Mats Norrman returns:

>I hope I haven't come up with a *red herring* here...From Aake Hermansson
>I haven't heard much, some piece called "Invocatio".  There are thick webs
>and a dynamic that reminds of concrete or electronical soundmontages.  I
>hear Ligeti and Sibelius in Hermansson.

Indeed, from only having heard one piece, there is traces of Ligeti and
Sibelius in Hermanssons music - but to me he is more a singular voice,
building on Webern and that kind of smalishness, which he lets develop in
a neo romantic tradition.  Hermansson also have a kind of sparseness in his
musical language one rearly encounters, every single tone is important.
His two string quartets is perhaps by the side of Rosenbergs 12 the most
intresting from the mid 20'th century Sweden.

>By Hans Holewa I have heard some pianomusic which I don't remember the
>titles of anymore.  Sounds like Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg, but
>lesser refined.

Which should be tru as he was educated in their tradition, if Mats by
lesser refined invoke a sentiment that he did not follow the Schonbergian
constructions as strictly as the "gang of three", then I agree.  To me his
music shows meticulous knowledge of craft paired with a great sence for
timbre.  Constructiveness with out loss of shimmering beauty.

>First of all; let us keep in mind that Hallen is not Wagner.  He sounds
>much like Herr Wagner though, but I agree completely his music has not the
>same complexity as Wagner.

As if I would ever downgrade anyone by suggesting they were Wagners pares,
I just said that Hallen like the dark majority of Swedish composer at the
turn of the century (The last one) was overtly focused on the Germanic
tradition, especially RW.

>And without him, maybe "Midsommarvaka" had never been.
Which would be a tremendous loss to all of us, I dear say

>What you say about Rangstroem just shows that you haven't understood
>his music very well.

Oh, how nice of You to tell me..

>Rangstoems music indeed "contain many tresting ideas, but viewed as
>solitary individs, immature".  It is just that that Rangstroem had an idea
>about the concept of music as something where the musical ideas are more
>important that the developing of them.  One can say here that he composed
>like an aristocrat - like Glinka, because his music is in this case built in
>fairly the same way.

Aha, Glinka, Glinka and Rangstrom soulmates - yea, I can dig that jive.
But let me say, whether I listen to a recording of, or read the scores of
TR's Symphonies, they lack a final tuch, there are to many holes..  If this
is due to Rangstrom having lesser interest in traditional development, well
perhaps, and not that I really need development at all, but I still
maintain that music must be more then just the idea.

>Rangstroems music (and I above all regard the orchestral works here) rings
>like it does because that was the kind of music Rangstroem wanted to create.

Are You quite sure, I've rearly encountered any composer that have written
music that in concert sounds like they says it sounds within their musical
mind.  Did TR ever express his mind on this? (When, where, in which
medium?)

>If you believe Rangstroem couldn't compose other way, or didn't knew
>kontrapunkt, or which of the usual gloves you put on your hands - then
>listen to his stringquartett! There you find a very fine kontrapunctual
>artwork, and remember also; that that was a youths work.

Oh my, did I ever say that he could not - I regard the "E.T.A. Hoffman
notturno" one of the best string quartet works of swedish composers from
this period in time (1880 - 1930), comparable to Stenhammar or even Marteau
(if I may regard him as an immigrant, settled in Sweden)

>For the songs I wonder if you really have taken enough time for them.
>Read first the texts, not one but many times, and meditiate upon them,
>after a while, if you connect with the text, you will come in a certain
>mood, imposed by the poem.  Then listen to Rangstroems setting, and you
>will find fairly the same mood in your ears.  It is magic!

Read? I'm not sure what that is?, On the other side, I never expressed any
other formal impression of Rangstroms songs other than that I liked them
very much (Magic or not vary, some are stunning, some merely well crafted,
something You could say about any song composer's songs) - I did express a
preference of one setting (Of Kung Eriks visor) by another composer (Algot
Haquinius, he's also far to neglected), something I stand by - BTW: I find
Hallens setting of "Kung Eriks visor" even minorish, only having read the
score..

>So, for me Rangstroem was one of the best (among the Sweds) to catch the
>mood of a poem and set it to music.

Rangstom to me, verged on the narrow hillside of not being perfectly
romantic nor modern, with in a late romantic lieder tradition his songs are
indeed of grate quality, and perhaps<<, (emphasis on this word) he could be
considdered the best.  I qualify my "perhaps" by the fact that, yet again,
far to little of the Swdish song tradition, beyond the "hits" and a large
amount od choral pieces is availible for listening or singing.  In the
dungeons of librarys ther is a treasure to be discovered.  (Of other
music's to, of course)

>It is a shame that a foregin label (JPC/CPO) is the leading producer of
>good recordings of Swedish music in these days.  Maybe we need more of
>Hallens nationalism to corrupt the etablishment with? ;-)

I find it stunning that a small German label venture in to recording music
by Swedish composers, as for it being the leading label, I'm not sure, I'd
say that BIS is still the leader there.  As for nationalism, IT is just a
sign of narrow-mindedness and a thing we need less of in this small world,
need I evoke memories of what has happend in Jugoslavia, Iraq, or along the
african east coast during the nineties.

>And don't tell me I have dysmorphical mormots in my head!

Come again?

peter lundin, gothenburg.se -  Counting the days: DSCH 100 (1906-2006)