Search - Ture Rangstrom, Michail Jurowski, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra :: Ture Rangström: Symphony No. 2; Intermezzo drammatico

A marvelously endearing symphony, well played

G.D. | Norway | 02/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ture Rangström (1884-1947) may not be as famous as his contemporary compatriots Stenhammar, Alfvén or Atterberg, but his music should appeal to anyone who enjoys the music of either of those. It clearly belongs to the late-romantic/post-romantic tradition with Sibelius and Alfvén being perhaps the most obvious stylistic comparisons, but with several forward-looking elements. It is powerful, bold, intensely dramatic and usually rather dark.



I truly love Rangström's second symphony, a dramatic, darkly heroic, urgent (even frenzied) and blatantly nationalistic work containing many interesting harmonic gestures and some truly memorable thematic material; this is music of midsummer nights in dark, pine forests, twilights, noble heroics and almost maniacal frenzy. The coupling is the orientally inspired postcard-music suite Intermezzo drammatico, where the material is treated a little too heavy-handedly (composer, not performers) for the impressionistic shimmering that clearly was the intention to fully emerge.



The Norköping Symphony Orchestra gives a fine performance under the sympathetic direction of Jurowski, although they may lack some refinement and finesse and fullness of tone of strings. Sound quality is generally fine but a little constricted. Recommendable nonetheless"