Wilhelm Stenhammar Symphony no 2 - Blomstedt and Lindberg, BIS

Two new recordings of Wilhelm Stenhammar Symphony no 2 in G minor op 34 (1911-15) one with Herbert Blomstedt and the Gothenberg Symphony, the other with Christian Lindberg and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.   Why two recordings from the same label, BIS, specialists in Scandinavian repertoire ? Even the booklet notes are identical.  BIS know their market, and know that two very different approaches will appeal to a more sophisticated audience than to those who still think Stenhammar is "unknown",  Neeme Järvi's recordings, from the1980's established the composer on an international level, followed by many others. So it's not at all a question of Blomstedt or Lindberg, but why.  For many,  Stig Westerberg's recording with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, from the late 1970's, is the benchmark against which all other performances of Stenhammar’s Symphony no 2 needs to be heard.

Like Järvi, Blomstedt has been conducting Stenhammar most of his career, so any recording he makes is a snapshot of the many performances he's given over the years, and this live recording, from Decemeber 2013, is well worth hearing. When the symphony premiered in 1916, Stenhammar wrote that he had wanted to write "sober and honest music without showing off", a statement that deliberately places a distance between him and the excesses of  post-Wagnerian Romanticism, and sets him in the context of Sibelius and the aesthetic of "Northern Light" which revitalized Scandinavian art, literature and culture. Sibelius expressed the same spirit when he wrote of his Symphony no 6 in 1923, that he did not engage in "manufacturing cocktails of every hue (but) I offer the public pure cold water". Significantly, he dedicated that symphony to Stenhammar.

Blomstedt's approach to Stenhammar reflects these Sibelius connections.  While Blomstadt approaches the  principal theme of the first movement with relative restraint, placing more emphasis on what evolves later, Lindberg defines it with greater vigour, emphasisng its crucial role. In this way, Lindberg is closer to the marking "allegro energetico" and to Stig Westerberg who showed how the the motif is broken into component parts, then redeveloped, each variation prefaced by different instrument (woodwinds, horns and woodwinds). Though this motif resembles the folk song "Row, row to the fishing inlet", what might meant more to Stenhammar was the sense of forward thrust, not the folk melody per se. Westerberg and Lindberg capture the ever-changing moods of the movement with stronger definition, so the variations surge, like the ocean, sometimes ebullient, somtimes with more stillness.  Blomstedt  suggests smoother passage, the strings of the Gothenberg Symphony rich and full, like Sibelius in full flow.  Though the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra doesn't have the Scandinavian pedigree of Gothenberg, who premiered the symphony in 1916 and have had it in their repertoire ever since, they respond well to the innate personality of the music.

In the second movement, an andante, the significance of the quieter moments in the first movement are revealed.  Though the mood is subdued, much happens "beneath the surface", so to speak. This movement proceeds as a series of developments, as did the first. Westerberg observes this so perceptively that each variation has character, giving context to the reiteration of the central motif which re-asserts itself as the movement ends with an almost Beethovenian sense of purpose.  Blomstedt is particularly good here, the classiness of the Gothenbergers' playing comes to the fore. Stenhammar   called the scherzo movement "a gentle and sympathetic piece", where the trio dances in triple time. Blomstedt is more refined but Westerberg captures the gaiety and good humour, and Lindberg's players enter into the spirit. Lindberg, incidentally, has recorded Stenhammar Serenade and Excelsior! , also for BIS, which was well received. It doesn't matter what nationality the players are, if they have a conductor who is enthusiastic and understands the music.

The finale begins with a theme which is not so much slow as sostenuto, sustained, not still, which ascends to joyous outburst, from which the original theme in the first movement returns, gently but with authority, the themes alternating in double fugue.  Each of the sections has character.Stenhammar   called the cantilena in the middle "The heart's song brimming over".  Nontheless it is balanced by the lively vivace sections around it and a tranquillo. The movement ends not with bombast but with equanamity.  Structure matters, and balance, and a sense of musicality, not overwrought excess.  Virtues we need all the more in these times of ignorance.  A while back there was a campaign on the internet predicting an end to performances of Carl Nielsen, of all people! Notice the carefully shaped pizzicato in Blomstedt, restrained percussion giving way to expansive strings.  Lindberg overall is brighter and livelier though he takes a whole minute longer - never trust timings alone - and has a rather good violin leader, and warm-sounding brass. (Lindberg also works as a trombone soloist.)  Westerberg takes the prize, though, for depth of interpretation, particularly in the finale, where some inexpressible emotional depth comes through, past structural quality and fine playing.

So, Blomstedt or Lindberg ?  The answer is both, since each one offers a distinctive and valid approach.  Blomstedt might seem the safe answer but Lindberg is closer to Westerberg, and  is an interpreter to listen out for.  Unsurprisngly his recording is something of a hit in some Stenhammar circles. BIS pairs Blomstedt with Serenade in F major op 31 and Lindberg with Stenhammar's Musik till August Strindberg's "Ett Drömspell".written for a performance in 1916 which did not take place. Here it is heard in a concert version from 1970 by Hilding Rosenberg (1892-1985), another great Swedish composer. It is an atmospheric work, strings reverberating in extended legato above the low rumbling of percussion winds and brass. An ascending figure introduces a new scene, where textures are brighter, but this is cut suddenly short by strident chords.  The figure returns, yet is confronted yet again by dominant chords which develop in a melody that evokes march or hymn.  Whizzing strings, whirring like wind, introduce the dramatic final section. A wall of sound (strings, brass, woodwinds) looms up suggesting a vast panorama before the final theme (led by harps and horns) suggests something mysterious and open ended.  Stenhammar's Symphony no 2 is so well known that it obscures much of Stenhammar's other music, which is also significant. I learned my Stenhammar from his many songs.  Again, it makes a difference to approach Stenhammar in the context of Scandinavian lietrature, art and culture. Please see HERE for my piece on Stenhammar's opera Gillet på Solhaug. 1893, one of the earliest Swedish operas, based on Henrik Ibsen's play Gildet paa Solhaug .  

Swedish opera : Stenhammar's Ibsen Gillet på Solhaug.

Gillet på Solhaug. Scenbild ur Kungl. Operans uppsättning från 1908. (Musikverket)

 The Feast at Solhaug : Henrik Ibsen's play Gildet paa Solhaug (1856) inspired Wilhelm Stenhammar's opera Gillet på Solhaug. The world premiere recording is now available via Sterling CD, in a 3 disc set which includes full libretto and background history. Well worth shelling out for, since  Gillet på Solhaug is good listening and the new critical edition, by Anders Wiklund, should establish a reputation for early Swedish opera. Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927),  like most musicians of the time, studied in Berlin and Florence, but worked primarily in Sweden. As a composer, he is extremely well known  for his songs, chamber music and piano works. Gildet på Solhaug, completed in 1893, was his first formal opera. It premiered at the Hoftheater Stuttgart in 1899 and at Stockholm Opera in 1902.  

Gillet på Solhaug begins with a brief introduction not a formal overture, and moves almost immediately to the core of the drama. At a drunken party, Knut Gaesling, a notorious thug, spies Signe, a delicate maiden, and swears he will marry her. His friend, Erik fra Haegge,  agrees, so as far as Knut is concerned the deal,is done whatever Signe might think. Marriage as horse trading. Knut hasn't reckoned on Margit, Signe's strong-willed older sister. In a long and moving soliloquy "Vel var det, han gik", she describes herself: The bride of Solhaug, wealthy but so desperately unhappy she longs for death.  The part is written for a mezzo with good lower resonance, suggesting Margit's inner strength. As Knut sneers, Margit should have been a priest. Signe is written for high soprano, suggesting innocence, the music around her skipping innocently.  Seven years before, Margit and Gudmund Alfsøn had pledged their love. Now he's an outlaw and she's married another man.  Margit tries to hide her feelings but the music says what she can't, but with a clean, pure chastity that fits her character. Gudmund's a harpist: Stenhammar lets his music sing.  



In the second act, the feast at Solhaug is in full swing, drunken guests carousing to the sounds of  Hardanger fiddle, scored for modern orchestra. Stenhammar’s background in writing for voice, choir and orchestra comes to the fore, providing an ironic backdrop to the action unfolding. Knut's machinations are brutal,Gudmund's declaration of love for Signe is thrown into chill perspective. But Margit dominates above all.  Her lines are grave and dignified.  The purity of Margit's line expresses something deep in her soul.  What a pity the English translations are risible. "How should I quiver my magic lay"("Hvor skulde jeg kvade" in Danish, "Wie woll't ich singen" in German) and "I'd fain fling it down to the neckan hard by" ("Skaenke den til nøkken dernede"). Margit's mixing poison. 



A long, mysterious passage, with low woodwinds describes the night scene, when the guests depart.  Suddenly, the pace accelerates. High winds and brass and a swooping string diminuendo suggest alarm.  What is happening in the darkness  ?  In I morgen så drager vel Gudmund herfra, lit by mournful bassoons, Margit sings of a child born blind, whose sight is restored by witchcraft. But the magic can't last: the child falls blind again, but this time with the pain of knowing what he's lost.  In contrast, Bengt's bluff, crude music underlines Margit's torment.  Though they've been married three years. he still thinks he's done her a favour because she once was poor. He's only saved from drinking the poison when news arrives from outside. Knut's defeated, Gudmund's won favour with the King and will marry Signe. Bengt lives, but Margit can't go on. Her final aria "Skaemennede engel, fromme og milde" is powerful :  better to renounce the world than endure a living death.   Wonderful, shimmering string textures, Gudmund and Signe join in with wonder, and a choir in reverent, clean tones, sings about rays of light, emanating from Heaven.  Although photos of early stagings show elaborate furnishings and  sets. Margit's story is, fundamentally, one of renunciation. Hence the purity of Stenhammar’s setting. Wagnerian or Verdian excess would not work quite so well. Margit, for all the intensity of her passions, is essentially a country girl whose instincts lie with purity. 

This performance was conducted by Henrik Schaefer with the Symphony Orchestra of Norrköping and Choruses, recorded in August 2015 in connection with Swedish Radio. Matilda Paulsson sang Margit, Karolina Andersson sang Signe, Per Håkan Precht sang Gudmund, Fredrik Zetterström sang Bengt, Erik Lundh sang Erik and Mathias Zachariassen sang Knut.  Definitely a recommendation! Please also see my piece on Hugo Wolf Das Fest auf Solhaug HERE, where Wolf;s incidental music is blended with a very good modern narration, very much in the spirit of 19th century German story telling drama.