Mikael Rasmusson <[log in to unmask]> writes among a lot of other
things:

>>Alfven: A Swedish Richard Strauss, unfortunately it was too much Strauss
>>and not enough Alfven after the First World War.

James Zehm replies:

>haha, Strauss would be one of the last composers I would say Alfven is
>like.  You must agree their tone-language are very...*very* different.
>What do you think they have in common?

The orchestration is often Straussian, and the symphonic poem "En
skaergaardssaegen" (A legend from the Archipelago) sounds like Strauss
to me.  The fourth Symphony is also influenced by R.  Strauss.  The
ballet "Bergakungen" sometimes sounded like Mahler to me.

>>Atterberg: Sounds too German to me.  Not so original.
>
>I think you label Atterberg German just because his style is very...I am
>searching for the right word...approachable!  Atterberg is a fine composer
>indeed.  I can agree he has not a swedish sound - like Peterson-Berger, but
>he has OTOH a very frequent use of swedish folk melodies, not only in the
>rhapsodies, but a lot ain the symphonies...and that can also be a way of
>being Swedish...

Yes, it's true that he uses swedish folk melodies, but the integration
of those melodies into his music are not entirely convincing.  The same
applies to Alfven.  And I do think that German music has influenced Swedish
music a lot, especially between 1850-1920.

>Stenhammar, maybe the finest composer we have...had surely been regarded a
>really great composer, had just his output been larger.

Most of his output isn't that exciting to me, unfortunately.

>>Peterson-Berger:  ...  His musical language is original and what I would
>>call genuine Swedish.
>
>Probably the most "swedish" of them all, there I can agree.  But Alfven
>is also a very "swedish" composer.  "Arnljot" is recorded - on HMV E
>061-34925, with Erland Hagegaard as Arnljot - The Stockholm
>Philarmonics/Okko Kamu.

Yes, but it's excerpts only, and I'm not happy with the rest of the
soloist.  I wouldn't recommend it.  There's an old radio recording (mono)
from 1960, which I think is released on CD.  The soloists are good (Sigurd
Bjoerling), but the sound is really of uneven quality.  Not enough
microphones!

>If I would try do a ranking, it would follow: Alfven, Stenhammar,
>Atterberg, Rangstroem, Berwald, Larsson.
>
>But of course there are difference in ranking and ranking depending on
>what we are ranking, for example when talking of just talent I consider
>Rangstroem higher...

What is Rangstroem lacking in skill? Or wasn't the talent allowed to mature
in the right way? He did produce 4 Symphonies, The Opera "Kronbruden", a
large number of songs and some chamber works. What more can you expect?

Mikael Rasmusson