The Symphonies of Allan Pettersson

[eschiss1]

I need to completely digitize the one such broadcast I have (Segerstam/Norrkoping) I have - for various "contingent" reasons it cuts off a minute or so before the end of the piece, though the tape the CD was made from is complete... so have to go back and do that over again. Excellent performance. If you have what's probably the same though, go right ahead (somewhere or other I have what year and other information for that broadcast. Sigh.)

[Alan Howe]

Apparently the BBC Scottish Symphony did perform symphony 7 in the studio recently, and will be broadcasting it in 2 days. See Afternoon on 3 for September 19 2011

I heard this in the car this afternoon. It took me a few minutes to realise what I was listening to, but soon twigged. I was by turns fascinated and turned off by the piece, the prevailing gloom being the problem for me. Still, I think I'll invest in a cheap copy from somewhere for further listening.

[eschiss1]

Naxos was going at one point to get Petter Sundqvist (and a Swedish orchestra) to record the 7th and (just) the Mesto middle movement from Pettersson's big 3rd concerto for strings as (probably) a nicely-filled single CD, and more if interest developed, but I think the reason they did not at the time may have been a policy, since dropped, of non-competition with cpo... I wonder about now?... for all I know- and I don't, I am guessing- the recordings could be in the can...  I like the idea, having heard some other recordings (I think they were going to use the same orchestra as for the - admittedly mostly very different- but not, I maintain singularly, entirely so) 2nd symphony and Excelsior of Stenhammar...

[Amphissa]

I've added a broadcast performance of Pettersson's 7th to the Swedish collection in downloads. This is a very good performance from last week in excellent audio.

[Dundonnell]

Just been listening to the new BIS cd of Pettersson's 1st symphony(as reconstructed by Christian Lindberg) and 2nd symphony.

I wondered if there was a Pettersson thread here. Having read Sicmu's splendid post I am conscious that I can add very little to what he has said.

There is indeed so much in Pettersson's symphonies which is incredibly powerful but equally there is no denying that this is difficult music which requires a massive amount of concentration and effort on the part of the listener. Unless one is prepared to immerse oneself totally in the music a 40 minute piece can seem like three hours

The problem I find is that such total immersion leaves me almost completely drained and that sensation is not the catharsis I experience with a Bruckner symphony. With Bruckner I feel elevated towards some spiritual plane. With Pettersson I feel nothing but pain and despair. The almost unremitting bleakness of Pettersson's vision is undeniably impressive. There is a grandeur which on the one hand is magnificently impressive but on the other makes me wonder why on earth I am depressing myself listening to the music.

That inescapable paradox is a large part of the fascination with a composer whose apparent popularity on disc is unlikely ever to be matched in the concert hall.

[semloh]

Sicmu's excellent summary is very helpful. 

I can't claim to be familiar with all Pettersson's symphonies, and they are rather bleak and cold, but they are obviously the work of a great symphonist. The 13th is the one I listen to most often - pure genius.

[Dundonnell]

After writing my post above last night I watched the bonus dvd which comes with the BIS recording of the first and second symphonies. The documentary contained on the dvd recounts the efforts of a number of people, including Christian Lindberg himself of course, to get the first symphony into a playable condition and of the initial reluctance of Pettersson's widow to permit performance.

Interestingly though, towards the end of the documentary-which spends a lot of time recounting Pettersson's early life and personal troubles-a bright and personable young musicologist from Uppsala University says that perhaps it is time to forget all about that back-story and concentrate instead just on the music

[semloh]

...a bright and personable young musicologist from Uppsala University says that perhaps it is time to forget all about that back-story and concentrate instead just on the music

It's tempting to say "Well, duh!"    But, of course, one can't turn memory on and off, so one simply can't "forget" that background and, while it my be reasonable to say "concentrate ...on the music", I think knowing the background might help.