Search - Blomdahl, Ehrling, Dorati :: Symphony 3 / Sisyphus Suite

The greatest composer too many never heard of

Hugh Oliver | Provo, UT | 04/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There aren't many available recordings of Swedish composer Karl-Birger Blomdahl. Anyone who likes Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion ,and Celesta or Miraculous Mandarin should find the music on this disc just as exciting. Blomdahl's 3rd Symphony is really one of the great works of 20th century orchestral music. It has logic, brilliant organization in arch form, and great emotional power. The writing for strings is eerie and suspenseful, the wind and percussion scoring highly aggressive. A masterpiece.

I am less familiar with the Sisyphus Suite, Forma Ferritonans, and The Journey On This Night but I found these to be fascinating music as well. Sisyphus is dance music--it's dissonant but it has a "beat", in fact, a quasi-jazz feel in places. Forma Ferritonans was written for the opening ceremonies of an iron foundry. This is the most challenging piece on the program, consisting of orchestral simulations of the sounds of steel production (Heavy Metal). It is totally harmonic, with shifting sound structures. I could compare it to Varese but it really is cooler in temperament, less volcanic.

I'm still getting acquainted with The Journey, which has more other-worldly sounds and some great singing.

These performances are terrific, as is the recording quality.

I also own Segerstam's disc of Blomdahl symphonies, but this rendition of the Blomdahl 3rd surpasses Segerstam's.



Very highly recommended."