The German label CPO has produced quality recordings of a wide array of Swedish art music. They were the first to produce the complete symphonies of Allan Pettersson, Ture Rangström, Kurt Atterberg and Wilhelm Peterson-Berger. Many of their releases are world premiere recordings, or at least digital premieres. Until now, CPO has avoided Hugo Alfvén (1872–1960) possibly because he is the most popular and one of the most recorded Swedish composers. Alfvén's CPO debut music contains one of his lesser-known symphonies (No. 1, 1897); his most popular work, Midsommarvaka (1903); and one of his lesser-known academic celebratory works, Drapa (1908). The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin performs these works masterfully, and the recording is of the highest quality. Most of Alfvén's music reflects the sunny optimism of Sweden's growing nationalism, and the works on this recording are good examples. Alfvén's music has been compared to the colours on the Swedish flag, because the blue and yellow symbolize the sky and sun.Footnote ¹ The bucolic Swedish countryside is especially evoked in the First Symphony and Midsommarvaka.

The First Symphony evaded critical and popular attention mostly due to its modest classical style, which follows the conventional four-movement layout. In the first movement, one hears Alfvén's idyllic melodies in the second theme, and the blending of woodwinds evokes rustic timbres. Also noticeable are the passages of skilful counterpoint, especially in the development section. Alfvén prided himself on his education under Johan Lindegren, a Bach fanatic who became a legendary counterpoint teacher in Sweden. Rich contrapuntal passages appear in the Andante movement, as well. The complicated structure of the main theme and expressive harmonies make this movement the most memorable and moving of the symphony. Its plaintive and introspective nature shows the influence of Jean Sibelius, one of the most famous nationalist composers. The third movement is a standard scherzo and trio. One notices folk instrumental idioms in the accented open fifths in the lower strings and the French horns that open the Trio. In addition, Alfvén employs his signature falling minor-second motive, reminiscent of a sigh, which he would later use in several other compositions.Footnote ²

Alfvén claimed that the main inspiration for his first two symphonies came while sailing at night during the ‘wild Autumns’ in the archipelago near Stockholm.Footnote ³ A painter as well as a composer, Alfvén endeavoured to create musical landscapes even with this classical symphony. Both symphonies were composed when he was in his mid-twenties, showing an advanced skill and maturity in style. Alfvén's major breakthrough was his Second Symphony (1899), which highlighted a triple-fugue finale based on the chorale, Jag går mot döden, var jag går (Where ever I go, I go toward death). It was this Second Symphony that resurrected the genre in Sweden, which had been dormant for almost a century. Wilhelm Stenhammar's Second Symphony followed Alfvén's example by also having a triple-fugue finale.

Midsommarvaka (‘Midsummer Vigil’), which became the first of three ‘Swedish Rhapsodies’, is Alfvén's most famous work and the most famous Swedish symphonic piece. The programmatic work shows a more descriptive tendency than his previous works, so much so that Moses Pergament called him the ‘Swedish Richard Strauss’.Footnote ⁴ Orchestral rhapsodies were well known in Scandinavia, especially with the works of the Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen. Alfvén came by the idea of an orchestral rhapsody from his visit to a wedding on the island of Svartnö. Midsommarvaka’s programme depicts a celebration during midsummer's eve. It begins with a duple polka rhythm and a solo clarinet. Soon after an orchestral repeat of the clarinet solo, several failed attempts to ‘sing’ a new melody occur with a solo bassoon and oboe. Each attempt is followed by fast, seemingly chaotic flourishes in the strings – meant to reflect the laughter of the crowd at the clumsy attempts. The brass then enter, playing the dance with more skill. The dance turns to a brawl but then dies down. A youthful couple leave the celebration for a tryst in the woods, and we hear the dance music fade into a slower section. After the tryst, the couple return to the celebration for a final dance, which features string-writing that evokes folk instruments. The programme and its musical realization show a great love of folk instrumental musicianship with the virtuosic ability of the musicians to perform the dances. Alfvén studied the violin under Johan Lindberg, who also taught Tor Aulin, a virtuoso and a close friend of August Strindberg. Alfvén's excellence on the instrument made him favour instrumental music and enabled him to emulate the Swedish folk fiddling culture in his compositions. We also note a skilful use of imitative counterpoint, for example during the brawl section of the first dance, where he uses contrapuntal textures to suggest a struggle. The rhapsody ends jubilantly.

Alfvén was also involved with academia, and the works he composed for academic events include the Festival Overture, which is performed annually at the Nobel Prize award ceremony. His second Swedish rhapsody was commissioned for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the famous Swedish botanist Carl Lineaus. Drapa conforms as well to these academic celebratory works. It was commissioned by the Swedish Music Academy for a memorial for King Oscar II. Like the Festival Overture it opens with a brass-dominated fanfare. The solo harp that follows alludes to the skaldic nature of a ‘drapa’, which is an Icelandic laudatory poem for a king. The solemn, processional style conforms to its memorial purpose.

Following the completion of his Third Symphony (1905), Alfvén composed less and conducted more. He also sank into a crisis, which slowed his output. Like Sibelius, Alfvén had a dual life. On one hand, his music took on a life of its own, making him a national icon. On the other hand, his personal life became more and more isolated. A rare and informative interview with Moses Pergament during these later years revealed Alfvén's strong antipathy toward atonality, which may have contributed to his isolation. Atonality came to Sweden in the 1920s. and the composers who produced atonal works banded together, which started a press war between the nationalists and modernists. Moses Pergament was one of these early Swedish modernists, regarding atonality and the avant garde as Utopian. Complaining that atonal works sounded like random noise, Alfvén argued that atonality undermined one's ability to depict things in music, ‘and what one cannot depict, one cannot experience’.Footnote ⁵ Pergament's interview with Alfvén revealed how important description was for his music. Like his painting, Alfvén used music to depict scenes and narratives. However, the main reason Alfvén stopped composing was financial. He claimed that Finland's stipend for one composer was the same as Sweden's stipend for ten.Footnote ⁶ While Pergament admired his skill and personality, he concluded that Alfvén was ‘no original, creative artist’.Footnote ⁷ Yet Alfvén did develop an original style, particularly with his distinctive melodic structures and sensuous instrumentations.