Lars-Erik Larsson

[DennisS]

Reading this thread, reminded me firstly to get out and listen again to my BIS CD of Larsson's symphonies no 1 and 2. It has been some time since I listened to them but was pleased to so, appreciating Larsson's skill at composing lovely melodies. I noticed that it was suggested that the symphonies recalled Prokofiev a little. As Alan also said, I hear nothing of Prokofiev in the symphonies. What really caught my eye in this thread though, was the reference made by Gauk to Larsson's VC, especially as it there was mention of some suggestion of Prokofiev and Barber. I hugely enjoy the Barber VC (intensely lyrical) and am an out and out lover of all of Prokofiev's music. I therefore downloaded the Larsson VC after having listened to soundbites. Since then, I have listened to the VC a number of times and have liked what I heard. I would agree that I was reminded at times of Prokofiev's first VC. Like Prokofiev, Larsson has composed a VC to fully exploit the violin's register and is because of that, very interesting. I feel however that Larsson's VC is not as lyrical as Prokofiev's but nevertheless, is very enjoyable. I am pleased to have this VC in my collection. Thank you Gauk for referring me to it.

[Gauk]

My pleasure! Actually, the concerto I'm reminded of most by Larsson's is Walton's - really just for the lyrical mood and soaring lines.

[JollyRoger]

I was drawn to the music of Larsson by its rich melodic nature.
If Larsson's music is akin to Berg then Heavy Metal is akin to Mozart.
Berg's influence was miniscule (if at all). Moreover, to imply Larsson does not fit into the general realm of romantics
and/or the domain of this forum is quite odd if your mandate is to share great wholesome music.
If the limitation is upon the basis of chronology, that is quite another (more valid) issue.
The composer of "God in Disguise" should be enjoyed by everyone and I trust this forum will not exclude discussing
him.

[Mark Thomas]

if your mandate is to share great wholesome music.

No, actually, that's not our mandate. Our mandate is fully explained here. Bach and Mozart, for example, undoubtedly wrote great and wholesome music, but they have no place here.

[JollyRoger]

Sorry I missed this, Mark..so be it..
"and in any event if the music was written after 1918, please email or PM a moderator before posting."

[sdtom]

I just received a CPO recording of his second symphony and was quite impressed by what he wrote. It is well written and certainly within the UC guidelines yet the next work Variations for Orchestra was definitely out of bounds.   Almost like two different composers.

[eschiss1]

The 2nd symphony's a fine memorable work imho (if I hadn't been able to remember it, I would have wondered "what -was- that piece?" except that the announcer broadcast it a later time, I recognized it, this time I caught the name- hence memorable.)

[Ilja]

I don't hear much Prokofiev in Larsson, either. He seems to exist in roughly the same sound world as his contemporary Peterson-Berger: clearly-identifiable 20th-century nordic romanticism. Not quite as stylistically old-fashioned as Halvorsen, but a bit more restricted than, say, Atterberg.


What I really like about Larsson – apart from a great sense of melody and structure – is that he has the courage to work in smaller forms: modest ensembles, with often restrained orchestration that makes for very effective orchestral dynamics.

[sdtom]

Very much a composer who has works that fit in to our forum

[chill319]

I hear echoes of Prokofiev in patches of Larsson's wartime Symphony 3,  particularly in the later movements. In the first movement it's clear he was impressed by Carl Nielsen's Symphony 3. I listen with pleasure to Larsson several times a year but more to hear an incisive musical mind than an original musical voice. (It's not a black-or-white dichotomy, of course.) If Larsson is appropriate to this forum, then I urge curious members who have not heard them to try Hakon Borresen's symphonies on CPO. They occupy a similar finely-wrought-if-not-terribly-original niche, and their aesthetic is closer to this forum's core.

[sdtom]

Borresen is yet another in a long list of composers I'm not familiar with at all.

[chill319]

Borresen is yet another in a long list of composers I'm not familiar with at all.

That makes two of us with a long list.

In his first symphony Borresen is perhaps the purest clone of Tchaikovsky ever -- and to my taste he pulls it off.

In the later symphonies Boressen is less Tchakovsky-like. He hasn't the rhythmic thrust that makes Larsson's symphonies so memorable, but he does late Romantic well. Plus, he may be the tallest composer ever, which makes a long list even longer.

[Alan Howe]

Borresen can't really be compared with Larsson - he's of an earlier generation altogether. Nevertheless, his music is well worth anyone's time and effort, particularly the three symphonies, excerpts from which can be found at jpc:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Hakon-B%F6rresen-1876-1954-Symphonie-Nr-1/hnum/8317863
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Hakon-B%F6rresen-1876-1954-Symphonien-Nr-2-3/hnum/7389011

[chill319]

I seem to recall Sym 2 as being in C.  Does that seem right?

Haven't seen the score (which does not declare a key in its title), but based on the recording by the Helsingborg SO under Frank Symphony 2 begins in E minor and ends in E major.

[eschiss1]

As the person I think you may have been quoting there, my mistake and thanks for the correction...