Stenhammar: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Two Sentimental Romances, Op. 28 / Florez Och Blanzeflor, Op. 3
6/30/1993, 7 Tracks, 1:07:39
Featuring
Paavo Järvi
Love Derwinger
Ulf Wallin
Peter Mattei
Malmö SymfoniOrkester
Wilhelm Stenhammar
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Historical Context
The First Piano Concerto was considered representative of Swedish romantic music around the turn of the century, praised for its 'Scandinavian, blond romanticism'.
Composer Biography
Stenhammar himself performed his First Piano Concerto fifteen to twenty times between 1894 and 1908, sometimes under prominent conductors like Richard Strauss and Hans Richter.
Recording & Production
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra, which performs on this album, gave its first concert in 1925 and has grown from 51 to 83 musicians, also serving as an opera orchestra since 1944.
Compositional Technique
Stenhammar's First Piano Concerto, Op. 1, is an eclectic work, showing influences from Saint-Saëns, Schumann, and Brahms, and continuing the tradition of Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms.
Composition History
The original full score of Stenhammar's First Piano Concerto was recently discovered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., leading to this recording.
Composition History
This recording features the original version of Stenhammar's First Piano Concerto, Op. 1, which was believed lost for fifty years after its manuscript was destroyed in World War II.
Critical Reception
Upon its premiere in 1894, Sweden's leading music critic, Adolf Lindgren, hailed Stenhammar's First Piano Concerto, Op. 1, exclaiming, 'Sweden has begotten a new first-class composer!'
