Swedish composer Dag Wirén wrote very few pieces, but still he holds a front position among the composers of the Nordic countries. Of his orchestral works only the most wellknown are available on CD. Now nosag records present three pieces, all premiere recordings, and one of them never before performed. Stefan Karpe conducts and Jan Bengtson (also on nosag CD 037 & 038) is soloist in Wirén´s Flute concertino together with DalaSinfoniettan, and the orchestra on its own presents Romantic Suite (with the jokerly twisting "Gyckeldans") and the music to the dance comedy Take the Stage, never performed because of the death of the choreographer of the ballet. You need Real Audio to listen to this file: Wirén: GYCKELDANS [ .ra 290 Kb, draft quality ] Listen to all nosag CDs on the air: "YESS music" with the whole CD-catalogue of nosag records

THE CRITICS:

HiFi&Musik: "Today is more than ever heard the music of Dag Wirén. Mayby time has now caught up with this harsh composer who wrote so elegant and witfull music. This CD contains some of his more easy listenable pieces. This is a VERY GOOD CD, indeed!"

MusicWeb: "To listeners outside his native Sweden, Dag Wirén might seem to be a "one hit wonder", the hit being the Serenade for Strings - from which the March is particularly famous. Of course, he wrote much else besides and, on this evidence, in a similar vein; no boundaries pushed back but good, tuneful listening. The disc takes its title from the fourth movement (of five) of the Romantic Suite. This suite surely deserves to be better known. The Flute Concertino is in a traditional three movement format. A relatively late work, it has some darker overtones, perhaps reflecting a man who became more serious in later life. There is some beautiful flute playing from soloist Jan Bengtson to be heard here. The playing of the DalaSinfoniettan and the recording are most impressive. Their conductor, Stefan Karpe, appears youthful too and is a name for watch out for. I’d certainly be happy to hear more of such committed, idiomatic playing. This well-presented disc deserves a wider audience. "

Falukuriren: "Wirén is most acknowledged by his Serenade from 1937, but his oevre contains music in many different genres and styles. (---) ...and the music on this CD can not have a better interpretation: It is clearly audible that the musicians had a very good time recording!"

ÖstgötaCorrespondenten: "These first-time recordings of Wirén´s orchestral pieces shows his humourous face, contrary to all serious photos. (---) The very skilled flutist Jan Bengtson here gives a very good interpretation of the Concertino. Both DalaSinfoniettan and the conductor Stefan Karpe are interesting acquaintances. "

Fanfare Magazine 1999: " nosag records has done itself proud with this truly lovely release of three world-premiere recordings from the immaculately fluent and disciplined pen of Dag Wirén. This recording introduces a marvelous chamber orchestra by the name of DalaSinfonietta and is guaranteed to give unalloyed delight to the ears and sensibilities of a wide range of music lovers. Don´t deprive yourselves!"

Fanfare Magazine 2000: " The performances on this CD gave me a feeling of very happy discovery. The Dala Sinfonietta sounds like yet another Swedish orchestra for its countrymen to be proud of. (---) This was my first nosag disc, and if this CD is typical of what they are doing, then it makes me very proud to be one-quarter Swedish."

American Record Guide: " The stars here are the performers and engineers. Playing goes far beyond technical perfection. Stefan Karpe´s intelligent lyrical phrasing, exquisite balances, and especially his dynamic flow always have aim without ever being forced. Engineers make the most of the gorgeous rich tone and enhance Karpe´s dynamism with warm, realistic sound."

SonoLoco: "Nosag seldom gives reason for disappointment, and this CD with the music of Dag Wirén has its very own Nordic lustre, its very own Nordic light! Dag Wirén is an indispensable part of Swedish and Scandinavian culture, and this CD from Nosag displays the individuality of Wirén in excellent interpretations and recordings. " (Read the whole rewiew at SonoLoco Home page)

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