12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasant surprise, March 19, 2003
This review is from: STENHAMMAR: Symphony No. 2 / Excelsior! (Audio CD)
This is not by any means an 'average' piece. Although certainly conservative, Stenhammar's symphony is a perfect bridge between late, nationalistically inspired romanticism, and some things to come. You may hear Brahms, Sibelius, Elgar(!), some of Bruckner, and more than a bit of Grieg here, but most of all it is Stenhammar's own voice that speaks. And it speaks well: this is an likeable and well-crafted piece, played to perfection by Sundkvist's Scots. The Excelsior! overture is an exuberant, if somewhat uneven piece. It is even more reminiscent of high romanticism, but owes more to Wagner than the symphony does, and is decidedly less personal than that work. Still, not at all bad for a 'filler'. The orchestra is attentive and precise throughout, an essential quality for this repertoire - particularly the brass section is excellent.
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