Symphony No. 2 (Svendsen)
| Symphony No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| by Johan Svendsen | |
The composer (c. 1870s) | |
| Key | B-flat major |
| Catalogue | JSV 66[1] |
| Opus | 15 |
| Composed | 1874 |
| Publisher | Fritzsch (1877) |
| Duration | 33 mins. |
| Movements | 4 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 14 October 1976 |
| Location | Kristiania, Norway |
| Conductor | Johan Svendsen |
The Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 15 (JSV 66),[1] is a four-movement orchestral work written in 1874 by the Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen. The symphony was premiered in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, on 14 October 1876. The music was well received, and the third movement repeated for an enthusiastic audience.[2]
The symphony has been characterized by Svendsen's biographers – Finn Benestaf and Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe – as Svendsen's "most mature and distinguished work".[3]
The Second Symphony's predecessor in the genre is the Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4, which Svendsen had completed seven years earlier, in 1867.
Structure
The Symphony No. 2 is in four movements:[4]
- Allegro
- Andante sostenuto
- Intermezzo. Allegro giusto
- Finale. Andante – Allegro con fuoco
Instrumentation
The Second Symphony is scored for the following instruments, organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):[4]
- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B♭), and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in F), 2 trombones, and 1 bass trombone
- Timpani
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
The score was published by the Leipzig-based firm of E. W. Fritzsch in 1877.
Discography
The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of Svendson's Second Symphony:
| No. | Conductor | Orchestra | Rec.[a] | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Øivin Fjeldstad | Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (1) | c. 1975 | 31:27 | ? | Norsk Kulturråds Klassikerserie | |
| 2 | Neeme Järvi (1) | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | 1986 | 30:08 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | BIS | |
| 3 | Mariss Jansons | Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2) | 1987 | 32:25 | Oslo Concert Hall | EMI Classics | |
| 4 | Grant Llewellyn | Stavanger Symphony Orchestra | 1993 | 32:12 | [Unknown venue], Stavanger | Chatsworth | |
| 5 | Ari Rasilainen | Norwegian Radio Orchestra | 1996 | 34:15 | NRK Broadcasting Hall, Oslo | Finlandia | |
| 6 | Terje Mikkelsen | Latvian National Symphony Orchestra | 1997 | 33:03 | Rīgas Reformātu baznīca | cpo | |
| 7 | Bjarte Engeset | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra | 1997 | 34:31 | Wessex Hall, Poole Arts Centre | Naxos | |
| 8 | Thomas Dausgaard | Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra | 2000 | 33:26 | Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen | Chandos | |
| 9 | Neeme Järvi (2) | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra | 2012 | 31:56 | 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.
- ^ Ø. Fjeldstad—Norsk Kulturråds Klassikerserie (NKF 30 009) 1975
- ^ N. Järvi—BIS (CD–347) 1987
- ^ M. Jansons—EMI Classics (7243 5 85070 2 7) 2003
- ^ G. Llewellyn—Chatsworth (FCM 1002) 1994
- ^ 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.
- ^ Benestaf & Schjelderup-Ebbe, p. 155.
- ^ Benestaf & Schjelderup-Ebbe, p. 156.
- ^ a b E.W. Fritzsch (published score) 1877.
- Sources
- Engeset, Bjarte (2022). "Svendsen: Johan: Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 15". musikkarven.no. Norsk Musikkarv. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Finn Benestaf; Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe (1995). Johan Svendsen: The Man, the Maestro, the Music. Translated by William H. Halverson. Peer Gynt Press. ISBN 9-780-9645238-0-7.
- "John Svendsen: Symphonie (No. 2, B dur) für Orchester, Op. 15" [John Svendsen: Symphony (No, 2, B-flat major) for Orchestra, Op. 154]. imslp.org. E.W. Fritzsch. 1877. Retrieved 23 October 2025.