Hans Eklund - Symphonies Nos. 3, 5 and 11

Hans EKLUND (1927-1999)

Symphony No. 3 'Sinfonia rustica'(1967-68)

Symphony No. 5 'Quadri'(1977)

Symphony No. 11 'Sinfonia piccola'(1994-1995)

Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra

Hermann Bäumer

Recording: De Geerhallen, Norrköping, May 29-June 2, 2016

I applaud composers who view the orchestra not only as a large number of instruments grouped together by families or sections, but also as a single, sentient organism that can, contingent on the composer's orchestration skills, generate a palette of colors, moods and settings that in fact create soundscapes from its component parts. Swedish composer Hans Eklund (1927-1999), studied composition with Lars-Erik Larsson, and also compares well with some of his compatriots like Hilding Rosenberg, Gösta Nystroem, and especially Allan Pettersson mainly because of their outlook. Pettersson's music is nothing if not dark, bleak and pessimistic, and the booklet notes state that Hans Eklund was a very pessimistic person quoted as saying: "My despair for the future is infinite", and this is mirrored in his music. There is one major difference between the two composers though. I would make this analogy between the two: Two boys standing on the edge of a lake. Pettersson first dips his toes in, then slowly, inch by inch, immerses himself in the cold, dark water. Eklund on the other hand, takes a run for it and leaps into the deeper waters instantly dealing with the shock and its outcome.

Whereas most of Pettersson's symphonies are structured as a long single movement developed around micro motifs, these three symphonies by Eklund are all built around three short movements. His music is filled at times with brutally violent outbursts, percussive elements, episodic statements and fractured ideas, all strongly rooted in tonality and very well orchestrated. Here and there I sense the shadow of Shostakovich (final movement of No. 3). The whole symphony is built around a barrage of quick left and right blows to the body, all performed with pinpoint accuracy by the musicians of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra. In my opinion, the Symphony No. 5 "Quadri" is a stupendous orchestral tour de force, at times relentless in its forward onslaught, once again well captured and projected by the members of the orchestra and conductor Hermann Bäumer. Seriously, if you play this loud and the neighbours can hear it, they will either have you arrested or committed. Oddly enough, most of Eklund's symphonic movements start with a bang and end with a whimper, as if the conflict remains unresolved, or the antagonist has been terminated.

There are too few recordings of Hans Eklund's music available at the moment. Please CPO, we want more!

Jean-Yves Duperron - September 2020

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About Hans Eklund:

Swedish composer, born in Sandviken 1 July 1927, died in Stockholm 8 March 1999.

Eklund's artistic temperament is made up of aggressive power and a plaintive introversion. His humour is equally obvious, but also equally ambivalent, oscillating between the exuberantly burlesque and more complicated, grotesque eruptions.

He studied at the State Academy of Music in Stockholm 1947-1952, where he was taught by Alf Linder (organ) and Sven Brandel (piano). He studied counterpoint under Åke Uddén and composition with Lars-Erik Larsson. During these years Eklund also found time to study conducting with Tor Mann. He continued his composition studies abroad, under Ernst Pepping in Berlin. In addition to his achievement as a composer, a profession to which he has always devoted his full energies, he has acquired a reputation as a teacher. He taught the theory of music at the Stockholm Citizens’ School 1961-1967, and in 1964 he joined the staff of the State Academy of Music in Stockholm, where he taught harmony and counterpoint. Between 1954 and 1956 Eklund received a Composer's Scholarship from the Swedish Government.

Technically speaking, Eklund predominantly employs a distinct, simple rhythm and a sophisticated treatment of melody. He aims for independent clarity in the individual parts and also at fullness of substance in the polyphonic contrapuntal movements. His musical imagination is convincing, both in his unashamedly cheerful pieces and on occasions when he carefully builds up his music into larger forms; on these latter occasions he can achieve a profound gravity which compels one to regard him as a “confessing artist“ of inner necessity.