Search - Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Michail Jurowski, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra :: Wilhelm Peterson-Berger: Symphony No. 4 "Holmia"; Törnrossagan; Frösöblomster

Superb performances of delightful although not too profound

G.D. | Norway | 03/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wilhelm Peterson-Berger belongs to what must be termed the golden age of Swedish music - indeed, he was one of the instigators - seeking to combine a late romantic musical language inspired by Wagner with Swedish folk music as treated by e.g. Söderman; think, perhaps, a mixture of Wagner and Grieg and you are on the right track, especially if you add a hint of Vaughan Williams. And while he might not be the most prominent or distinguished or original among this group of composers (that honor does, presumably, go to Stenhammar), this is still a delightful disc of delectable music, with performances and a recorded sound to match.



Peterson-Berger's fourth, Holmia, evokes the city of Stockholm in the kind of atmospheric manner one usually associates with nature painting in music - sights and sounds and smells and tastes are evoked with skill and charm. Overall, it is a light-hearted work, utilizing Swedish folksongs but mixing traces of German, English and American influences (if ever so subtly) into it. The music is affectionate and touching rather than profound, but the end result is an eminently admirable work that really deserves to be heard.



The couplings, the Sleeping Beauty Suite and the orchestral version of a suite from his delightful piano cycle Frösöblomster, are also light-hearted and romantic with few attempts at profundity but all the more color, atmosphere and charm, memorable tunefulness and overall superb orchestral writing. The performances by the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra are superb, moving, light on their feet and full of life and vibrancy, and they are captured in splendid sound. A real treat, then, unless you require something really profound."