Alfred Anderssén (1887–1940)

[tpaloj]

Alfred Anderssén was a Finno-Swedish composer whose compositions include cantatas, choral and vocal music, two symphonies and a single opera "Med ödet ombord" (written in 1929-32). He is today all but completely forgotten: just a few recordings of some of his songs have been made. None of his orchestral music has been recorded.

Med ödet ombord ("With fate on board") – certainly the composer's largest and most ambitious work – is based on Jarl Hemmer's dramatic poem of the same name. A first version sung in Swedish (which included a short Overture that Anderssén later discarded) was premiered in 1932. The final version of the opera was premiered in Helsinki in 1935, with the lyrics translated into Finnish by the conductor Armas Järnefelt. The structure of the opera is slightly unusual: in addition to its three sung acts there is a prologue and an epilogue which are scored in melodramatic fashion – ie. spoken diction set to music. Also the role of chorus is minimal, being limited to brief appearances in just two scenes of the whole work.

The opera – which has a cast of three main characters and takes place during one evening aboard a ship at sea – was well received and acclaimed for Hemmer's prize-winning text, melodic lyricism and increasing dramatic tension from act to act. However, it sadly fell from repertoire after its Helsinki premiere in 1935 despite Anderssén's further attempts to get it staged in Sweden and Germany. It hasn't been performed since.

The present Symphonic Suite is based on music from this opera. Anderssén's gift for melodic writing should be immediately evident in these beautiful and oftentimes stormy selections of music included in this suite. The score and parts I created are on IMSLP. This was a very rewarding project for me, such a fantastic suite of music in my opinion. I'd be more than happy if it found its way to being performed one day.

YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2HHDazzp7o
IMSLP: https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphonic_suite_%22%C3%96det%22_(Anderss%C3%A9n%2C_Alfred)

[eschiss1]

The IMSLP location has moved to https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphonic_suite_%27Ödet%27_(Anderssén,_Alfred) for what it's worth

[tpaloj]

Ah thanks, Eric. Looks like just a work title change from double quotation marks to single quotes. I'm certainly not used to all naming conventions on IMSLP so sometimes it's confusing to upload things there – especially the syntax used when filling in information to work pages.

[eschiss1]

I thought that information would be https://imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:Score_submission_guide/Manual_of_Style but it isn't. Not sure where it is. Anyhow, apologies for the tangent.