DAG WIRÉN (1905-1986): Symphony No. 3, Op. 20, Sinfonietta in C, Op. 7a, Serenade for Strings, Op. 11, Divertimento, Op. 29.

Description: The popularity of the lovely, sunny 1937 Serenade makes this Swedish composer look like a “one-hit wonder,” as few of his other works have ever had more than one or two recordings, so releases like this need to be welcomed when they come along. Full of charm and unpretentiousness, the symphony dates from 1944 and, unlike events going on outside Sweden at the time, is remarkably carefree, full of a healthy vigor and bubbling over with vitality. With time Wirén became darker and sparer and his 1957 Divertimento is a sequence of four serious and laconic meditations with a Sibelian feel. For lovers of the Serenade, though, the slightly earlier Sinfonietta should be just as inviting as, on a slightly larger scale, it has the same positive energy but with an added dash of the pugnacious humor abroad in musical Paris at the time Wirén was studying and writing it there (1933-34). Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Rumon Gamba.