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Caprice

Vintage Wiren

$20.99

Details

Composer
WIREN, DAG
Artist
Ebert, Grondahl, Karpe, Kinberg, Marechal, Ribbing, Radiosymfonikern
Format
CD
Label
Caprice
Released
Oct 13, 2005
Catalog #
CAP21761
UPC
7391782217612

About



WIRÉN Concert Overture No. 2. 1 Serenade for String Orchestra. 2 Ironiska småstycken (Ironic pieces) for Piano. 4 Piano Sonatina. 5 Miniature Suite for Violin & Piano. 6 Cello Sonatina. 9 Cello Concerto. 3,9 Sinfonietta 4,8 • 1 Tor Mann, 2 Sixten Eckerberg, 3 Sixten Ehrling, cond; 1 Stockholm R O; 2 Gothenberg S O; 4 Camilla Kinberg; 5 Stig Ribbing (pn); 6 Sven Karpe (vn); Dag Wirén ( 6 pn, 8 cond); 9 Maurice Maréchal (vc); 9 Harry Ebert (pn); 3 Gustav Gröndahl (vc) • CAPRICE 21761, mono (79:47)


Arné Wirén was a Swedish bass who recorded with (among others) Hjördis Schymberg, Bette Björling, and Erik Sædén. This Wirén’s first name was Dag (1905-1986), and I was rather relieved to discover online that he “is not widely known outside his native Sweden, though his music began gaining notice internationally on recordings in the decade following his death. His first serious compositions date to the 1930s and divulge a neo-Classicism tinged by a Romantic warmth.” So if this is your introduction to Dag Wirén, as it was mine, there’s the skinny on him.


This disc, titled Vintage Wirén, presents what are possibly the first recordings of these pieces. I say “possibly” because of the obscurity of these recordings in the West, and the fact that the liner notes don’t volunteer this information. (Whatever happened to the days when record companies told you EVERYTHING—whether or not the recordings were first versions or not, whether or not they’ve ever been on LP and/or CD before, who the performers are, etc.? This is the bane of modern record collecting, and reviewing. Modern-day record labels generally tell you very little or nothing.) This CD was initially reviewed by James A. Altena in Fanfare 33:6, and I am indebted to him for explaining that “Tonsåttaren,” who is listed as the pianist in the Miniature Suite and conductor of the Sinfonietta, is the composer himself.


What one hears on this disc are light but well-crafted works of the style I tend to call “popular neo-Classic.” The “Andante espressivo” of the Serenade for String Orchestra, for instance, strongly resembles the contemporary work of young Sam Barber or Copland in his popular phase, although the entire serenade shows the influence of both Stenhammar and of Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony. This is not a bad thing, and Wirén very obviously had a sense of humor, as his music practically bristles with it. The notes claim this the single most popular contemporary Swedish classical piece in existence, though later on in the notes they explain that it wasn’t issued in its entirely until 1949, nine years after it was recorded.


The Ironic Pieces for piano also runs in the Prokofiev vein, although Wirén purposely avoids some of the spikier harmonies of that style. Camilla Kinberg plays them with tremendous drive, finesses, and—yes—humor, particularly in the “Promenade” which starts and ends with a light tread but, in the middle, stomps around noisily with solid whacking notes in the bass.


The problem I had with the piano Sonatina was not the quality of the music, which was fine, but the condition of the records. All of these seem to have been pressed off-center, which causes the phenomenon known as a “swinging copy.” This, in turn, makes the pitch constantly fluctuate. What’s so annoying is that this is an easily correctable flaw: just get a turntable with a removable spindle. Put the record on the turntable with the spindle in, then remove it and start playing it at a slower speed (like 33 rpm). Watch how the grooves “swing,” and then very gently tap the edge of the disc with your fingernail until it looks more centered and regular. It works every time.


The Miniature Suite for Violin and Piano starts with a fairly innocuous, 49-second opening, but the Adagio is considerably interesting and moody. The remaining movements, though brief and lighthearted, are a bit less humorous or frivolous. So, too, is the Cello Sonatina, played well by Maréchal and pianist Ebert, who at this time (1940) was the regular accompanist for tenor Jussi Björling. My one complaint about this piece was that it seemed to be recorded rather distantly.


Even better, as both a piece and as a recording, is the Cello Concerto, though the soloist (Gröndahl) is not as secure in his bowing or intonation as Maréchal. On the other hand Sixten Ehrling, heard here in a very early recorded example of his work, shows why he was considered one of Sweden’s better conductors. This work’s moody, more serious quality reveals Wirén to have been a fine composer who might have developed more seriously had his beloved “Serenade” not taken over the imagination of the public. He creates a fine feeling of suspense in the “call-and-response” style of the concerto, and at roughly 16 minutes it does not overstay its welcome.


The transfers are, for the most part, masterfully done. Remastering engineer Marie Wisén (if I translate the word “Redaktör” correctly) has removed all traces of record sound, leaving just the music to be savored without damaging the quality of the string tone, always a hazardous operation. My only complaint is that she did not then boost the treble to restore some of the upper frequencies, which makes these recordings sound muffled. I was able to obtain good quality sound, however, by turning the treble control on my amplifier all the way up. Otherwise, recommended.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

Tracklist 27 tracks

  1. 1 Concert Overture, Op. 16 04:44
    Track
    1
    Title
    Concert Overture, Op. 16
    Duration
    04:44
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Ensemble
    Stockholm Radio Orchestra
    Conductor
    Tor Mann
  2. 2 I. Preludium: Allegro molto 02:50
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Preludium: Allegro molto
    Duration
    02:50
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
  3. 3 II. Andante espressivo 03:45
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Andante espressivo
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
  4. 4 III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 03:05
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
    Duration
    03:05
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
  5. 5 IV. Marcia: Molto ritmico 04:18
    Track
    5
    Title
    IV. Marcia: Molto ritmico
    Duration
    04:18
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
  6. 6 No. 1. Upptakt 01:31
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 1. Upptakt
    Duration
    01:31
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Camilla Kinberg
  7. 7 No. 2. Etyd 00:53
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 2. Etyd
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Camilla Kinberg
  8. 8 No. 3. Promenad 02:06
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 3. Promenad
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Camilla Kinberg
  9. 9 No. 4. Vals 01:54
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 4. Vals
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Camilla Kinberg
  10. 10 No. 5. Slut 01:39
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 5. Slut
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Camilla Kinberg
  11. 11 I. Allegro moderato 02:12
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Allegro moderato
    Duration
    02:12
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Stig Ribbing
  12. 12 II. Andante 02:07
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Stig Ribbing
  13. 13 III. Allegro 02:00
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:00
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Stig Ribbing
  14. 14 I. Moderato 00:49
    Track
    14
    Title
    I. Moderato
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Sven Karpe, Tonsattaren
  15. 15 II. Adagio 02:18
    Track
    15
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Sven Karpe, Tonsattaren
  16. 16 III. Allegro 00:53
    Track
    16
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Sven Karpe, Tonsattaren
  17. 17 IV. Andante espressivo 01:16
    Track
    17
    Title
    IV. Andante espressivo
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Sven Karpe, Tonsattaren
  18. 18 V. Molto vivace 00:30
    Track
    18
    Title
    V. Molto vivace
    Duration
    00:30
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Sven Karpe, Tonsattaren
  19. 19 I. Allegro energico — 02:53
    Track
    19
    Title
    I. Allegro energico —
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Harry Ebert, Maurice Maréchal
  20. 20 II. Adagio — 02:55
    Track
    20
    Title
    II. Adagio —
    Duration
    02:55
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Harry Ebert, Maurice Maréchal
  21. 21 III. Molto vivace 01:43
    Track
    21
    Title
    III. Molto vivace
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Harry Ebert, Maurice Maréchal
  22. 22 I. Tempo moderato 05:31
    Track
    22
    Title
    I. Tempo moderato
    Duration
    05:31
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Gustav Grondahl
    Ensemble
    Radiosymfonikerna
    Conductor
    Sixten Ehrling
  23. 23 II. Andante espressivo 05:48
    Track
    23
    Title
    II. Andante espressivo
    Duration
    05:48
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Gustav Grondahl
    Ensemble
    Radiosymfonikerna
    Conductor
    Sixten Ehrling
  24. 24 III. Allegro 04:17
    Track
    24
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    04:17
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Performer
    Gustav Grondahl
    Ensemble
    Radiosymfonikerna
    Conductor
    Sixten Ehrling
  25. 25 I. Molto allegro ad energico — 06:43
    Track
    25
    Title
    I. Molto allegro ad energico —
    Duration
    06:43
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Ensemble
    Radiosymfonikerna
  26. 26 II. Andante espressivo — 04:33
    Track
    26
    Title
    II. Andante espressivo —
    Duration
    04:33
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Ensemble
    Radiosymfonikerna
  27. 27 III. Molto allegro 05:37
    Track
    27
    Title
    III. Molto allegro
    Duration
    05:37
    Composer
    Dag Wiren
    Ensemble
    Radiosymfonikerna