Wilhelm Peterson-Berger - Flowers from Frösö Island (Niklas Sivelöv)

Information

Composer: Wilhelm Peterson-Berger

• Frösöblomster, Book 1, Op. 16
• Frösöblomster, Book 2
• Frösöblomster, Book 3

Niklas Sivelöv, piano

Date: 1999

Label: Naxos

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Review

When I encountered the music of Swedish composer Wilhelm Peterson-Berger for the first time, in the course of an earlier review of Frosoblomster (Flowers from Froso Island) by pianist Noriko Ogawa, I mused about the chance to encounter this obscure, fluffy collection on CD. I did not imagine that I would have the opportunity to do a comparison audition of the same music months later. Leave it to Naxos. And to think that Klaus Heymann, the founder of Naxos, only expected, indeed, barely hoped for, a 100-disc catalog of the top hits of Western classical music. Where will it all end? To quote myself, Frosoblomster is "a charming, easy on the ear collection of miniatures inspired by the flower covered hills of central Sweden. Their style is utterly conservative in melody, harmony and structure, in the manner of the least adventurous of the Lyric Pieces of Grieg." The fine version by Ogawa, on the BIS label, does not strike me as substantially superior to this new version by the Swedish pianist Niklas Sivelov. Given the substantial price difference, I would opt for this Naxos release if you have a yen for fin-de-siecle Scandinavian fluff.

— Peter Burwasser

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Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (27 February 1867 — 3 December 1942) was a Swedish composer and music critic. Born in Ullånger, he studied at the Stockholm Conservatory and later in Dresden. Influenced by Richard Wagner, Edvard Grieg and Swedish folk music, Peterson-Berger composed five symphonies, five operas, choral works, songs, chamber music and piano pieces. His most famous works are three albums of national romantic piano pieces entitled Frösöblomster (Flowers of Frösö), which capture the spirit of the Swedish landscape. Peterson-Berger was also a respected though very controversial and conservative music critic.

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Niklas Sivelov (born 11 April 1968) is a Swedish pianist, composer and teacher. Born in Skellefteå, he attended the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and continued his studies in Helsinki, Bucharest, Trossingen and London. Sivelöv's concert career spans four continents, with an extensive discography for BIS, Caprice, Dacapo, Naxos, Toccata and AMC labels. His wide-ranging repertoire covers Bach to Scriabin, Scandinavian composers and beyond, and includes approximately 50 piano concerti including six of his own. His other compositions include six Symphonies, 24 Preludes for piano and several chamber music pieces.

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