The real subtitle of the Fifth Symphony (1940-41) was ‘Symphony of Resistance’ but as Norway was under German occupation at the time of its première (March 1941) Saeverud needed one less likely to get him interned. Like the Sixth – the Sinfonia dolorosa, the best known of his war triptych – Quasi una fantasia is in a single span but is on a rather larger scale. Formally, it is indeed unconventional, in many respects a hybrid between symphonic and variation form. Saeverud, generally at his finest in smaller forms, gave free and extended rein to his outrage to create an emotive, intermittently compelling work, maybe five minutes too long. Ole Kristian Ruud and his Stavanger orchestra give a spirited account of the work nonetheless which, captured by BIS’s marvellous sound, gives it a greater impact than previous accounts I have encountered.

Saeverud’s Oboe Concerto (1938) was the composition published immediately before the symphony but seems to come from an altogether different time. Once again, there is a fantasia-like avoidance of traditional structures, though the opening Allegro moderato’s Hindemithian overtones give the whole a decidedly neo-classical aura. The lovely central Adagio contains what Saeverud called ‘my loveliest melody’, inspired by his first meeting with his future wife, Marie, to whom the work is dedicated. Gordon Hunt is the ardent and sensitive soloist and the accompaniment is perfectly judged.

The two shorter works are much later but only one is a straightforward makeweight. Entrata Regale is one of several occasional pieces that Saeverud penned, this one for the opening of the 1960 Bergen Festival by King Olav V. It makes no pretence to profundity but is no simple orchestral fanfare, either. The Sonata Giubilata (1970), composed to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the establishment of Bergen, is more ambitious. Saeverud said the piece came into being because of the ‘urge to compose’ and the result is quite riveting.