Stenhammar: Sången, Reverenza & Romeo och Julia Suite

Featuring

Neeme Järvi
Anders Jonhäll
Mårten Larsson
Sara Trobäck Hesselink
Charlotta Larsson
Martina Dike

Lars Cleveman
Frederik Zetterström
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Norrköping Music Classes Children's Choir
Gothenburg Symphony Chorus
Wilhelm Stenhammar

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Stenhammar and Ture Rangström, the librettist for Sången, shared a fundamental belief in the cantata's concept of 'music as a matter of religious magnitude'.

Composer Biography

Wilhelm Stenhammar served as the principal conductor of the newly formed Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1907 to 1922, transforming it into one of Scandinavia's finest orchestras through intensive rehearsal and innovative repertoire.

Compositional Technique

In Sången, Stenhammar incorporates a motif from Adolf Fredrik Lindblad's song 'En sommardag' (A Summer Day), making it universally recognizable by preparing its entry with preparatory motivic variants.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Stenhammar's musical philosophy was characterized by a broad range of interests, seriousness of purpose, and rigorous self-criticism, and he maintained contact with composers like Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius.

Composition History

The symphonic cantata Sången (The Song) was a commissioned work from 1920 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music for its 150th anniversary, with Stenhammar stipulating that fellow composer Ture Rangström write the text.

Performer Biography

Neeme Järvi, a highly respected conductor and head of a musical dynasty, has amassed a discography of nearly 500 recordings and holds numerous international awards and honorary titles.

Composer Biography

Wilhelm Stenhammar, a significant Swedish composer around 1900, gained early recognition with his Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1894 and was known for his chamber music piano and song accompaniment.