Lars-Erik Larsson

Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 190827 December 1986) was a Swedish composer, conductor, radio producer, and educator. He wrote three of the most popular works (each a suite) in Swedish art music: A Winter’s Tale (; 1937–1938), the Pastoral Suite (; 1938), and God in Disguise (; 1940). Other notable works by Larsson include three symphonies, a sinfonietta, and numerous concertante works. Biography Larsson was born in Åkarp in 1908, the son of a factory worker and a nurse. He studied with Ernst Ellberg at the Stockholm Conservatory (1925–1929) and with Alban Berg and Fritz Reuter in Vienna and Leipzig (1929–1930), then worked for Swedish Radio and taught at the Stockholm Conservatory (1947–1959) and Uppsala University, where he held the position as Director musices (1961–1966). One of his pupils was composer Hans Eklund. His style as a composer is eclectic, ranging from the late Romantic to techniques derived from Arnold Schoenberg’s twelve-note system, but original in method. He was the first Swede to write serial music (1932). Yet other works of that period are post-Sibelian or neo-classical, and his output generally is characterized by variety of style. He wrote for the theatre,