| Symphony No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| by Wilhelm Stenhammar | |
 The composer | |
| Composed | 1902–1903; withdrawn |
| Publisher | Levande musikarv (2014) |
| Duration | Approx. 53 minutes |
| Movements | 4 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 16 December 1903 |
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Conductor | Tor Aulin |
| Performers | Stockholm Concert Society |
The Symphony No. 1 in F minor is a four-movement composition for orchestra written from 1902 to 1903 by the Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar. The piece premiered on 16 December 1903 at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm, with Tor Aulin conducting the Stockholm Concert Society (Stockholms konsertförenings). Although this first performance was well-received, Stenhammar withdrew—and perhaps even disavowed—the piece in hopes of revising it, although these plans never came to fruition.
Among his reasons for suppressing his First Symphony appears to have been an artistic crisis: in the autumn of 1903, Stenhammar had attended a performance of Sibelius's Symphony No. 2. Overwhelmed by the experience, he came to view his own symphony as comparatively inferior in quality and—with its admiring echos of Wagner, Brahms, and Bruckner—stylistically derivative. Despite Stenhammar's wishes, the Symphony No. 1 eventually was revived in the 1980s and has since been recorded several times. A typical performance lasts about 53 minutes.
History
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Your are in my thoughts every day since I heard your symphony. You're a wonderful person; you have reached into the deepest depths of the unconscious and the ineffable and brought forth something of a miracle. What I suspected has been proved true: for me you emerge as the foremost, indeed the only major figure at this moment ... I have also written a symphony now, at least I am calling it a symphony. And according to our agreement which you have perhaps forgotten, it was to be dedicated to you. But nothing will come of this. It is rather good but it is all on the surface. I long to go deeper into myself and you must wait until I have done so. On that great day I shall print your name in large letters first on the title-page, be it a symphony or anything else.[a]
— Wilhelm Stenhammar, in a 1903 letter to Jean Sibelius[3]
Structure
editThe First Symphony is in four movements. They are as follows:
- Tempo molto tranquillo—Allegro
- Andante con moto
- Allegro amabile
- Allegro non tanto, ma con fuoco—Tranquillo
Instrumentation
editThe First Symphony is scored for the following instruments:[4]
- Woodwind: 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets (in B♭), 3 bassoons
- Brass: 6 horns (in F), 3 trumpets (in C and F), 3 trombones, tuba
- Percussion: timpani
- Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses
Living Music Heritage (Levande Musikarv)—a collaboration that includes, among others, Svensk Musik and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music—published the the work in 2014; a critical edition by Finn Rosengren arrived in 2021.[5]
Recordings
editThe sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the Symphony No. 1:
| Conductor | Orchestra | Rec.[b] | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|
Notes, references, and sources
edit- Notes
- ^ Eventually, in 1909, Stenhammar dedicated his String Quartet No. 4 in A minor (Op. 25) to Sibelius, who thought it was "good, particularly the first movement".[1] Later, in 1923, when Stenhammar visited Helsinki to perform his Second Piano Concerto at a 22 November concert conducted by Robert Kajanus, Sibelius dedicated his Sixth Symphony to his Swedish friend. However, because the publisher mislaid the dedication page, Stenhammar's name did not appear on the published score.[2]
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- References
- ^ Tawaststjerna 2008b, p. 166.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 2008c, p. 242.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 2008a, p. 292.
- ^ Rosengren 2021, p. 3.
- ^ Rosengren 2021, pp. 1–2.
- Sources
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2008a) [1965/1967; trans. 1976]. Sibelius: Volume I, 1865–1905. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571247721.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2008b) [1972; trans. 1986]. Sibelius: Volume II, 1904–1914. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571247738.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2008c) [1978/1988; trans. 1997]. Sibelius: Volume III, 1914–1957. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571247745.