Stenhammar: Symphony No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 34 & Serenade in F Major, Op. 31 (Live)

Featuring

Herbert Blomstedt
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Wilhelm Stenhammar

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Critical Reception

Initial reactions to Stenhammar's Symphony No. 2 were mixed, with some reviewers finding its orchestration and intricate counterpoint difficult to digest.

Composer Biography

Despite being a conductor and pianist, Stenhammar struggled with feeling self-taught and undertook an intensive personal study of counterpoint, solving thousands of assignments over a decade.

Performer Biography

Herbert Blomstedt, the conductor, is known for his exceptional qualities of nobility, charm, sobriety, and modesty, which are atypical for conductors, yet he possesses strong musical authority.

Composition History

Stenhammar's Serenade in F major was initially unsuccessful and withdrawn after its 1914 premiere, but a revised five-movement version in 1919 became a great success.

Composer Biography

Wilhelm Stenhammar, the composer, dedicated his Fourth String Quartet to Jean Sibelius, and Sibelius, in turn, dedicated his Sixth Symphony to Stenhammar, reflecting their mutual respect.

Composition History

Stenhammar's Symphony No. 2 was finished only six days before its first performance, with the finale rehearsed for the first and only time on the concert day.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Stenhammar aimed to write "sober and honest music without showing off" in his Symphony No. 2, aligning himself with the new direction of Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, moving away from late Romanticism.