Stenhammar: Tirfing (Sterling) - MusicWeb International

Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Tirfing – Opera in 2 Acts with a Prologue and Epilogue (1898)
Hervor/Hervardur – Martina Dike
King Gudmundur; Angantyr, her father – Bengt Krantz
Vidar, his son; A shepherd – Daniel Hällström
Gullväg, his daughter – Ulrika Mjörndal
Malmö Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Arnold Östman
rec. live, October 2011, Malmö Opera House, Sweden
Swedish libretto and English translation included
Sterling CDO1134 [2 CDs: 128]

Outside of Sweden the music of Wilhelm Stenhammar is hardly widely known by the general listening public. Those scores which are, are probably his finely crafted later orchestral works, string quartets and some choral and vocal music. His two early operas, written when he was still in his twenties, are genuine rarities although both have now appeared as part of the Sterling label’s valuable “Romantic Opera in Sweden” series. Some years ago Sterling released a single ‘highlights’ disc of Tirfing which was reviewed here by Göran Forsling in 2021. A decade earlier, Niklas Smith reviewed for Seen and Heard here one of the staged performances from which this Swedish Radio Broadcast was taken. It appears that this recording is of the premiere performance from October 15^th 2011, whereas Niklas reviewed one from a couple of weeks later, albeit with the same cast. I would warmly direct readers to the review of the staged performance as this includes both a brief synopsis of the work and a very fair assessment of the qualities of both the music and the performers. Quite why this convincing performance of a significant work by a major composer has taken 14 years to be released I do not know.

Accompanying this release is a useful and detailed booklet. As well as the libretto in the original Swedish with an English translation, it includes a fairly brief plot synopsis, an analysis/history of the work and a note from the 2011 stage director Per-Erik Öhrn explaining his approach to the work. Given Stenhammar’s status in the history of 20^th Century Swedish music and the genuine interest in this work, it is something of a surprise to realise that this production was the first since its 1898 premiere – an interval of some 110 years. Another slight mystery is the work’s actual length. The liner essay explains that it underwent several revisions/cuts from the three-hour playing time at that premiere. Specifically the liner states; “all in all the revised opera was 32 minutes shorter than the original conception”. Which would suggest a playing time of some 150 minutes. The performance on the two discs here is some 20 minutes shorter still, but nothing in the booklet indicates why that discrepancy might be. If this production has cut more music than Stenhammar sanctioned this is not clear.

Like much of Europe, Sweden was in the thrall of Wagner in the late 19^th century; the first performance of Die Walküre in Stockholm occurred just a year before Tirfing was written. The libretto was written by an old friend of Stenhammar’s, Anna Boberg, who drew together various elements of Norse myth which focussed on the mythical sword of power, the eponymous Tirfing. Although wielding the sword guaranteed victory in battle, the weapon was also cursed. In Boberg’s version, Hervor, daughter of the dead king Angantyr, is only able to claim the sword from the ghost of her father by agreeing to live as a man; she does this and becomes the warrior Hervadur. There follows a fairly predictable series of events, including love and honour spurned, which leads to the death of friends and Hervor/Hervadur’s ultimate death/redemption. The work is structured in two acts framed by a prologue and an epilogue, both of which are quite brief. Given the live provenance of this recording, the pit/stage balances are well handled and while some extraneous on-stage noises/movements are audible, they are not at all distracting. Audience applause between scenes is retained but, that apart, the audience is impressively quiet. Clearly central to this work is the dual character sung by mezzo soprano Martina Dike. It is no surprise to read in her biography that she has sung major roles in Strauss and Wagner operas. She has a powerfully focussed and vibrant voice which is able to cut through the orchestra without any sense of effort or being forced.

The prologue deals with Hervor acquiring Tirfing; the roles are limited to Hervor, a shepherd who shows her the grave of her father, and Angantyr, the dead king. Dominating the scene is Hervor and Stenhammar is remarkably successful in keeping the orchestration supportive but dynamic and impressive. There are various motifs presented, some of which have a barely-digested Wagnerian sweep to them, but at the same time there is a shape to the melodies that does seem to have a Scandinavian rather than Germanic quality to them. The opening of Act 1, set in King Gudmundur’s Castle, is rather generic but again the performers here are genuinely impressive. Soprano Ulrike Mjörndal is the ‘love interest’, Gullväg – daughter of the king – and her voice is bright and precise. The extended first and second scenes consist mainly of a dialogue between Gullväg and her brother, Vidar, discussing the upcoming feast and imminent arrival of Hervadur. The drama here is rather static but again the subtle detail and the un-Wagnerian touches of verismo in Stenhammar’s orchestration and melodic flow are rather attractive. Indeed, there is a quasi-folk music lilt to some of the writing that helps prevent these scenes becoming bogged down in pages of turgid recitative. Vidar is sung by baritone Daniel Hällström who again has a fresh and youthful voice, although in the rather melodramatic scene where he is torn between love for his sister and his comrade, he forces the tone and the voice momentarily breaks.

After the work’s original premiere – which Stenhammar rehearsed and conducted – the critical response was mixed but few were more critical than the composer himself who wrote; “Tirfing is not written with the heart’s blood. It is written with ink, black ink on white paper.” Although that is a very harsh self-assessment there are issues with the work. To my mind these do not primarily lie with the music, for all of its Wagnerian debt, but with the libretto. Whether it is the actual language or, more so, the interaction of the characters, it remains rather stilted and impersonal. There is a strong sense that characters talk at each other, stating previously adopted stances, rather than engaging in any meaningful dialogue. As a consequence, the high points tend to be the extended soliloquies, most notably Hervor/Hervardur’s two scenes that conclude both of the acts. Musically, vocally and dramatically these are notable highlights with Martina Dike in authoritative voice throughout. Conversely, Vidar’s death – cut down by the undefeatable Tirfing – and the fight that precedes it is rather prosaic. Perhaps this is what Stenhammar recognised as being “black ink on white paper”.

Overall, this is a work well worth hearing for those interested either in late Romantic opera or scores by this impressive composer. A quick word for the quality of the recording and the playing of the Malmö Opera Orchestra under Arnold Östman. Perhaps the actual sound of the orchestra as recorded is a fraction thin, but the playing itself of this often-demanding score is very accomplished and from a technical perspective the balances between pit and stage are well handled. Certainly it is hard to imagine this performance, with Martina Dike front and centre, being bettered any time soon.

Nick Barnard

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