Saeverud: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4

Chronique

Volume Seven in BIS' impressive series of recordings of the music of Harald Saeverud features his revised three-movement Second Symphony and his one-movement Fourth Symphony book-ending his Romanza for violin and orchestra, his Barcarola d'una notte d'estate, and his 50 Little Variations. For those unfamiliar with the Danish modernist master, Saeverud is represented here as a lean, lyrical, colorful, and supremely competent composer comfortable in a variety of forms and genres. For the serious Saeverud, try the defiant counterpoint of the Fourth Symphony from 1937. For the witty Saeverud, try the silly non sequiturs of the 50 Variations from 1932. For the evocative Saeverud, try the swaying sensuality of the Barcarola d'una notte d'estate. For the emotional Saeverud, try the reserved sentimentality of the Romanza from 1942. And for the less than entirely successful Saeverud, try the lopsided structure of the Second Symphony from 1922, even in its revised 1934 version. Ole Kristian Ruud proved himself an excellent conductor of well-known music in his series of Grieg recordings; in this Saeverud recording, he proves himself a persuasive conductor of little-known music -- a greater achievement, to be sure. The Stavanger Symphony is a polished and dedicated orchestra, although it sometimes sounds a bit too small for the effect the music seems to be striving for. BIS' 2001 recording is clean and big, but perhaps too close and hard.

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