Mikael Rasmusson <[log in to unmask]> responds to me:

>Come on, Mats!  Let's be proud Swedes here, for ones sake.  I would say
>that most Swedish composers are underrated (or at least "underplayed").
>However I must say that I find Stenhammar a bit overrated compared to other
>Swedish contemporaries.  I think he is somewhat ecclectic (the second
>symphony being the great exception).

Yes, the Sweds should be proud, because they have much to be proud of,
there I completely agree, just not for Berwald and Roman!

"Eclectic" is an interesting description of Stenhammar.  I never thought
of him in this way, but it could go, as I find him uneven in a certain way:
sometimes he is emotional, sometimes I think he "intellectualize", and I
have wondered how this come.  I think he succeeds best in pieces where he
is emotional, like in the 2 Semtimental Romances, Late Summer Nights etc,
not the larger works.  There used to be a very fine recording which can
serve as a sample of this side of Stenhammar on SSD with Lucia Negro
(piano) and Bernt Lysell (violin).

yes, again, the Sweds have many composers to be proud of, and most of them
underrated and underplayed (except maybe Alfven for the latter statemant).
One happening is very telling onm this point:  when Alfven presented his
"Midsommarvaka", Peterson-Berger wrote:  "Godd piece to be played at
Skansen [Stockholms Zoo and fun-fair]".  "Midsommarvaka" which actually is
a piece much more advanced than one can think on first hearing.  Alfven is
probably the greatest of all Sweds; interesting in form, but first of all;
he had a significant skill for finding wonderful orchestral colours.  Also
in very early pieces, like op.6, which is a little gem indeed.

I want to take this opportunity to put in a good word for Andreas Hallen,
whom I think vastly underrated.  he apes Wagner in his major works, and
with great skill.  many have aped Wagner, but I think Hallen one of the
more successful.  His operas "Harald der Wiking" and "Valdemarsskatten" are
certainly very fine masterpieces, and I think Wagner would have been proud
of their best parts.  Hallen also shows a fine and original, own, style in
smaller worjks, like "Squire Nils sings to the Lute", which I consider the
finest classical song that ever was written in Swedish.

>I have been abel to hear a lot of British music (in concert) here in
>Bristol during 1999.  If a brit went to Sweden he would have problems
>finding live performances of Swedish music.

Agreed again!  This has naturally to do with what Sweden is like
geographically:  vast distances, few people.  Except for the major cities
noone can earn money in producing music concertally, because there is not
a population density enough to make this possible.  Stockholm has though
a fine output of Classical Music, with its 2 fine orchestras, and special
events.  Goeteborg, Malmoe, Helsingborg, Norrkoeping and Uppsala has a fine
output too, the three latter especially in relation to population.  I am
gonna emigrate to Germany!

Mats Norrman
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