Adolf Fredrik Lindblad

He was a well-respected friend of Felix Mendelssohn, and had a collaborative relationship with the famous Swedish soprano, Jenny Lind.

Born of an “unknown father” in the town of Skänninge on February 1, 1801, he spent most of his early life with his mother and foster-father in the Östergötland province.

At the age of fifteen, he gained recognition for composing a flute concerto that was performed in the nearby city of Norrköping in 1816.

[2] After achieving his first compositional success, Lindblad was sent by his foster-father to work in a shipping office in Hamburg to learn a trade, at the age of seventeen, but he stayed only a year.

Apart from opening a piano school, which he ran until 1861, Lindblad was contracted to become the Swedish Royal family's music instructor.

For instance, Lindblad brought Jenny Lind to meet the famous opera composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer, while she was studying voice in Paris, precipitating her rise in popularity in Germany and Britain.

Lindblad also appears to have been influenced by composers of Viennese Classicism such as Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Haydn.

Lindblad's style as a result sounds very late Classical to early Romantic, which is particularly apparent in his Symphony No.

In the final movement, Lindblad explores various styles, opening with a fugue and abruptly changing to a lyrical melody played by flutes.

The second movement brings a dance-like quality that could have been influenced by Haydn's “walking” themes with a hint of Romanticism.

2, Lindblad expresses an appreciation for Mozart by quoting Cherubino's aria from Le nozze di Figaro.

Performing Swedish lieder in a manner that sounds true to the style demands a certain amount of attention to the nuances of the language and the interpretation.