Hugo Alfven The Symphonies and Rhapsodies Neeme Jarvi 5CDs Plus Booklet

Description: Hugo Alfven The Symphonies and Rhapsodies Neeme Jarvi 5CDs Plus Booklet. The discs have been checked and are in near mint condition. The booklet is in very good condition. The jewel case shows minimal signs of wear. The photos form part of the description please message me if you need any further information. Free UK delivery only. I use global shipping services for overseas customers and I have no control over their prices. I have hundreds of new and used classical CDs being listed. REVIEWS Great music at a bargain price Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2009 It is not fair to criticize this composer just because he has been neglected in the mainstream classical repertoire, nor is it fair to be unjustly biased against his works simply because his last name isn't Sibelius or Grieg. The review below is from the BIS website. Give this composer a listen and get this bargain set, you will not regret it. 5 CDs for the price of 3. Some of the most colourful music to come out of Sweden - and indeed some of the most Swedish music there is! - was composed by Hugo Alfvn (1872- 1960). The Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 - also known as Midsummer Vigil - is a splendid evocation of Sweden's most important seasonal festival, combining all the dancing, aquavit, wild-flowers, folk costumes and eroticism one could possibly ask for. The brilliantly orchestrated Suite from the Mountain King is one of the most frequently performed pieces of Swedish music. But Alfvn is also highly regarded as a symphonist and he claimed that his Symphony No. 1 was the first to be written 'in the Swedish language.' This attractively priced box brings together all of the symphonies, the three Swedish rhapsodies and other works - a large part of Alfvn's output for orchestra. Previously released on five separate CDs, these recordings were greeted with great enthusiasm by reviewers when first released. Not the greatest music but interesting nonetheless Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2007 Neeme Jarvi conducts beautifully paced and thought-out versions of these symphonies and other orchestral works. The sound quality is very good indeed, as one would expect from BIS. The famous "Midsummer Night's Rhapsody" (aka Swedish Rhapsody #1) receives a glorious performance that quite strips away its "light music" connotations. Taken as a whole the set also is very good value as you get five discs for the price of three. Ah! But what about the music? Symphony 1 has made little impression on me despite repeated hearings. It is solid enough but not really memorable. Compared with Atterberg's first symphony (a later work, of course) or Erkki Melatin's first effort (Finnish, and about the same time as Atterberg) it just does not stand up favourably. The orchestra plays well, however. Symphony 2 is a large and eventually grand work. The first movement is sunny and relaxed but from then on the mood darkens a little, culminating in a Prelude and double fugue finale that ends with some weight. As with the First Symphony one perhaps thinks that the material does not quite stretch far enough for the treatment it gets, but this is a symphony worth getting to know. Symphony 3 is much more compact that the first two and is a sunny and jolly work, largely written in Italy (though finished in Denmark). It is my personal favourite. Symphony 4 is has a large part for a male and female soloist and is a programatic depiction of a doomed love affair amidst the skerries (small islands in the Bay of Stockholm) - wordless voices mingling with sea sounds, the symphony ends in a storm. This work is perhaps a little over-long but it is extremely evocative and gripping in places. One oddity: BIS have used programme index points instead of track numbers to differentiate the sections in what is in fact a single-movement work. This is all very well if your CD player has this facility (now generally only found on older players) but is annoying if you don't. A fine work worth getting to know. Symphony 5 is really all about the first movement, which was originally performed on its own. Alfven spent many years trying to complete the symphony and quite frankly the level of inspiration tails off in movements 3 and 4. This was the first recording of the complete work (though Naxos has one available now I think) and is really curiosity. As I said, the set is good value but I can't imagine anybody saying "Alfven: yes, he's my favourite composer!" But if you are interested in the history of the late Romantic Scandanavian Symphony (and Sweden alone gives the wonderful symphonies and Serenade of Stenhammer - Symphony 2 is a "must have" - and Atterberg) then you should get this set. Thanks for looking.

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