Search - Vagn Holmboe, Owain Arwel Hughes, Århus Symphony Orchestra :: Vagn Holmboe: The Complete Symphonies

Vagn Holmboe stands next to Shostakovich and Prokofieff.

10/10/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vagn Holmboe is one of the top composers of the 20th Century. His music speaks to us, not with a lot of noise or intellectual mind games that so many "modern" composers try to pass off on us as "music", but he speaks to us through emotion, the calling card of great music. He speaks to us as Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Shostakovich speaks to us. Starting with Symphony No. 1 he makes us sit up in our chairs, knowing that we are going to be in for something special. With the final note of Symphony no. 13, we realize that his recent passing will be missed by those who love great music. Vagn Holmboe's music is not the music of the "now" but the music of humanity. The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and Owain Arwel Hughes give wonderful performances of each symphony and the BIS sound is never better than in these recordings. If you want 20th Century Music that stands alongside the best of what classical music has to offer, you can't go wrong with Vagn Holmboe's Symphonies."

Wonderfully attractive and compelling music

08/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This music is fabulous! It absolutely compels one's attention, with its power, directness, and colour. While the thematic and harmonic material is definitely contemporary, these elements are rhytmically and formally framed in recognisable structures. This music holds the listener from beginning to end. Don't miss Holmboe's symphonies!!!"

A must-hear 20th century symphony cycle

Christopher Culver | 10/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Danish composer Vagn Holmboe is woefully underappreciated. Among his 300 works, generally at very high quality, is one of the most consistent and elegant symphony cycles of the 20th century. His 13 symphonies unfold one after the other new perspectives on form and themes, though Holmboe remained committed throughout to the tonal tradition and sought to keep his music cool and balanced along neo-classical lines. BIS has done a great service in recording the entire cycle with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under Owain Arwel Hughes, and performance and sound quality is at the highest standard.



The First (1935) is a student work in the vein of Nielsen. In the Second (1939), the influence of Bartok first makes itself known, especially the Hungarian composer's highly percussive piano concertos. The Third "Sinfonia rustica" (1941) also recalls Bartok in its use of folk materials, but Holmboe looks to his native Jutland instead of Eastern Europe. The outer two movements are fun dances, while the middle movement is a series of variations on a bittersweet folksong. The Fourth "Sinfonia Sacra" (1941) is really the only disappointing symphony of the bunch, a choral symphony that is too bombastic to succeed as a poignant war requiem.



The Fifth (1944) is generally regarded as Holmboe's first truly mature symphony, lacking extramusical associations like the previous two symphonies, and offering a vast symphonic argument. The first and second movements climax with thick lines underscored by a martial drumbeat, which I think will appeal especially to fans of Allan Pettersson. The Sixth (1947) is especially admirable in the way it incorporates a number of different styles into its development, with Romantic outbursts, classical poise, and even Bartokian strings. At this point Holmboe was increasingly interested in the concept of "metamorphosis", organic growth inspired by Sibelius were the music grows entirely out of its initial theme and each development seems inseparable from the last. The Seventh (1950) seeks to reconcile the Nordic tradition with neo-classicism by breaking a single movement into numerous subsections. The Eighth "Sinfonia boreale" (1952), which is Holmboe's most widely liked symphony, reconciles the two by having four distinct movements but maintaining an unstoppable flow.



At this point, Holmboe reached the end of his stylistic wanderings. The remaining symphonies are progressive refinements of the metamorphosis technique. The "Sinfonia in memoriam" (1956) is usually included in the symphonic cycle, maintaining the spirit of the Eighth but tempering its exuberance by eschewing brass. The Ninth (1969) interrupts the flow of its musical argument with "intermezzo" movements reminiscent of Bartok's "night music". The Tenth (1972) marks the arrival of the "late Holmboe" era, with its severity and its division into three movements, elements to be found in the successive symphonies, the Eleventh (1980), Twelfth (1988) and Thirteen (1995).



If you like Sibelius, Nielsen or Stravinsky's neo-classical phrase you'll probably find Holmboe's music a pleasurable experience. The entire symphonic cycle is worth collecting, and we're fortunate that BIS chose to release this box of all thirteen, offering better value than the individual discs they released through the 1990s."