The Swedish composer Ture Rangström (1884-1947) has appeared here before via his first symphony, in a classic version led by Tor Mann. This post fulfills a request for his Symphony No. 3, accompanied by two sets of orchestral songs, in recordings from the late 1970s.The third symphony is a middle period work, dating from 1929, and has the subtitle Song under the Stars. The work, inspired by a rough sea voyage, is highly romantic and impressionistic. Its programmatic nature and lack of musical rigor led the Scandinavian music authority Robert Layton to dismiss it as kitsch (see review in the download), but it's an enjoyable listen if you are at all susceptible to such works.
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| Ture Rangström |
The main attraction on this record is the performance of King Erik's Songs by the then-young baritone Håkan Hagegård. In his cover notes, Per Skans writes, "These songs have been referred to as 'songs about a mad king to words by a mad poet,' the poet being Gustaf Fröding."
I can't tell you much more; no texts or translations were supplied with this record or another recording of the cycle in my collection. I did, however, secure the texts from Liedernet and for the most part relied on Google for translations, which you may find to be somewhat superior to choosing words at random. The songs follow the King from farce through imprisonment and awareness of his impending death.
Also on the disc, and also settings of Gustaf Fröding poems, are Two Songs in Antique Style, one being a colloquy between a knight and a maiden, the other a drinking song. Hagegård sound splendid in both this set and King Erik's Songs.
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| Janos Fürst, Håkan Hagegård, John Frandsen |
The recordings, dating from 1978-79, feature the Helsingborg Symphony, resident in a city on the border of Sweden and Denmark. The orchestra these days has about 70 members; presumably it was about the same strength back then. Not a huge band, but they play well and the recording is pleasing.
In the symphony the conductor is the Hungarian Janos Fürst (1935-2007), who had recently finished a stint as music director in nearby Malmö, and would soon take up the same position in Aalborg, in adjacent Denmark.
The songs are led by the Dane John Frandsen (1918-96), principal conductor at the Royal Danish Opera from 1946 to 1980. Swedish baritone Håkan Hagegård (1945- ) was just finishing several years at the Royal Opera in Stockholm when these recordings were made, and beginning to establish himself as an international artist.
FYI - if you enjoy Rangström's music, the afore-mentioned Tor Mann LP of the first symphony is now available in ambient stereo, along with Mann's recording of Lars-Erik Larsson's Little Suite for Strings. The new versions can be found here.
