Symphony No. 4 (Wirén)
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| Symphony No. 4 | |
|---|---|
| by Dag Wirén | |
 The composer, c. 1940s | |
| Opus | 27 |
| Composed | 1951–1952 |
| Dedication | none |
| Publisher | Gehrmans Musikförlag (1954)[1] |
| Duration | Approx. 17.5 minutes[2] |
| Movements | 3 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 30 November 1952 |
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Conductor | Sten Frykberg |
| Performers | Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra |
The Symphony No. 4, Op. 27, is a three-movement orchestral composition written from 1951 to 1952 by the Swedish composer Dag Wirén. Despite its numbering, the Fourth Symphony represents Wirén's third contribution to the form as a professional (the composer withdrew the Symphony No. 1, Op. 3—a 1932 experimental "study work" from his student years in Paris—and prohibited its performance),[3] arriving eight years after its predecessor, the Symphony No. 3. Swedish conductor Sten Frykberg premiered the new symphony with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm on 30 November 1952,[1] and critics would eventually praise it as "one of the best Swedish symphonies of the fifties".[4] At 17 minutes, the Fourth is the shortest, most concentrated of Wirén's four essays in the genre. Stylistically, it is austere and intellectual, recalling in particular the "desolate... Nordic tone" of late-period Sibelius.[5]
