Tre Ballader (“En ballad om Lameks söner,” “En ballad om narren och döden,” “En ballad om god sömm”)

January 31, 1942: Stockholm, Concert Hall

Stockholm Radio Orchestra, cond. Sixten Ehrling

Bluebell ABCD 050

Björling was not one of those rare vocal actors who can assume a specific physiognomy for every score they sing, but his voice was an exceptionally fl exible instrument and when challenged—as in these three ballads, composed in 1938-41—he could vary its coloration to a considerable degree, delivering the texts by Frans G. Bengtsson (still living at the time of the songs' composition) with uncommon vividness. The 1942 radio broadcast (no audience was present) was the world premiere of these quirky ballads. Rangström had been familiar with the tenor's voice for over a decade, having formerly worked for the press department of the Royal Swedish Opera, where Björling had made a strong impression as Mats in the Strindbergian opera Kronbruden, performed on the composer's fiftieth birthday in November 1934.

Rangström presented the singer with some freshly-cooked lobsters after this broadcast performance, and while listening to the recording we can well understand his delight. Yet the first of the ballads in particular—a tongue-in-cheek tale of Lamech's three sons, inspired by the Book of Genesis —is very different in style from most of the music the tenor sang, being an example of Rangström's experimental “speech-melody,” in which the highly characterful vocal line seems to spring directly from the words themselves.