Mostly known outside of his country for his very popular Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 (Midsommarvaka), Hugo Alfvén is a multi-talented creator. An accomplished watercolourist (he had in fact considered becoming a full-time painter), and a gifted writer, he finally decided on pursuing a career in music. Born in Stockholm in 1872, this polyglot and avid traveller throughout Europe studied the violin in Brussels to join his hometown’s Royal Swedish Opera, before conducting choirs and orchestras across the continent. Alfvén became one of his country’s main composers, along with his contemporary Wilhelm Stenhammar. His music draws from late Romanticism, relying on skilled and colourful arrangements à la Richard Strauss. He is often considered as a figurehead of Swedish music, very much like Sibelius for Finland.
In fact, the very first measures of his orchestral suite The Mountain King (Bergakungen) are instantly reminiscent of Finlandia, with its spectacular crescendo opening the ballet scene. His Symphony No. 3, composed in 1905 during a trip to Italy − a country that invariably mesmerises Scandinavians − is a genuine ode to happiness. Dedicated to Marie, a young woman he loved passionately and who would become his first wife, this score is gentle, positive, joyful and simply celebrates the appreciation of being in the world.
The Swedish Rhapsody No. 2 (Uppsalarapsodi) was written for the 200th anniversary of the birth of famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, the father of biodiversity who identified over 10,000 plant and animal species. Like Brahms did a few years prior in his Academic Festival Overture, Alfvén uses numerous student songs in this joyful piece, tightly woven into the symphonic thread. © François Hudry/Qobuz