Continuing our ongoing survey of the symphonies of Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960), we reach the richly complex Fourth symphony in C-Minor, Op. 39 of 1919. The subtitle is, in Swedish, “Från Havsbandet”; in English, “From the Skerries”.
This is unlike any symphony from Alfvén’s pen so far. Wordless voices (a soprano vocalise, Amdis Halla, a tenor vocalise, Johann Valdirmasson) offer an extraordinary addition to the texture (try between six and seven minutes into the firs movement to hear this). Valdimasson has an almost Peter Pears-like haunting quality to his voice anyway, which only emphasises this.
There are hints of a sort of Scandinavian Impressionism in the first movement that emerge stronger in the second movement (a scherzo with a slower middle, Allgro-Moderato-Allegro). I like the Icelandic performance a lot: it moves, it almost implies this is Alfvén’s La Mer!
Rhe slow movement is notable for a post-climactic vocalise from the tenor, crowned by a stratospheric entry for the soprano. If her were Impresisonist slants to the scherzo, here we enter a more Wagnerian world (perhaps that of his son, Siegfried Wagner, 1869-1930, more than Richard!) and, in the latter parts of the movement, Richard Straussian!. This is a 20-minute movement, way longer tan any other, and claims newly half of the total duration The final stretch is marked “appassionato,” and it certainly is that in this performance.
The finale contains huge beauty as well as power, and Willen diodes the music superbly, especially in the more ender moments, The Iceland orchestra’s wind principals get their moment in the sun:
The Festival Oveture, Op. 52 (1944) is an occasional piece, written in 1944. It is in many ways the obverse side of Alfvén after the Fourth Symphony: open-aired, full of both, fun and frivolity. There’s a theme for woodwind that sounds to my was like it should be a sea shanty and in Henry Wood’s Fantasia. There is no doubt, too, that teh Icelanders get suck in in no uncertain terms, relishing every gesture, including som delicious downward descents that almost come across as slides. The final peroration is out decidedly over the top but it is imp[ossible not to ge caught up in it:
Available singly or as pat of the 7-disc boxed set, this is a fabulous disc. Here’s the individual CD, and here’s the box set that includes the complete symphonies. Streaming links below.
