Music of Seashore and Fjord [RB]: Classical CD Reviews- Sept 2003 MusicWeb(UK)

Classical CD and DVD reviews. MusicWeb is not a subscription site and it is our advertisers that pay for it. Please visit their sites regularly to see if anything might interest you. Purchasing from them keeps MusicWeb free.

Classical Editor: Rob Barnett Founder Len Mullenger

contact www.proprius.com

Utskärgård - musik till stränder och fjärdar
Bobbie ERICSON Utskärgård
Lars FÄRNLÖF Att angöra en brygga
Evert TAUBE Sa skimrande var aldrig havet; Har Rosemarie sins blaa Namdofjarden; Nocturne
Carl-Anton AXELSSON Overbyvals
Albin CARLSSON Arholmavalsen
Stig OLIN En gang jag seglar i hamn
Nils BJÖRKANDER Skargardsskisser
Erland von KOCH Vaglek; Elegi over sommarens korthet
Hugo ALFVÉN Skargardsbilder
Ture RANGSTRÖM Malarlegender III
Sigurd von KOCH Hafsstamningar
Gustav NORDQVIST Till Havs

Rolf Lindblom (piano)
rec. 23 Feb, 12 Mar 1991, studio 2, Swedish Radio, Stockholm
PROPRIUS PRCD 9038 [70.05]

This light romantic collection ('Music of Seashore and Fjord') stands somewhere in the same region as Mayerl and John Ireland. The difference is that the composers are Swedish and their twilight gloss softens the 'scenery' with amber, motley and sepia.

The Färnlöf piece is regretful then lounge bar jazzy in the manner of Confrey and Mayerl with a touch of the dreamier Kapustin. The Ericson is a fetching impressionist piece (something of the pastel rockpool about it) with a Chopin flavour to its cantilena. The Skargardsskisser continues the mood but with more vigour. It is as if the tide has turned and the wind has freshened; Von Koch's Vaglek is similarly alive as is the Alfvén item although the heroic Grieg is the dominant influence here. Carl-Anton Axelsson's Överbyvals recalls a lost age of innocence common to many of these pieces. There are three Taube pieces of which Så skimrande and Nocturne are gentle wisps of songs sung breathily by Anna Nygren. The other Taube is Här Rosemarie which is similarly sentimental. The Carlsson's Arholmavalsen is humorous with a long introduction with notes picked out single finger evocative of the parlour then disrupted by strange bass intrusions thrown into the pool to create dissent. The majestic Medtnerian address of Nordqvist's Till Havs ends the disc.

This recital of Scandinavian piano stool nature favourites is a counterpart to those two extremely attractive Artworks piano recitals (Tamara Anna Cislowska) of Australia's early impressionists (Hutchens, Agnew, Lindley Evans, Hyde and Hill). There is a little more variety in this Proprius collection.

The notes are in Swedish and by the look of it do not give biographical information about the composers.

A collection of Scandinavian piano stool nature favourites: impressionistic, gracious watercolours pale with regret; fresh with innocence.

Rob Barnett

Advertising Rates
Visitor stats
MusicWeb International
has over 21,000 Classical CD reviews on offer

Gerard Hoffnung Concerts &
The Bricklayer Story

New Releases

MusicWeb sells the Polish
catalogue CDAccord
£10.50 post free W-W

MusicWeb sells the
Arcodiva catalogue
£12.00 post free W-W

Price Reduction: £11.00
post-free world-wide
Try it and see - Sale or Return

MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues:
Prices include postage

[Acte Préalable £13.50]
[Arcodiva £12.00]
[Ashgate Music Books]
[Avie from £6.25]
[British Music Society £13.49]
[CDACCORD from £10.50 ]
[ClassicO £12.50]
[Hortus £14.99 ]
[Lyrita ONLY £11.00 ]
LYRITA Sale or Return
[Onyx £12.00 ]
ONYX Sale or Return
[REDCLIFFE £11 ]
[Tactus £11.50 ]
[Talent from £12.00 ]
[Toccata Classics £12.50 ]

DISCS OF THE YEAR 2007


Return to Index

Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board. Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer..

You can purchase CDs and Save around 22% with these retailers: