Bengtsson: Violin Concerto, Etc / Ringborg, Rondin

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BENGTSSON Violin Concerto in b; 1 Cello Concerto in a 2 • 1 Tobias Ringborg (vn); Mats Rondin, cond; Malm? Op O; 2 Mats Rondin (vc); Tobias Ringborg, cond; Malm? Op O • STERLING CDS-1063-2 (59:42)


Once in a great while, I encounter a disc that makes me wonder why the music it contains hasn’t been (1) performed more often, or (2) performed at all. I cite as an example the stunning Hyperion (CDA67338) recording of the two magnificent symphonies of Sergei Bortkiewicz, which I placed in our Classical Hall of Fame in Fanfare 30:6. Once again, I have stumbled upon such a recording. Actually, it’s been on my shelves since it was released in 2004 and I came across it while planning one of my broadcasts.


What is amazing is that there isn’t as much as a scintilla of information about the composer, Gustaf Bengtsson (1886–1965), in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and a search of the Internet turned only a brief paragraph with little that was relevant, save the fact that—in addition to the two concertos recorded here— Bengtsson also wrote three symphonies. What information we have on Bengtsson is by and large confined to Stig Jacobsson’s notes on the CD insert. In my opinion, there are two major reasons Bengtsson’s works aren’t better known: He wrote in an idiom that, while comfortable for him, was decidedly old hat in the 1930s and 1940s, and since Bengtsson neither lived nor worked in Stockholm, making his presence felt was difficult.


Bengtsson was born into a musical family. By the age of six the child was playing Haydn quartets with his family, and doing so from memory! He later studied counterpoint with Johan Lindgren, who would become Sweden’s most esteemed teacher of counterpoint. Bengtsson entered the Stockholm Conservatory in 1904, where the renowned Hugo Riemann was one of his instructors. In 1907 Bengtsson joined the Royal Opera Orchestra and two years later he was awarded a three-year fellowship permitting him to study composition in Paris and Berlin.


The spotlight fell on Bengtsson the composer when, in 1912, the Royal Opera House Orchestra in Stockholm scheduled an extra concert; it included music of three composers whose names are now quite familiar in their native land: Kurt Atterberg, Oskar Lindberg, and Gustaf Bengtsson, who was well represented by his second symphony. However, Bengtsson had already left Stockholm and was to spend the remainder of his life outside of the hub of Sweden’s musical life. He was primarily known as an administrator, choral conductor, and music educator, but Bengtsson continued to compose. His cello concerto was written in 1932 and the violin concerto in 1941. Both were premiered by provincial orchestras—the cello concerto in Karlstad and the violin concerto in Linköping—conducted by the composer.


The undeniable beauty of the music and Bengtsson’s gift for writing striking melodies and painting an exquisite canvas, both of which were the norm almost half a century earlier, are apparent at the onset. At no point is there even a hint of the upheaval caused by the Second Viennese School; in Bengtsson’s world, it’s like they never existed. The concertos are traditional and solid in construction, romantic in tone, and rich in instrumental color. The soloists are given sonorous and challenging parts that are tailor-made for their instruments and they avoid blatant over-sentimentalization.


One of the interesting aspects to this release is that the cello soloist conducts the violin concerto and vice versa. The Malmö Opera Orchestra offers excellent and distinguished support with a natural flow, unforced expressivity, and tonal flexibility. This is a must for every lover of Romantisicm!


FANFARE: Michael Carter


Product Description:

  • Release Date: August 01, 2013


  • Catalog Number: CDS1063


  • UPC: 7393338106326


  • Label: Sterling Records


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Gustaf Bengtsson


  • Conductor: Mats Rondin, Tobias Ringborg


  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Malmö Opera Orchestra


  • Performer: Mats Rondin, Tobias Ringborg



Works:

  1. Concerto for Violin in B minor

    Composer: Gustaf Bengtsson

    Ensemble: Malmö Opera Orchestra

    Performer: Tobias Ringborg (Violin)

    Conductor: Tobias Ringborg


  2. Concerto for Cello in A minor

    Composer: Gustaf Bengtsson

    Ensemble: Malmö Opera Orchestra

    Performer: Mats Rondin (Cello)

    Conductor: Mats Rondin