Ture Rangström - Symphony No. 2 in D minor, "Mitt land" (1919) 

In my opinion the best symphony of a swedish composer-I hope so so much that Segerstam will make a new recording of this masterwork!!!!

Wow, great work. Easily one of the best Swedish symphonies written, I like it more than Stenhammar and Atterberg. Thank you very much for the upload!

he certainly knew how to end a symphony

This inspires me to hope to go there someday,or at least have an idea what it would be like!..love a good tune!

Waarom horen we in de Nederlandse concertzalen altijd dezelfde muziek? Altijd weer Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, Bruckner, etc Waarom niet een keer Ture Rangström?

...this ist my favorite of his 4 symphonys. Nice, and underrated work and composer, I think....

Great stuff!

Splendid stuff!

Super!!!!!!!

Fantastic, powerful symphony. Has a true Scandinavian feel to it. Can't agree with Colin on the banality. If good tunes translates as banal, so be it!

The Swedish state radio service played this symphony on 14th september. The announcer failed to mention its title "Mitt land" (My country). I wonder why.

Impressionante....

His manner of composition, with lean textures and sparing though effective use of counterpoint, gives Rangtroem's music a panoramic breadth like that of a rich painting converted into a finely-wrought filigree of sound. This symphony is powerful and evocative, but it does seem to meander and lose focus a bit, perhaps by design, given the varied aspects of the subject chosen. The final pages beginning at 36:01 are impressive, but on first hearing seem somewhat contrived and pretentious. My favorite parts of the work are actually the more reflective moments: the bassoon passage at 2:06, and the flute embellishment at 7:57 especially. I've heard all Rangstroem's symphonies except the First, and so far I think the Fourth is his masterpiece, then the Third. The Second is a fine work though; unlike Colin, I can find nothing banal in it, or indeed in any Rangstroem work I've heard.

Que forma musical de expresarse tiene este lamentablemente desconocido compositor digno de mejor suerte.

nice

1. Sagan: Allegretto grave e fantastico 2. Skogen, vagen, sommarnatten: Adante e scherzo all' improvisazione 3. Drommen: Allegro energico e maestoso Though well versed in counterpoint and sonata principles, Rangström largely rejected these techniques in favor of his own, which emphasized content over form, and drama over development. While there’s no doubting the dramatic and narrative power of the music, the lack of true counterpoint (his themes are not harmonically interrelated or contrasted, but rather blatantly juxtaposed) makes them ultimately unsatisfying as symphonies but perfectly suitable, as, for example, film scores, or as multi-movement symphonic poems (poets were his main inspiration). Viewed in that context they are highly effective. The patriotic Second Symphony opens very much like a Scandinavian Vaughan Williams. The similarly pot-boiling Symphony No.2 shares its disc with the surprisingly restrained Intermezzo dramatico, which is a pleasant sounding suite based on modal tunes. Symphony No. 2, subtitled "My Country," followed in 1919. Each of its three movements are likewise subtitled: "The Fairy Tale," "The Forest, the Wave, the Summer Night," and "The Dream." Tunes may not be as memorable as Smetana's, who was the first to call a symphonic work "My Country," but Rangström's spirit is no less patriotic or impassioned. Symphony No.2, with its wonderful nature lyricism, was completed on 16th September, 1919, and the first performance took place the same year, played by the Stockholm Concert Society orchestra. It was performed by Stenhammer/Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (to whom it was dedicated) on 14th January, 1920. The idea for the symphony developed "fired by your example, after the time we spent together in Stockholm," as Ranstrom wrote in a letter to Stenhammer towards the end of October, 1918. He planned the symphony swiftly "admittedly not in writing, but the essential content, the exposition of the motives and the layout of the whole work was ready." Much later the composer explained that "it was written as a musical declaration of love for the country of Sweden with its incomprehensible length and as a protest against the weakness of its hunched inhabitants. But love was the strongest!"

For me, his four symphonies are great. Not with which to stay.

I thought Mitt Land was a mythical country ruled by rich Mormon venture capitalists.

Don't trust swedish critics!

Apart from the rather stirring opening theme, this is one of the most banal symphonies I've ever heard.