Symphony No. 1 (Svendsen)
| Symphony No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| by Johan Svendsen | |
The composer (c. 1870) | |
| Key | D major |
| Catalogue | JSV 38[1] |
| Opus | 4 |
| Composed | 1865–1867 |
| Publisher | Fritzsch (1868) |
| Duration | 35 mins. |
| Movements | 4 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 12 October 1867 |
| Location | Kristiania, Norway |
| Conductor | Johan Svendsen |
The Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4 (JSV 38),[1] is a four-movement orchestral work written from 1866 to 1867 by the Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen while he was a music student at the Leipzig Conservatory.[2] The first movement premiered in Leipzig on 9 May 1866 at the Altes Gewandhaus, with Svendsen conducting; a year later in the same location, he conducted Movements II–IV for the first time.[3] These earlier partial performances notwithstanding, the symphony—in its entirety—received its premiere in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, on 12 October 1967, again under the composer's baton.[3]
The First Symphony was an instant success that placed Svendsen at the forefront of Norwegian art music and squarely within the European symphonic tradition.[4] The composer's friend and countryman, Edvard Grieg, was so moved by the symphony that he withdrew his own work in the genre, the Symphony in C minor (EG 119; 1864); Grieg, in a review, praised "the perfect balance between ideas and technique", and called the orchestration among "the best in existence" ... "God alone knows where Svendsen got it all from".[4]
In 1874, Svendsen completed his next (and final) work in the genre: the Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 15.
Structure
The Symphony No. 1 is in four movements:[5]
- Molto allegro
- Andante
- Allegretto scherzando
- Finale. Maestoso – Allegro assai con fuoco
Instrumentation
The First Symphony is scored for the following instruments, organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):[5]
- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in A), and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns (in E♭), 2 trumpets (in E♭), 1 alto trombone, 1 trombone, and 1 bass trombone
- Timpani
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
Discography
The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of Svendsen's First Symphony:
| No. | Conductor | Orchestra | Rec.[a] | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odd Grüner-Hegge | Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (1) | c. 1961 | ? | ? | Philips | |
| 2 | Miltiades Caridis | Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2) | c. 1974 | 33:26 | ? | Norsk Kulturråds Klassikerserie | |
| 3 | Neeme Järvi (1) | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | 1986 | 34:48 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | BIS | |
| 4 | Mariss Jansons | Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (3) | 1987 | 34:55 | Oslo Concert Hall | EMI Classics | |
| 5 | Ari Rasilainen | Norwegian Radio Orchestra | 1996 | 36:42 | NRK Broadcasting Hall, Oslo | Finlandia | |
| 6 | Terje Mikkelsen | Latvian National Symphony Orchestra | 1997 | 35:33 | Rīgas Reformātu baznīca | cpo | |
| 7 | Bjarte Engeset | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra | 1997 | 36:02 | Wessex Hall, Poole Arts Centre | Naxos | |
| 8 | Thomas Dausgaard | Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra | 2000 | 35:26 | Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen | Chandos | |
| 9 | Neeme Järvi (2) | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra | 2012 | 33:28 | Grieg Hall | Chandos |
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ O. Grüner-Hegge—Philips (A 631 097 L) 1961
- ^ M. Caridis—Norsk Kulturråds Klassikerserie (NKF 30 001) 1974
- ^ N. Järvi—BIS (CD–347) 1987
- ^ M. Jansons—EMI Classics (7243 5 85070 2 7) 2003
- ^ A. Rasilainen—Finlandia (0630–19055–2) 1998
- ^ T. Mikkelsen—cpo (777 372 2) 2008
- ^ B. Engeset—Naxos (8.553898) 1998
- ^ T. Dausgaard—Chandos (CHAN 9932) 2001
- ^ N. Järvi—Chandos (CHAN 10766) 2013
- References
- ^ a b Engeset 2022.
- ^ Christophersen 2013, p. 5.
- ^ a b Christophersen 2013, p. 6.
- ^ a b Haglund 1986, p. 3.
- ^ a b E.W. Fritzsch (published score) 1868.
- Sources
- Engeset, Bjarte (2022). "Svendsen: Johan: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4". musikkarven.no. Norsk Musikkarv. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Christophersen, Morten (2013). Johan Svendsen: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (CD booklet). Neeme Järvi & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Chandos. CHAN 10711.
- Haglund, Rolf (1986). John Svendsen: The Two Symphonies / Two Swedish Folk Tunes for Strings (CD booklet). Neeme Järvi & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. BIS. CD–347.
- "John Svendsen: Sinfonie (D dur) für Orchester, Op. 4" [John Svendsen: Symphony (D major) for Orchestra, Op. 4]. imslp.org. E.W. Fritzsch. 1868. Retrieved 23 October 2025.