Episode 209. Nordic Tracks I: Orchestral Songs

SOCIAL SHARE

SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM

SUBSCRIBE VIA YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM

Inspired by my holiday in Denmark last week, today I inaugurate a new series on Countermelody called “Nordic Tracks,” featured music from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. There has always been a wealth of vocal music from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, and in this episode I focus exclusively on orchestral songs a genre which I also featured in a special episode last fall. Of course there are the usual standbys by Grieg and Sibelius and Nielsen, but also featured is the work of less-celebrated composers, beginning with the romantics and post-romantics (Wilhelm Stenhammar, Ture Rangström) and through to the present day (Aulis Sallinen, the late Kaija Saariaho). The singers are some of the greatest ever to raise their voices in song, including Kirsten Flagstad, Soile Isokoski, Birgit Nilsson, Hugo Hasslo, Elisabeth Söderström, Eric Sædén, Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, and many others. It’s highly likely that you will encounter singers (Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Kirsten Schultz) and composers (Fartein Valen, Laci Boldemann, Poul Schierbeck) that you have never heard before (I know I did!) Oh, yes, and it’s all topped off with a bit of Björk!

RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE

Carl Nielsen, Aage Berntsen: Den milde dag (Fynsk Forår [Springtime on Funen], Op. 42). Aksel Schiøtz, Svend Christian Felumb, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra [1940]

Edvard Grieg, Hans Christian Andersen: Jeg elsker dig, Op. 5/3. Elisabeth Söderström, Andrew Davis, New Philharmonia Orchestra [1976]

Kaija Saariaho, text excerpted from the Artharva Veda: La liane (Château de l’âme, Mvt. 3). Dawn Upshaw, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra [2001]

Jean Sibelius, Arthur Hjalmar-Borgstrom Hymn to Thaïs. Aulikki Rautawaara, Orchestra conducted by Jussi Jalas [1952]

Wilhelm Stenhammar, Bo Bergman: Vid fonstret [At the window], Op. 20/2. Hugo Hasslo, Stig Westerberg, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra [live 09.XII.59]

Rued Langgaard was for many years the organist at the Cathedral in Ribe,
where we just visited on our Danish holiday

Rued Langgaard, Jenny Blicher-Clausen En duft af muldjord og grøde [A scent of loam and mud] (Tonebilleder [Tone Pictures], BVN 133/2). Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra [1997]

Erik Sædén (1924–2009) as the Mimarobe in Blomdahl’s space opera *Aniara*.

Allan Pettersson, orchestrated Antal Dorati: En spelekarls himlafärd [Death of a fiddler] (Åtta Barfotasånger [Eight Barefoot Songs]). Eric Sædén, Antal Dorati, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra [1973]

Björk [Björk Guðmundsdóttir], Arca [Alejandra Ghersi]: Notget. Björk, Viktor Orri Árnason, Members of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra [live Rejkjavik 15.XI.2021]

Fartein Valen, Hans Bethge [after Wang Wei]: Der Abschied des Freundes (Zwei chinesische Gedichte, Op. 8/2). Dorothy Dorow, Militiades Caridis, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra [1972]

Ture Rangström, Karin Boye: Sköldmön [Amazon]. Birgit Nilsson, Bertil Bokstedt, Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper [1965]

Jean Sibelius, Viktor Rydberg: På verandan vid havet [On the balcony by the sea], Op. 38/2. Soile Isokoski, Leif Segerstam, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra [2006]

Aulis Sallinen, Lassi Nummi: Mina, syntymation [I, Unborn] (Elämän ja Kuoleman Lauluja [Songs of Life and Death]), Op. 69/3). Jorma Hynninen, Okko Kamu, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra [1995]

Kaija Saariaho, María Sabina: Mirage [excerpt]. Karita Mattila, Anssi Karttunen, Hannu Lintu, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra [live Helsinki 18.XII.2015]