Symphony No. 3 (Larsson)

The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 34, is a four-movement orchestral composition written from 1944 to 1945 by the Swedish composer Lars-Erik Larsson. The piece premiered in Stockholm on 10 February 1946 with Tor Mann conducting the Concert Society Orchestra. In response to unfavorable critical reviews, Larsson immediately withdrew the symphony after its premiere—a fate that, too, had earlier befallen his First (Op. 2, 1928) and Second (Op. 17, 1937) symphonies. (Reflecting, in a 1948 interview, on his penchant for self-criticism, Larsson explained that he was more talented at the smaller, less-structured forms and described his symphonies unsympathetically: "In [them] I have said nothing special. Other people have said much better ... [they] belong in my opinion to [my] process of development".)

Nevertheless, he repurposed the finale—with a new introduction—as the Concert Overture No. 3 (Konsertouverture Nr. 3). In 1973, however, the Swedish conductor Sten Frykberg successfully revived the Symphony No. 2, an event which convinced Larsson that he had been too harsh a critic of his symphonic works. As a result, Larsson permitted Frykberg and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra to perform the Third in August 1975 over Swedish Radio.