Anders Eliasson symphonies present a unique voice

Anders Eliasson isn't as well-known outside of Scandinavia as he should be. This release should help remedy that. Eliasson had an epiphany when he attended the Royal Swedish Academy of music in the 1960s.

As he wrote, "It was a time of unbearable self-denial. Metrical rhythms, melodies, even particular intervals were all taboo in contemporary music... I suddenly lost all contact with the music I had inside myself."

In the 1970s Eliasson forged his own path, like his colleagues Kaveli Aho and Alan Pettersson. He created a personal style that didn't ignore contemporary trends. But he wasn't beholden to them either. The result was a musical language both tonal and modern.

Eliasson's Symphony No. 3 for soprano saxophone was originally conceived as a concerto. And yet, in its final form, it's not. The soprano saxophone is always front and center. But it's closely integrated with the orchestra. Rather than soloist vs. orchestra, the ensemble has a different role. It seems to amplify and reinforce the saxophone in collaboration.

Symphony No. 4 was completed in 2005. It's a more solidly tonal work than the Third Symphony, with a different aesthetic. In this symphony, Eliasson takes two- and three-note groupings as his building blocks. The music expands and develops those groups. Over the course of the work, they bloom into lush and complex harmonies melodies.

Eliasson's friend Christian Lindberg commissioned the Trombone Concerto and performs it here. Eliasson reverses the traditional three-movement form, making it slow-fast-slow. Rather than rapid passagework, the soloist's challenge is long, sustained tones. Tones that require a great deal of musicality to reveal their beauty. And that's exactly was Lindberg does in this performance.

All three works are exceptionally well-constructed. And, at least for me, this disc was successful in its mission. I now want to hear more from this extraordinary composer.

Anders Eliasson - Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Anders Paulsson soprano saxophone; Christian Lindberg trombone
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Johannes Gustavsson, conductor
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; Sakari Oramo, conductor
BIS 2368 SACD