Eggert: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3

Born on the island of Rügen off Germany’s Baltic coast, Joachim Nikolas Eggert arrived in Sweden in 1803, soon establishing himself as a progressive conductor and introducing Beethoven to Stockholm audiences. Welcomed overwhelmingly on its première, Eggert’s largescale First Symphony hints at Mozart and Haydn but foreshadows Mendelssohn in its wind textures and rich harmonies. The Third Symphony is kaleidoscopic in its moments of light and shade and unusual in its gigantic fugal finale. First of a two-volume set, these two symphonies alone demonstrate that Eggert should be considered one of the more important composers of his era.