# Top Ten Favorite Nordic Composers



## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Eh, might as well!

Nordic countries include Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Greenland and Iceland.

Sibelius, Per Norgard, Nielson, Rangstrom, Pettersson, Atterberg, Holmboe, Rautavarra, Segerstam, Aho


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

sibelius
nielsen
langaard
grieg 
per norgard
fartein valen
petterson
Karl Birger Blomdahl
Kaija Saariaho
geirr tveitt


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Sibelius
Rautavaara
Grieg
Sallinen
Nielsen
Alfven
Aho
Holmboe
Tveitt
Leifs

and so many more....


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Your guys' answers made me realize I still have so many composers I still need to explore!


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Nordic composers often fail to impress me. Sibelius is one of the greatest composers ever, and Nielsen is absolutely magnificient, Grieg is cute, and Crusell is nice, but many others I don't really care about. I would REALLY like to hear the symphonies of Erkki Melartin, though, based on what I've read about them, but they are really hard to find.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Xaltotun said:


> Nordic composers often fail to impress me. Sibelius is one of the greatest composers ever, and Nielsen is absolutely magnificient, Grieg is cute, and Crusell is nice, but many others I don't really care about. I would REALLY like to hear the symphonies of Erkki Melartin, though, based on what I've read about them, but they are really hard to find.


Melartin symphonies

1. 




2. 




3. 




4. 




5. 



 (in 4 parts)

6. 



 (in 4 parts)


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

violadude said:


> Melartin symphonies
> 
> 1.
> 
> ...


Thanks! You know, I have an irrational and fanatic hatred towards Youtube, but I'll try to suppress it for the sake of the music!


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Now listened to the 1st symphony, pretty convincing stuff! On to the 2nd...


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

1) Grieg
2) Sibelius
3) Rautavarra.

Those are the only ones I know.


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## AndorFoldes (Aug 25, 2012)

1. Jean Sibelius
2. Carl Nielsen
3. Edvard Grieg
4. Franz Berwald
5. Ture Rangström
6. Wilhelm Stenhammar
7. Magnus Lindberg
8. Johan Halvorsen
9. Hugo Alfven
10. Karl-Birger Blomdahl


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

I wonder if this kind of lists are really 'name 10 composers of x nationality if you can', instead of 10 'favorites', because, at least for me, it's really hard to believe that one can have 1) 10 favorites composers and 2) there are some countries in which, with luck, you can name 10 composers, some of them will be very minor composers, so calling them 'favorites'... well. Or maybe I'm the problem here. When I, personally (yes, _personal opinion_, subjective judgement), consider a composer 'minor', I don't even bother in mentioning him.


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

I agree with aleazk. As it happens I feel more attuned to Nordic composers than I do to, say, German-speaking ones, so here are my favourites

Vagn Holmboe
Carl Nielsen
Per Nørgård
Hilding Rosenberg (a fine symphonist - well worth tracking down)
Kaija Saariaho
Aulis Sallinen
Jean Sibelius


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

Xaltotun said:


> I would REALLY like to hear the symphonies of Erkki Melartin, though, based on what I've read about them, but they are really hard to find.











£25 here: http://www.mdt.co.uk/melartin-the-six-symphonies-tampere-orchestra-leonid-grin-ondine-3cds.html


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

aleazk said:


> I wonder if this kind of lists are really 'name 10 composers of x nationality if you can', instead of 10 'favorites', because, at least for me, it's really hard to believe that one can have 1) 10 favorites composers and 2) there are some countries in which, with luck, you can name 10 composers, some of them will be very minor composers, so calling them 'favorites'... well. Or maybe I'm the problem here. When I, personally (yes, _personal opinion_, subjective judgement), consider a composer 'minor', I don't even bother in mentioning him.


I can't speak for the others obviously, but in most of these threads I have listed composers that I have at least 3 CD's of in my collection, and typically ones that I would love to get my hands on more of their output. The exception is the Iberian thread, where I had to stretch to get to ten.


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## Arsakes (Feb 20, 2012)

By those I have listened at least some of their works and not just a few:

1. Jean Sibelius
2. Carl Nielsen
3. Edvard Grieg
4. Franz Berwald
5-10. Yet to be discovered.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

These threads should perhaps be "draw a pie chart of how much you like Nordic composers", it's the only way to ensure accuracy.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

quack said:


> These threads should perhaps be "draw a pie chart of how much you like Nordic composers", it's the only way to ensure accuracy.
> 
> View attachment 7668


lol, in that case, my pie chart would be 10% of like and 90% of... 'dark matter'.


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## AndorFoldes (Aug 25, 2012)

aleazk said:


> I wonder if this kind of lists are really 'name 10 composers of x nationality if you can', instead of 10 'favorites', because, at least for me, it's really hard to believe that one can have 1) 10 favorites composers and 2) there are some countries in which, with luck, you can name 10 composers, some of them will be very minor composers, so calling them 'favorites'... well. Or maybe I'm the problem here. When I, personally (yes, _personal opinion_, subjective judgement), consider a composer 'minor', I don't even bother in mentioning him.


I would not have posted in this thread unless I was familiar with more than 10 composers. I wanted to add two more composers to my list that I had to eliminate. I do not consider all 10 composers to be my favourites, just a top 10.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

1. Sibelius


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

The music written by the "Nordic" group of composers, as with the French, tends to possess characteristics which resonate the most with my tastes/sensibilities.

Finnish modernism (from the 1950s up through to the present) can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with dignity alongside French composers and French works from the same timeframe.

As such, I could list perhaps up to Top 25 Finnish composers, but here's my Top 10:

*Top 10 Finnish composers*

1. Aarre Merikanto
2. Vaino Raitio
3. Erik Bergman
4. Paavo Heininen
5. Einojuhani Rautavaara
6. Uuno Klami
7. Eero Hameenniemi
8. Pehr Henrik Nordgren
9. Magnus Lindberg
10. Kaija Saariaho

After Finland, most of the other countries have about 2 favorites from each. I feel Norway's 2 leading modernists are slightly ahead of those from Sweden and Denmark, whilst Mr. Leifs is my favorite from Iceland:

*Top 2 from Norway*

1. Arne Nordheim
2. Fartein Valen

*Top 2 from Sweden*

1. Karl-Birger Blomdahl
2. Anders Eliasson (if there were more recordings of music by Lars Johan Werle, I think Werle would supplant Eliasson here)

*Top 2 from Denmark*

1. Vagn Holmboe
2. Per Norgard

*#1 from Iceland*

Jon Leifs


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## cjvinthechair (Aug 6, 2012)

Ah, yes - 10 favourites; difficult to impossible to judge ! I'm going to name those for whom I have the most CDs/downloads )must count for something, as wouldn't be spending my money/time if I wasn't sure I loved the sound !)

Johan Svendsen
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Oskar Lindberg
Leevi Madetoja
Vagn Holmboe
Aarre Merikanto
Lars-Erik Larsson
Klaus Egge
Andreas Hallen
Uuno Klami


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## Noak (Jul 18, 2009)

Per Nørgård (D)
Vagn Holmboe (D)
Ole-Henrik Moe (N)
Allan Pettersson (S)
Poul Ruders (D)
Rued Langgaard (D)

And now I can't think of any more.


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## AndorFoldes (Aug 25, 2012)

Get to know some Nordic composers (mostly symphonies):

FINLAND
Jean Sibelius - Symphony no. 1




Kaija Saariaho - Lichtbogen




Magnus Lindberg - Feria





DENMARK
Carl Nielsen - Symphony no. 1




Vagn Holmboe - Symphony no. 8




Per Nørgård - Terrains Vagues (two parts)









NORWAY
Edvard Grieg - Piano Concerto




Johan Svendsen - Symphony no. 2 (four parts)
















Johan Halvorsen - Symphony no. 2




Geirr Tveitt - Sun God Symphony





SWEDEN
Franz Berwald - Symphony no. 3




Wilhelm Peterson-Berger - Sommarsång




Wilhelm Stenhammar - Symphony no. 2




Hugo Alfven - Symphony no. 2




Ture Rangström - Symphony no. 4 (five parts)




















Kurt Atterberg - Symphony no. 6 (four parts)
















Karl-Birger Blomdahl - Symphony no. 3




Ingvar Lidholm - Kontakion


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