Swedish music

[JimL]

RAR files aren't impossible.  I had the Catoire Symphony downloaded in the RAR format and couldn't open it for quite a while.  I finally got the trial version of WinZip and was able to extract it.  Maybe I'll purchase WinZip when the evaluation period is over.  I used to have it on my old computer but I guess when they downloaded its guts into my new computer the credits didn't transfer.

[TerraEpon]

I agree with going with 7z. It's free, so there's no trial nonsense (or potentially pirary) involved, and it has its own comprsssion format that in certain circumstances is a lot better (plus I like the icon better ^_^)

[cjvinthechair]

My Winrar 40 day free trial doesn't seem to realise it expired a while ago & is still happily unlocking files from the marvellous downloads section.
Did that when I had it on an older computer too, so should work for all.             Clive.

[BFerrell]

Thank you all! My transfer of the Rosenberg came from an old LP and sounds like it! I will ask my "bride" to help me with it. 

[BFerrell]

Worked !!  Sounds great. Thank you all.

[Dundonnell]

Worked !!  Sounds great. Thank you all.

Great

[Mark Thomas]

Many thanks again, BC, for the Amanda Röntgen-Maier uploads and what enjoyable pieces they proved to be, especially the Piano Quartet, her last work. The movement titles and (I think) the performers are set out below:

Amanda RÖNTGEN-MAIER (1853-94)

Piano Quartet in E minor (1891)
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Presto con fuoco
IV. Finale: Largo espressivo – Allegro vivace
Imola Bartha, piano; Mátyás Bartha, violin
Gwenaëlle Geiser, viola & Lehel Donáth, cello

[Alan Howe]

Indeed, many thanks for the Piano Quartet by Röntgen-Maier. Wonderful to have it.

[jowcol]

Symphonies 4,5 and Double Concerto by Erland von Koch:





I've posted these in the downloads section.  For those of you (like me) that didn't know much about him, I'll provide some added content, first from Wikipedia:

Born in Stockholm as the son of composer Sigurd von Koch (1879–1919), Erland von Koch studied at the Stockholm Conservatory from 1931 to 1935 and subsequently passed the advanced choirmaster and organist examinations. Between 1936 and 1938, he lived in Germany and France in order to pursue studies in composition with Paul Höffer, conducting with Clemens Krauss, and piano with Claudio Arrau. Later, he took private classes with Tor Mann in Sweden.[1]
Teaching at the Karl Wohlfarts Musikschule from 1939 to 1945, von Koch also spent the final two years of this period working as a sound expert and choirmaster for radio broadcasting. He composed much music for the Swedish film industry during a good forty years. From 1953 to 1975, he was lecturer in harmony at the Stockholm Conservatory,[2] where he was appointed a professor in 1968.[1]
von Koch became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1957. He has received numerous other honors and prizes at both national and international levels for his compositions. He has written six symphonies (of which the fifth, Lapponica, is dedicated to the Sami people),[3] twelve Scandinavian Dances, one opera (Pelle Svanslös), and five ballets, as well as music for wind orchestra.
Even in his nineties he composed/studied every day. His works can be described as uncomplicated and his motto was always to "keep the melody".[1]

At the website of the Swedish Society for Performing rights  there was supposed to be an interview.  The link is broken, but someone from the GMG forum posted it's contents below.   



His father was composer Sigurd von Koch (1879-1919), and as a boy Erland would lie beneath the grand piano and hear Wilhelm Stenhammar and Ture Rangström play, among others. Since that time he has met many of the big names in 20th century music, including Rachmaninov, Bartók, Stravinsky, Hindemith and Alfvén.


Studies abroad
Although he grew up in musically rich surroundings, music was never the obvious option for Erland von Koch. It was not until his teenage years that he began playing piano and soon became interested in jazz. Together with some friends he formed the first jazz band - 'Electric Band' - at Östra Real secondary school in Stockholm, and he led the 'Diddle Kiddies' and 'Optimistic Stompers', always in dark glasses in case a teacher happened by.


At the end of the 1920s he won two composition contests organised by the Edda upper secondary association. His interest in music grew, and he gradually began considering a future as a composer.


Studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music followed, resulting in a degree in music majoring as a cantor and organist. This was followed by composition, conducting and piano studies in Berlin. The plan was to study under Hindemith, who unfortunately fell into disfavour with the Nazis and was forced to hand Erland von Koch over to his friend and colleague, Paul Höffer. He chose Claudio Arrau as his piano teacher and for conducting he studied under Clemens Krauss.


I ask him what he considers his biggest success as a composer.

"I would say my 'Liten svit för kammarorkester' (Small Suite for Chamber Orchestra), op. 1, which I debuted with - both as composer and conductor - at the Academy in 1934."


The 1930s Generation and the Monday Group
When Erland von Koch returned to Sweden in the late 1930s he was voted into the Association of Swedish Composers, FST, and he made his definitive breakthrough with 'Piano Concerto No. 1' which premiered in 1938 with the Stockholm Concert Association and pianist Herman Hoppe.

Erland von Koch, Lars-Erik Larsson, Dag Wirén, Hilding Hallnäs and Gunnar de Frumerie all debuted in the 1930s after studying in France and Germany. They all had similar aesthetic values, and came to be known as 'Trettiotalisterna', literally 'the Generation of the 1930s'. Their music is relatively accessible and they were more influenced by Bartók, Hindemith and Honegger than by Schönberg and twelve-tone music.


The younger, radical generation which eventually made up the so-called 'Monday Group' came into opposition with the 'Trettiotalisterna', whom they considered far too traditionalistic. The Monday Group and its advocates had a strong influence on the Swedish music scene for a long time, partly because they held most of the important administrative positions. The 'Trettiotalisterna' felt left out in many respects, but the audiences appreciated their music.


Folk music and the Sami
During the 1940s, Erland von Koch became interested in Swedish folk music. Over the next decade this led to a series of works with some degree of folk musical influence, such as 'The Oxberg Variations' (1956), 'Lapland Metamorphoses' (1957) and 'Dance Rhapsody' (1957). As recently as 1990 he wrote 'Bilder från Lappland' (Images of Lapland), six choral songs based on Sami 'yoik' chants.


Personally, Erland von Koch thinks that he has been too readily and arbitrarily associated with folk music. After all, folklore is one of many elements in his style, and it is now almost fifty years since he moved on to concentrate on other styles.

This is how he describes his journey between the styles: "A tendency towards neo-classicism during the 1930s, a 'romantic' period around the mid-40s, orientation towards a more modern expression in the 1960s, and since then greater freedom encompassing all the trends and isms."

Even so, his interest in folk music and Sami chants strengthened his involvement in the Sami cause and environmental issues, which was expressed most powerfully in his symphony No. 5, 'Lapponica'. It was dedicated to the Sami people and is a kind of protest music against the way this indigenous people has been treated.

The melody is key
Erland von Koch's portfolio encompasses a large number of works in varying styles and forms. It includes 6 symphonies, 15 solo concerts, 12 'Scandinavian dances', the 'Impulsi' and 'Oxberg' trilogies for orchestra, the children's opera 'Pelle Svanlös' (Pelle - the Cat with the Very Short Tail), 5 ballets, an extensive repertoire of songs and even a few hymns.


"That's right, there's plenty on my conscience," he jokes.


He has also composed several solo works, some of the better known being those entitled '18 Monologues' - a series of skilfully executed studies of the orchestral instruments' capacity and expressive scope.

In addition - often simply to make a living, as he puts it - he has written the music for around 30 films, including half a dozen by Ingmar Bergman.

Animated rhythmic aspects - perhaps influenced by his time as a jazz pianist and by Bartók - are characteristic of Erland von Koch's music, as is the prominent role he assigns the melody. "The way I see it, the melody is the key element, the very life and soul of the music, and I have always endeavoured to cultivate its many expressive qualities," he explains.

Distinctions
Alongside his composing, Erland von Koch also worked as a harmony teacher at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between 1953 and 1975. During the 1940s he was employed at Radiotjänst as conductor and harmony expert, and was also chairman of the Fylkingen New Music & Intermediate Art Society. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1957 and a professor in 1968.


Over the years he has been awarded a large number of prizes and distinctions: the Christ Johnson Prize in 1958, Vasaorden (RVO) in 1967, Litteris et artibus in 1979, the Atterberg prize in 1979 and the Alfvén prize in 1981. He was awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Music medal for musical promotion in 2000.


Erland von Koch likes to quote Sibelius: "Don't think that the years make it any easier to compose music - it just gets harder and harder." At the same time, though, he says he is an incurable optimist:

"Above all I think that music can help us see - and even trust - the powers of good in life."

[Dundonnell]

Thanks for the von Koch Double Concerto

I should point out however that the Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 in the same recordings were uploaded here by Holger on 10th December.

[jowcol]

Thanks for the von Koch Double Concerto

I should point out however that the Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 in the same recordings were uploaded here by Holger on 10th December.

Thanks for letting me know.   I'll search and compare before uploading in the future. 

I'm delighted that I can help share some material you all don't have.  This site is amazing!

[jowcol]

I've posted Maurice Karkoff (1927-) Symphonies 1 and 3





Text below from: http://www.gehrmans.se/en/composers/karkoff_maurice

Karkoff has given a voice to his impassioned, very engaged artist's nature through an impressive array of works. His great capacity for form and constructions has also helped, rather than hindered, his natural sensitivity for the impulsive and spontaneously powerful.
Born in Stockholm on March 17, 1927. Studies in music theory for Karl-Birger Blomdahl from 1944-46. During this period (1945-46), he also studied piano at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, followed by a degree in piano pedagogy in 1951. From 1948-53 he studied composition (Lars-Erik Larsson), counterpoint, and conducting. He complemented his studies in composition for Erland von Koch, Vagn Holmboe, André Jolivet, Wladimir Vogel, and Jörgen Jersild (instrumentation). He studied piano with Gottfrid Boon (1946-49) and Stina Sundell (1949-51). He was music critic at Stockholmstidningen from 1962-66. From 1965-96, he taught theory and composition at Stockholm's Communal Music Institute. Karkoff has been awarded several prizes and awards: the Swedish Radio Orchestra Prize in 1962; the Christ Johnson Prize in 1964; the Stockholm City Prize of Honor in 1976; the Atterberg Prize in1983; Litt. et art. in 1993; the Alfvén Prize in 1999 and the Christ Johnson Grand Prize in 2006. He was a board member of the Royal Academy of Music in 1977.

Maurice Karkoff has himself often spoken of color and expressiveness as the strongest facets of his art, and these characteristics have had ample room to bloom in his many orchestral works and large vocal production. Among his chamber works are several string quartets and many pieces with both a lyrical character and great feel for musicianship.

Karkoff is one of the strongest and most versatile symphonic composers in Swedish music. The critic Carl-Gunnar Åhlén once wrote that his symphonies, taken together, form a canon in the genre that is comparable to that of Allan Pettersson. His symphonies vary in character from pointed to pregnant drama, a melodic language where the introverted goes hand in hand with a strong feeling for the lovely and beautiful; this is something that also characterizes the rest of his orchestral music, such as the works Sette pezzi and Vision. The symphonies often have an inner strength born of a feel for musicianship, such as in No. 11, Sinfonia della vita. They are sometimes imbued with great seriousness, such as Symfoniska Reflexioner (Symphonic Reflections), and the symphonies Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 (also called the Dolorous Symphony, composed for string orchestra). His musicality is complemented by his lyricism; he is a master of vocal writing, the tonal language of which sets up dialogues with poets such as Nelly Sachs, Paul Celan, Gunnar Ekelöf, and Tomas Tranströmer.

[BFerrell]

The download of Wiklund's Symphony has some errors. Band 1 is actually "Symphonic Prologue". Bands 2 & 3 are just the first two movements of the Symphony. Is it possible to get a download of the complete symphony?

[Dundonnell]

Atsushi posted the links for the Wiklund back in September, I believe.

[BFerrell]

My error. I downloaded it wrong! I'm an idiot.