Elfrida Andree Gets New Audience

This release presents two major works by Swedish composer Elfrida Andree. She's now little more than a footnote in musical history today. But in the late 1800s, she was a well-known organist and composer in Scandinavia. 

Andree was a prodigious organist. But Swedish churches weren't hiring female organists in the 1850s. They were considered unseemly. Nevertheless, Andree persevered. By 1861, she was organist at the Gothenburg Cathedral, a post she would hold for 62 years.

Composing, performing, and mounting concerts grew Andree's reputation. She was the first Swedish woman to conduct an orchestra. And she was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy.

Andree's first symphony was completed in 1868 -- the first by a Nordic female composer. It premiered the following year to mostly favorable reviews. 

Andree was never fully satisfied with the work, especially with the orchestration. I found it to be a well-crafted piece of music. The orchestra isn't asked to do anything unusual or awkward. And the music simply flows. 

Less successful for me was the Frijet Suite. This composition started as an opera. There were problems with the librettist, problems with the dramatic structure, and problems with logistics. All hampered the creation of the work and limited its performances. 

Adree eventually created an orchestral suite from the score. That's proved more successful. To my ears, the work is overly sentimental. The opening sequence sounds like mid-Victorian salon music. 

Each section has its charm, but it's a very dated charm (in my opinion). I would very much like to hear Andree's second symphony, though. 

Still, this release features two major works by a ground-breaking composer. And those works do merit an audience. 

Elfrida Andree
Symphony No. 1; Fritiof-Svit
Norkoping Symphony Orchestra; Hermann Baumer, conductor
CPO 555 589-2