Stenhammar: Tirfing
Soloists
Malmö opera chorus and orchestra
Arnold Östman
In last year’s project I listened to a short selection of Stenhammar’s songs. I enjoyed those a lot and have gradually started to explore some of his other music, starting with the string quartets. This was my first experience of him as an opera composer: I thought that it was a really good piece. The predominant influence is undoubtedly Wagner, which is perhaps to be expected as the opera is based on Norse mythology but there were also elements of late 19th century French opera. But it has a stylistic coherence which I found compelling. The start, with a solo cor anglais, is highly distinctive and the final scene has a power and impact which really stuck home. This is music of the highest quality.
There is a link to the previous opera in this project. The leading role in Hallström’s opera was taken by Fredrika Stenhammar, who was married to Stenhammar’s uncle.
