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30 Days of Classical, Day 17: Treasures of Swedish music from an orthopedic surgeon

30 Days of Classical, Day 17
Franz Berwald
Franz Berwald: orthopedic surgeon and Swedish composer
Wiki Commons

Set among the concrete paving stones in the city of Berlin, there is a metal plate honoring a successful orthopedic surgeon and the institute he founded.

As honored as that surgeon would be if he could see that plate, I'm pretty sure that Franz Berwald would have preferred to be celebrated for his chosen profession: composer.

He was in Berlin precisely because the Swedish audiences were lukewarm to him at best, and he had to make a living as best he could.

After six years in Germany, Franz Berwald returned to Stockholm and led a stop-and-go (mostly stop) life in the world of music from then on. Since then, his 4 symphonies have become treasures of Swedish music.

MUSIC: Berwald: Symphony No. 4 DG 415502

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