Hilding Rosenberg became one of the most important Swedish music personalities of the 20th century. In addition to composing his own music, he made contemporary music and old masters available to the public as a conductor – he studied with Hermann Scherchen among others. From 1932 until 1934 he managed the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. Among the dramatists working with him were Bertold Brecht and the elderly Thomas Mann. Numerous awards and distinctions mark the meritorious career of a man, who on paper is considered the “father of Swedish modernity”, but whose fame as a composer is still considerably mysterious.

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REVIEW:

One of the most gratifying aspects of this music is its compactness and lack of pretentiousness. Rosenberg says exactly what he has on his mind, clearly and expressively, then moves on to something else. Christensson’s musicianship is much the same: her fortissimos are big but never bangy, her runs clear but not showy, and she is willing to let the music wistfully die away, as the composer requests at the end of the variations set. Listen espescially to the limpid simplicity of the theme and first variation in this work. I’ve never heard her work before, but she sounds like a first-class artist, and she is well served by the warm recording.

– American Record Guide