son's work than the expected Scan-that my be regarded as Europe- dinavian factors. (This is borne out byan and not as specifically Swedish." the literature on his other sympho- nies, the most recent of which reach-SAEVERUD: Peer Gynt, Suite No. es the Mahlerian length of an hour1, Op. 28. Louisville Orchestra, Ro- and a quarter.) The Mahler influencebert Whitney cond. (with Rochberg is felt in a very general way, however, Night Music).LOUISVILLE LOU and not in terms of anything resem- 623 $5.95. bling imitation; this is a vast, brood-Harald Saeverud (born 1897), like his ing, strangely exalting work, in a lan- Norwegian compatriot Fartein Valen guage very much Pettersson's own. (1887-1952),islessrecognizably Norse in his music than the younger RIISAGER: Ballets:Qarrtsiluni; Klaus Egge. Saeverud, who has nine Costa Nystmern Etude. NIELSEN: Helios Overture, symphonies to his credit, was deliber- Op. 17; Saga -Dream, Op. 39. GADE: ately more astringent than Grieg in Echoes of Ossian. Royal Danishwriting his incidental music for Ib- Orchestra; Jerzy Semkow cond. (insen's Peer Gynt, one of the very few Riisager and Nielsen Helios); modern Norwegian works to have Igor Markevitch cond. (in Nielsenbeen recorded outside Scandinavia. Saga -Dream); Johan Hye-Knudsen(A more recent recording of both of cond. (in Gade).TURNABOUTTV -S Saeverud's Peer Gynt Suites, played 34085 $3.98. by the Oslo Philharmonic under Mil- Denmark's Knudage Riisager (1897- tiades Caridis, has been issued on 1974), best known here for his saucy European Philips-but notinthe Concertino for Trumpet and Strings, U.S. or Britain.) showed great originality in his more ambitious works, and particularly inSTENHAMMAR: Symphony No. 2, hischambermusic.Qarrtsiluni in G Minor, Op. 17. Phil- (1942), the more striking of the two harmonic, Tor Mann cond. SWEDISH ballet scores on this disc, is based DISCOFILSLT-33198 $7.50. on Eskimo themes from Greenland; This recording, vintage 1957, shows Etude is an adaptation of Czerny'sits age more readily than the earlier pieces. ones made byAlfven,and Tor Mann's direction is hardly the last ROSENBERG: SymphonyNo.2 (Sinfonia Grave). Stockholm Philhar- word in propulsiveness. This impres- monic,HerbertBlomstedtcond. sive work deserves more spirited WIREN: Symphony No. 4, Op. 27. treatment, but, since there is nothing SwedishRadio Orchestra,Sixten else of Stenhammar's available here Ehrlingcond.TURNABOUTTV -S now (Rafael Kubelik's recording of 34436 $3.98. the Serenade with the Stockholm Philharmonic having vanished some ROSENBERG: SymphonyNo.3 years back with the rest of the MGM ("The Four Ages of Man"). Stock- Heliodor line), this is included as the holm Philharmonic, Herbert Blom-sole illustration of his broad -stroke stedt cond.ODEONSCLP-1071 $6.98. style. Hilding Rosenberg (born 1892) has been the musical father of a whole WIREN: Serenade for String Orches- generationofimportantSwedish tra, Op. 11. GRIEG: Holberg Suite, composers,numberingSven -Erik Op. 40; The Last Spring, Op. 34, Back,Karl-BirgerBlomdahl,and No. 2. English Chamber Orchestra, Dag Wiren I ngvar Lidholm among his pupils. His Johannes Somary cond.VANGUARD/ massive Symphony No. 4, a choral CARDINALVCS -10067 $3.98. Harald Saeverud work titled The Revelation of Saint Ingratiating (or perhaps "delicious") John (he conducted the U.S. pre-is the word for the Serenade, by far miere in 1948), is no longer available Wiren's best-known work (this is the even on imported discs, but two of his third recording of it to appear here) purely orchestral symphonies can beand one of the most attractive things heard now on Turnabout (see underof its kind for string orchestra. In the Blomdahl for No. 6), and the espe- light, breezy, but deeply satisfying cially admired No. 3 is on one of themanner of Hoist's St. Paul's Suite, it few remaining Swedish Odeons. Dag is a far cry indeed from the austere Wiren (born 1905), is perhaps better intensityof Wiren's own Fourth known here for his credo than for hisSymphony (see above, under Rosen- music: "I believe in Bach, Mozart,berg) or his Fourth String Quartet. , and absolute music." An utterly delightful work, superbly

He has declared further: "I prefer played and recorded.

STEREO REVIEW