Dso Berlin/Borowicz - Hugo Alfv?n: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 2 - Symphony No. 3, Uppsala Rhapsody, The Mountain King Suite

It was in 1905, an entire decade prior to Wilhelm Stenhammar�s second symphony, that Hugo Alfv�n completed his third symphony. In this work Alfv�n, like many other Scandinavian composers, found the typical Nordic tone of his music in the sunny south. Like Sibelius� second symphony and Stenhammar�s Serenade for Orchestra, this symphony is Swedish through and through. In addition, it is pervaded by the longing for home repeatedly felt by Alfv�n during his years of wandering. He composed his Uppsala Rhapsody in 1907 for the commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of the great botanist Carl von Linn� (Linnaeus) held at the University of Uppsala in May 1907. Like its counterpart by Johannes Brahms, this work turned out to be an �Academic Festival Overture� including some student songs. The Concert Suite from Alfv�n�s ballet The Mountain King offers a masterful wealth of color. His excellent knowledge of the art of instrumentation was the product of his earlier activity as a violinist in the Royal Court Orchestra, which also served as the Opera Orchestra.