides'). This is less evident in Impulsi. In both Echi and Ritmi the xylophone is notable for goading the work on to new heights of excitement.
Anyone at all susceptible to Rozsa's Tripartita, Janacek's Sinfonietta, Moeran's Sinfonietta, Kodaly's Galanta and Hary Janos will have no difficulty with these works and will be delighted with the discovery. Notes are light on detail. Recording quality open and lively if marginally harsher in the Oxberg work. Recommended.
Good tip! Everything by Von Koch I've heard so far, is highly interesting. I'll try to find this one too, and learn what you mean.
I have that disc and depite the sometimes dated sound, this is truly superb music. Highly colourful and inventive, its verve and melodic inventiveness belie the rather serious-looking mien of the composer. Above all, von Koch is a no-nonsense composer, who eschews gratuitous effects or gestures. To me he sounds like a cross between Hindemith, Milhaud and Arnold. His music is simple, direct, high on melodic content and meticulously crafted.
Von Koch wrote absolutely smashing guitar and flute concertos, easily among the best ever done. I really wish I knew his symphonies.
Quote from: karlhenning on May 17, 2007, 08:49:42 AM
Only the trivial and irrelevant observation that he is only the second person I've heard of, with the name Erland.
The first was my first clarinet instructor, Erland Nordstrom.
Well, don't forget Bergman's favourite actor, Erland Josephson.
There's the:
Swedish Violin Sonatas
Sigurd von Koch: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E Minor
Hilding Rosenberg: Sonata for Violin and Piano No 2
H Melcher Melchers: Sonata for Violin and Piano Op 22
Cecilia Zilliacus, Bengt-Åke Lundin
on Phono Suecia PSCD705 which was awarded The Swedish Gramophone Award for the Classical Album of the Year 1999. On my wish list, haven't heard it.
I enjoy his monologs for clarinet . . . . . . .
Sigurd and Erland are not the same person! They're father and son, respectively. I haven't heard any of his music, so thanks for the rec for the violin sonatas (Rosenberg is also a composer I like a lot).
Sadly, Erland von Koch died earlier this year(31 January). He was the last of his generation of Swedish composers(Wiren, Larsson, Pettersson).
The Obituary from "The Independent"(London)-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/erland-von-koch-composer-inspired-by-scandinavian-folk-music-1661061.html
I've been trying to get that, is it Swedish Society?, disc, but it's either MIA, or they want $80 on Amazon. It shows up on ebay every now and then, though.
Even my mom knows who Koch was (then again, I once found Pettersson/Dorati LP :o in her collection of otherwise Mario Lanza/Swedish snoozers)!
I was going to ask if this was the old Koch thread. It is.
Time for a Koch revival. He was one of Sweden's most honest composers.
Quote from: Lilas Pastia on May 16, 2009, 06:32:54 PM
Time for a Koch revival. He was one of Sweden's most honest composers.
You may well be right....but I simply do not know enough of von Koch's music to tell. The only stuff i have heard is from the Phono Suecia cd: the Symphony no.2 "Sinfonia Dalecarlia", the Viola Concerto, Suite No.1 from tyhe Ballet "Cinderella" and Nordic Capriccio.
von Koch seems to have been largely ignored as far as record companies are concerned and I would certainly agree that he is due for revival. Perhaps CPO will take him up-as they are about to do for Kallstenius.
Quote from: pjme on May 17, 2007, 12:52:07 AM
Symphony nr 5 "Lapponica" is a powerfull and gripping work that I would love to have on CD.
As it is not commercially available, and it is a gorgeous and haunting work, you can download mp3s of non-commercially released versions of his 4th and 5th symphonies, as well as his double concerto for violin, piano, and orchestra here.
http://www.mediafire.com/?sel2256835pzu37 (http://www.mediafire.com/?sel2256835pzu37)
These are from radio broadcasts. If anyone finds out that these are available commercially, let me know and I'd delete this link.
If you like Moeran's Symphony, this will really appeal to you. It really is a fine symphony, and needs to be heard.
Quote from: jowcol on February 06, 2012, 02:24:40 PM
As it is not commercially available, and it is a gorgeous and haunting work, you can download mp3s of non-commercially released versions of his 4th and 5th symphonies, as well as his double concerto for violin, piano, and orchestra here.
http://www.mediafire.com/?sel2256835pzu37 (http://www.mediafire.com/?sel2256835pzu37)
These are from radio broadcasts. If anyone finds out that these are available commercially, let me know and I'd delete this link.
If you like Moeran's Symphony, this will really appeal to you. It really is a fine symphony, and needs to be heard.
Thanks for this, I'll give it due listening time in short order.
I had an uncle named Erland. Von Koch is certainly a Composer I NEED to get to know. The mid-century Swedes seem to have gotten something right! I'm thinking of Larsson and Wiren and Koch and Rosenberg and...
My first proper clarinet instructor (as opposed to the first couple of years of lessons with the band director) was an Erland.
Quote from: karlhenning on July 10, 2012, 03:59:45 AM
My first proper clarinet instructor (as opposed to the first couple of years of lessons with the band director) was an Erland.
Quote from: karlhenning on July 10, 2012, 03:59:45 AM
My first proper clarinet instructor (as opposed to the first couple of years of lessons with the band director) was an Erland.
Ah, Karl has officially entered The Golden Years! There's one Thread, where, I think it's vandermolen, tells the same story (the wheelbarrow?) every time the Thread comes up. :P Ginko? ;) ;D
Sometimes I fear for my memory. :-X
Quote from: snyprrr on July 10, 2012, 06:54:55 AM
Ah, Karl has officially entered The Golden Years! There's one Thread, where, I think it's vandermolen, tells the same story (the wheelbarrow?) every time the Thread comes up. :P Ginko? ;) ;D
Sometimes I fear for my memory. :-X
Quote from: karlhenning on May 17, 2007, 08:49:42 AM
Only the trivial and irrelevant observation that he is only the second person I've heard of, with the name Erland.
The first was my first clarinet instructor, Erland Nordstrom.
Well, since my first post was more than five years ago, I do not worry overmuch that the event of posting the same information then dropped out of my memory. For a distance of five years erewhile, my threshold of memorial importance must be higher ; )
Quote from: karlhenning on July 10, 2012, 06:58:28 AM
Well, since my first post was more than five years ago, I do not worry overmuch that the event of posting the same information then dropped out of my memory. For a distance of five years erewhile, my threshold of memorial importance must be higher ; )
check ;) ;D
check ;) ;D
Do you know the clarinet 'Monologue'?
Quote from: snyprrr on July 10, 2012, 06:54:55 AM
Ah, Karl has officially entered The Golden Years! There's one Thread, where, I think it's vandermolen, tells the same story (the wheelbarrow?) every time the Thread comes up. :P Ginko? ;) ;D
Sometimes I fear for my memory. :-X
bump
Golden years . . . golden years, cha-cha-cha . . .
Another composer I will have to investigate.
Quote from: Scion7 on November 01, 2015, 07:43:32 AM
Golden years . . . golden years, cha-cha-cha . . .
Another composer I will have to investigate.
should be easy.... discography is pathetic... YT???
Cross-posted from the 'Purchases' thread:
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 28, 2016, 01:12:17 PM
Just bought:
(http://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/BIS-2169.jpg) (http://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/SCD1024.jpg)
(http://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/PS-CD710.jpg)
Has anyone heard these recordings? I'm quite interested in Koch's music after listened to a movement from his
Symphony No. 3.
I've reported very enthusiastically on the BIS release. You will love it.
Quote from: The new erato on March 28, 2016, 01:54:42 PM
I've reported very enthusiastically on the BIS release. You will love it.
Great to hear! Yeah, what I heard of
Symphony No. 3 was enough to sell me on the composer. Plus, a little research doesn't hurt either. ;)
I've just received the BIS CD. I played the 'Nordic Capriccio' first - what a charming and inspiriting work! I had to play it again immediately. Now on to the symphonies. :)
Quote from: vandermolen on April 19, 2016, 12:13:50 AM
I've just received the BIS CD. I played the 'Nordic Capriccio' first - what a charming and inspiriting work! I had to play it again immediately. Now on to the symphonies. :)
do tell
Quote from: vandermolen on April 19, 2016, 12:13:50 AM
I've just received the BIS CD. I played the 'Nordic Capriccio' first - what a charming and inspiriting work! I had to play it again immediately. Now on to the symphonies. :)
Yeah, Jeffrey. That BIS recording is great. I need to revisit his
Symphony No. 3. This made a very favorable impression on me, especially that lovely slow movement.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 20, 2016, 10:24:32 AM
Yeah, Jeffrey. That BIS recording is great. I need to revisit his Symphony No. 3. This made a very favorable impression on me, especially that lovely slow movement.
I've enjoyed the CD very much but the work I like best at the moment is Sinfonia Seria (No.4) which has a redemptive ending -,something which always appeals to me.
Quote from: vandermolen on April 20, 2016, 11:28:31 AM
I've enjoyed the CD very much but the work I like best at the moment is Sinfonia Seria (No.4) which has a redemptive ending -,something which always appeals to me.
Considering your hankerings for Pettersson, especially works from around the 6th, 7th, and 8th symphonies, it's no small wonder why you're drawn to these redemptive endings. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 20, 2016, 01:07:40 PM
Considering your hankerings for Pettersson, especially works from around the 6th, 7th, and 8th symphonies, it's no small wonder why you're drawn to these redemptive endings. :)
Very true John! :)
Also for great redemptive endings:
Rosenberg symphonies 2 and 3. Do you know those?
Quote from: vandermolen on April 21, 2016, 05:06:58 AM
Very true John! :)
Also for great redemptive endings:
Rosenberg symphonies 2 and 3. Do you know those?
I can't say I'm very familiar with Rosenberg's oeuvre having only heard a few works. I do own a few recordings of his music: the ballet
Orpheus in Town, the PCs, and
Symphonies 3 & 6 (on a BIS recording).
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 24, 2016, 06:35:37 AM
I can't say I'm very familiar with Rosenberg's oeuvre having only heard a few works. I do own a few recordings of his music: the ballet Orpheus in Town, the PCs, and Symphonies 3 & 6 (on a BIS recording).
That BIS CD is very good.
Thanks for the info. on von Koch. I listened to the BIS disc on NML and have ordered the CD.
Quote from: Sammy on April 24, 2016, 10:45:03 AM
Thanks for the info. on von Koch. I listened to the BIS disc on NML and have ordered the CD.
Let us know what you think.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 20, 2016, 10:24:32 AM
Yeah, Jeffrey. That BIS recording is great. I need to revisit his Symphony No. 3. This made a very favorable impression on me, especially that lovely slow movement.
Koch update?
btw- Oldfield?... really?... (what about that French guy... 'Oxygene'?) Jean-Michel...??...
Koch's Impulsi Trilogy was a great recent discovery of mine - it's a thrilling work bursting with energy and potent atmosphere. It almost sounds more American than Scandinavian in places (especially due to its prominent xylophone part), recalling Copland's populist period or Hanson at his most exuberant. Anyone who likes colorful, accessible 20th century orchestral music needs to check this piece out:
I: https://youtu.be/KBv3GHaMT74 (https://youtu.be/KBv3GHaMT74)
II: https://youtu.be/nqqxzdLWLEs (https://youtu.be/nqqxzdLWLEs)
III: https://youtu.be/NZ2FkRfg3sg (https://youtu.be/NZ2FkRfg3sg)
Boy, I haven't written in this thread since...2007 :o Since then I have discovered his symphonies, with great pleasure. The Trilogy is my favourite von Koch work. His Oxberg Variations are also very fetching. And of course his marvelous guitar and flute concertos.
Quote from: André on October 17, 2017, 06:49:12 PM
Boy, I haven't written in this thread since...2007 :o Since then I have discovered his symphonies, with great pleasure. The Trilogy is my favourite von Koch work. His Oxberg Variations are also very fetching. And of course his marvelous guitar and flute concertos.
Just listened again to my BIS CD of the Koch symphonies etc having read Andre's post (how do I do the French accent over the 'e'? ???). It is a terrific CD and I especially like the powerfully redemptive ending of 'Sinfonia Seria'. I need to explore more of Koch's music.
Quote from: vandermolen on October 18, 2017, 02:44:13 AM
Just listened again to my BIS CD of the Koch symphonies etc having read Andre's post (how do I do the French accent over the 'e'? ???). It is a terrific CD and I especially like the powerfully redemptive ending of 'Sinfonia Seria'. I need to explore more of Koch's music.
I've been meaning to listen to that BIS CD for quite some time now - must give it a spin. If those symphonies are anywhere near as good as the
Impulsi Trilogy, I must hear them!
Quote from: kyjo on October 18, 2017, 06:16:44 AM
I've been meaning to listen to that BIS CD for quite some time now - must give it a spin. If those symphonies are anywhere near as good as the Impulsi Trilogy, I must hear them!
And I must hear the Impulsi Trilogy Kyle!
Quote from: vandermolen on October 18, 2017, 06:46:51 AM
And I must hear the Impulsi Trilogy Kyle!
It's great, Jeffrey. You'll enjoy it I'm sure.
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 18, 2017, 07:09:58 AM
It's great, Jeffrey. You'll enjoy it I'm sure.
Thanks John - pleased to see the Tubin avatar!
:)
Time to give Erland von Koch a fresh start.
Symphony nr. 5 is on YT - not the best sound, but Stig Westerberg is as always a reliable and committed musical guide.
https://www.youtube.com/v/vqJQQicFsjw
The hyper catchy (quasi exotic/bacchanalian/film) tune that snakes itself through the compostion reminded me of the music I heard at a Pow wow I witnessed years ago in Canada....
Good stuff!
The fascination with folk music not only produced numerous scores based on Swedish folk tunes; it went hand-in-glove with an environmentalist identification with the Nordic landscape, as the titles of many of his works reveal, among them the orchestral Arkipelag (1950), Lapplandmetamorfoser (1957), Midwinter Sacrificial Feast and Summer Solstice (1984–85). His interest broadened to encompass the music of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, taking its fullest form in his Fifth Symphony, Lapponica (1976–77), a protest against the shabby treatment of the Sami by their southern neighbours. He responded to the sinking of the ferry Estonia with an orchestral Lament over the Estonia Catastrophe (1994–96).
"... he still held an essentially simple and modest view of the composer's task: "The melody is the key element, the very life and soul of music, and I have always endeavoured to cultivate its many expressive qualities"
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/erland-von-koch-composer-inspired-by-scandinavian-folk-music-1661061.html
Quote from: pjme on April 04, 2019, 12:16:14 AM
Time to give Erland von Koch a fresh start.
Symphony nr. 5 is on YT - not the best sound, but Stig Westerberg is as always a reliable and committed musical guide.
https://www.youtube.com/v/vqJQQicFsjw
The hyper catchy (quasi exotic/bacchanalian/film) tune that snakes itself through the compostion reminded me of the music I heard at a Pow wow I witnessed years ago in Canada....
Good stuff!
The fascination with folk music not only produced numerous scores based on Swedish folk tunes; it went hand-in-glove with an environmentalist identification with the Nordic landscape, as the titles of many of his works reveal, among them the orchestral Arkipelag (1950), Lapplandmetamorfoser (1957), Midwinter Sacrificial Feast and Summer Solstice (1984–85). His interest broadened to encompass the music of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, taking its fullest form in his Fifth Symphony, Lapponica (1976–77), a protest against the shabby treatment of the Sami by their southern neighbours. He responded to the sinking of the ferry Estonia with an orchestral Lament over the Estonia Catastrophe (1994–96).
"... he still held an essentially simple and modest view of the composer's task: "The melody is the key element, the very life and soul of music, and I have always endeavoured to cultivate its many expressive qualities"
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/erland-von-koch-composer-inspired-by-scandinavian-folk-music-1661061.html
Great post, very informative. Everything I know by Von Koch is fine - but I know too little, even this Symphony No. 5 is new for me (but sounds intriguing). :)
Thanks!
I still may have somewhere a tape recording of the Lapponica in this performance (Westerberg died in 1999) ... I had this great machine and loved to record radio broadcasts of rare and unusual works.
(https://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2018/1/29/d/b/f/dbf8e300-19ac-41fb-ac8a-bcab1f2597b5.jpg)
I do like this symphony - although it hardly sounds -to me -as a protest. I'm sure it would accompany to perfection a documentary on Lapland....
I really enjoy the Fifth Symphony as well as the Third recently recorded by BIS. Invigorating stuff.
Quote from: kyjo on April 04, 2019, 09:05:24 AM
I really enjoy the Fifth Symphony as well as the Third recently recorded by BIS. Invigorating stuff.
That's a great disc and I wish BIS would give us more.
I've listened to Impulsi Trilogy, but my reaction was less positive than others here. Anyway, I'll try these symphonies in due course, I hope to be more struck by them.
On my disc Impulsi is coupled with the Oxberg Variations. Maybe you'd like it better ?
Koch's music, IMHO, is similar to Holmboe's, but without the mystique.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on April 04, 2019, 09:02:44 PM
I've listened to Impulsi Trilogy, but my reaction was less positive than others here. Anyway, I'll try these symphonies in due course, I hope to be more struck by them.
How could I forget about the
Impulsi Trilogy? Thrilling stuff! I'm surprised you weren't enthralled by it ;)
Quote from: André on April 05, 2019, 06:31:49 AM
On my disc Impulsi is coupled with the Oxberg Variations. Maybe you'd like it better ?
Both works will be in the listening pile. I should like this stuff!
Quote from: kyjo on April 05, 2019, 09:25:35 AM
How could I forget about the Impulsi Trilogy? Thrilling stuff! I'm surprised you weren't enthralled by it ;)
I think I didn't listen to it enough to get a better idea of it. I'll add the 5th Symphony too. Sadly the sound quality leaves much to be desired.
Quote from: pjme on April 04, 2019, 12:16:14 AM
Time to give Erland von Koch a fresh start.
Symphony nr. 5 is on YT - not the best sound, but Stig Westerberg is as always a reliable and committed musical guide.
https://www.youtube.com/v/vqJQQicFsjw
The hyper catchy (quasi exotic/bacchanalian/film) tune that snakes itself through the compostion reminded me of the music I heard at a Pow wow I witnessed years ago in Canada....
Good stuff!
The fascination with folk music not only produced numerous scores based on Swedish folk tunes; it went hand-in-glove with an environmentalist identification with the Nordic landscape, as the titles of many of his works reveal, among them the orchestral Arkipelag (1950), Lapplandmetamorfoser (1957), Midwinter Sacrificial Feast and Summer Solstice (1984–85). His interest broadened to encompass the music of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, taking its fullest form in his Fifth Symphony, Lapponica (1976–77), a protest against the shabby treatment of the Sami by their southern neighbours. He responded to the sinking of the ferry Estonia with an orchestral Lament over the Estonia Catastrophe (1994–96).
"... he still held an essentially simple and modest view of the composer's task: "The melody is the key element, the very life and soul of music, and I have always endeavoured to cultivate its many expressive qualities"
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/erland-von-koch-composer-inspired-by-scandinavian-folk-music-1661061.html
Just revisited this amazing work from this video. Despite it doesn't have great sound, it's more than decent in general and the work itself is glorious, expertly written and performed here. It's like film music in several passages. Orgasmic!
von Koch is yet another superb, underrated Swedish composer to add to the ranks. The works of his that I know - the 3rd Symphony, Impulsi Trilogy, Oxberg Variations, Nordic Capriccio, and Askungen Suite no. 1 - all exude great flair, color, energy, folksiness, and even humor. I particularly love his imaginative use of percussion in the orchestra.