Hugo Alfven's music has always been close to the hearts of the Swedish people, and ranks among some of the most significant and representative of the spirit of the country. Alfven is known as a cheerful entertainer in compositions such as Den forlorade sonen ('The Prodigal Son'), but his symphonies reveal a different, more elegiac and often more dramatic side. The success of Alfven's symphonies fundamentally changed Sweden's musical climate and, with a substantial collection of further orchestral music representing his gloriously rich and varied style, these recordings sweep us into the remarkable world of Scandinavian landscape and culture.