Elfrida Andrée's Symphony No. 1 in C major, composed in 1868, was a groundbreaking achievement as the first symphony written by a Nordic woman.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Elfrida Andrée was a leading advocate for women's rights in Sweden and chose the motto 'Stark und kräftig muss es klingen' ('It must sound strong and powerful') for a competition.
Composer Biography
Elfrida Andrée's father, Andreas Andrée, successfully campaigned in the Swedish Parliament in 1860 for women to work as telegraph operators, and Elfrida became the first woman to hold such a position.
Composer Biography
Elfrida Andrée, a Swedish composer, demonstrated musical talent by age ten and began organ studies at fourteen, but had to seek private tutors as women were barred from the Royal Academy.
Performer Biography
Hermann Bäumer, the conductor on this album, is the Principal Conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz and was formerly a member of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Critical Reception
Elfrida Andrée's Symphony No. 1 in C major received largely positive reviews in Stockholm, though some male critics seemed reluctant to acknowledge it was written by a woman.
Composer Biography
Elfrida Andrée became Sweden's first female organist in 1857 at age sixteen, and later, in 1867, Europe's first female cathedral organist at Gothenburg Cathedral.
