Syms 1-4 [CD]

Finland has it's Sibelius, Denmark it's Nielsen-but who was the most important composer in Sweden at the beginning of the twentieth century, a figure who entered music history with a voice entirely his own? Ture Rangström (1884-1947). He was a natural talent, a musical force of nature. And so is his music: monumental, hymn-like, and elemental. With a keen sense for new ideas, he created al fresco musical tableaux in a block-like technique, in which elegiac passages are at times colored by glaring orchestral effects. This music is overwhelming in the truest sense of the word.