Stenhammar: Serenade (Serenade / Florez And Blanzeflor / Ithaca / Prelude and Bourree) [CD]

Stenhammar is not a composer who shouts his message from the rooftops but, like such composers as Fauré, Medtner and Novak, he offers definite rewards to those who are prepared to take time to enter his somewhat enclosed world.
Anybody unfamiliar with Stenhammar's music could do far worse than spend a few pounds on this generous collection of his works from Naxos. The Serenade in F major is probably Stenhammar's best-known, and most recorded, work - it was available on record in the days of 78s - and it here receives a very good performance from the Gävle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hannu Koivula. There is a nice sheen to the sound which made me think, more than when I've heard the work at other times, of the orchestral writing of Richard Strauss. The interlude from the cantata "The Song", on the other hand, shows Stenhammar still remembering the music of Wagner which influenced him when he composed his opera "Tirfling."
There are two vocal works, "Ithaca" and "Florez och Blanzeflor" included on this disc, and, if I prefer the older Ingvar Wixell recording of the latter piece which seems to unfold the music more naturally than the present performance, this doesn't mean that Karl-Magnus Fredriksson's interpretation of this attractive work isn't very good indeed. I am pleased to say that English translations of the texts of both works are included in the notes.
Finally, a recently discovered early work of the composer "Prélude and Bourrée" receives its world premiére recording. It's light in style and no masterpiece but the prelude, in particular, is most attractive and Stenhammar enthusiasts will want to add this work to their collection.
Yet another most enterprising release from Naxos. Well done!

[Caveat: At the time of this review, Amazon has listed this CD as containing Stenhammar's 'Reverenza'. I does not. I have written asking them to correct this error.]

Stenhammar is one of those composers about whom I am immoderately fond. Can't say why exactly except that I tend to side with an underdog and I believe Stenhammar has been unfairly relegated to the category of minor composers with few performances outside Scandinavia. I've loved much of his music for upwards of thirty-five years and remember a concert performance of his 'Serenade' perhaps thirty years ago at the Aspen Music Festival. I was familiar with the recording by Stig Westerberg Florez Och Banzeflor / Piano Concerto 2, loved the piece and was really excited to hear it for the first time live. Sitting behind me in the Tent was a group of composition students who were making snide comments about this unknown composer and complaining that they would have to sit through the 'Serenade' in order to hear the Brahms First Piano Concerto on the second half of the concert. I was amused, and pleased, that at the conclusion of the performance they were raving to each other about how wonderful the piece is. Yes, it is. Now, what about this performance by Hannu Koivula and the Gävle Symphony Orchestra? [Gävle is a small city on the east coast of Sweden, just north of Uppsala.] Well, it's a very good one perhaps only hindered a bit by the orchestra's slightly thin string tone. This is likely due to the smallish size of the string section rather than any deficit in the playing. Meanwhile, the winds and brass are first rate; I would particularly point out the wonderful horn section and the principal flute and clarinet. The reading is fairly mainstream, reminding one more of Neeme Järvi's recording with the Gothenberg SO Stenhammar: Symphonies/Serenade/Excelsior Overture. They do not include the 'Reverenza' movement, which is proper to do as Stenhammar removed it early on. But Järvi included it in his recording as the second movement, Stenhammar's original intent.

There are two works for baritone and orchestra on this CD: 'Florez and Blanzeflor', Op. 3, and 'Ithaka', Op. 21, both with texts by Swedish poet Oscar Levertin and sung by young Swedish baritone Karl-Magnus Fredriksson, who has a marvelous voice which reminds me at times of that of the magnificent Finnish bass-baritone Jorma Hynninen, although he has marginally less vocal control. Still, he conveys the texts tellingly. 'Florez och Blanzeflor' sings the praises of the coming Spring. The text of 'Ithaka' is about a traveler's difficult journey back home to the isle of Ithaca. Although not mentioned by name, the traveler, obviously, is Odysseus; the poem is a metaphor for life's struggles and the triumph of achieving peace and serenity. Texts and translations are provided.

Then we get an absolutely lovely slow piece, the Interlude ('Mallanspiel') from Stenhammar's 1921 cantata 'The Song' ('Sången'). I don't recall hearing it before. When I heard this performance I immediately went back and listened to it -- it lasts about seven minutes -- two more times. Gorgeous. And no problem with string sound here!

Finally, there is a world première recording (and possibly a first performanc ever) of an early (1894) work, 'Prélude and Bourrée', recently found in manuscript in the Swedish Music Library in Stockholm. It has less of the Stenhammar sound, but there are a few fingerprints here and there. Basically it is a romantic work based on Baroque models. It, too, is quite lovely. Hearing this 15-minute work might make buying this CD worthwhile even for those who own recordings of all the other works. And the disc is certainly a fine budget introduction for those who don't know any of Stenhammar's late romantic music.

Scott Morrison

I was going to review this disc more thoroughly but J Scott Morrison has really said most of what needs to be said in his excellent and comprehensive review.

I was not familiar with this music before it was suggested to me by fellow Amazon reviewer Stewart Crowe and he was so right; every piece here is a gem. It is easy to reach for the box of Nordic clichés to describe its impact, mood and characteristics but it is apt to do so: wintry sunshine, chill winds rippling over grassland, cantering and galloping horseback rhythms, chirruping birdsong, heroic deeds by land and sea - of course it's more redolent of Sibelius than any other composer from that part of the world (yes, I know Finland isn't in Scandinavia), particularly when the flutes warble and flutter and then a kind of hectic momentum picks up, or when we suddenly find ourselves in a strange, quiet state of reflection, alone with the implacable forces of nature. At times, too, in the more rustic, bucolic passages, the voice of Grieg seems to be invoked. The martial, the lyrical, the melancholy and the spiritual are all encompassed in the five very varied movements of the Serenade and the playing by a supposedly provincial orchestra has to be heard to be believed, especially the woodwind. The strings sometimes lack a little heft and richness but this is not crucial in such gossamer-light music.

The bonuses are just as enchanting. The fine, firm, virile and expressive baritone makes the most of the two contrasting ballads and the hitherto unpublished Prélude and Bourrée is a real find. I think my favourite piece of all is the Sången, a noble, sonorous, dignified cantata that culminates in a brass chorale and recalls both Wagner and, again, Sibelius - specifically the mood of his Andante festivo.

This is Naxos at its best: beautiful presentation, full texts and translations, lovely sound, unusual but wholly worthwhile repertoire; no wonder the label has recently gone mid-price, as for this quality it's well worth it.