Atterberg from Järvi/Chandos

[Alan Howe]

Wow!
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Kurt-Atterberg-1887-1974-Orchesterwerke-Vol-1/hnum/3254720

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Wow indeed! The man is astonishingly indefatigable, and once again all us suckers for UCs will be grateful.

However - and I won't mind being called a grumpy curmudgeon! - I do have a twinge of disappointment. I note (with, yes, some degree of unstoppable glee I confess) the disc is referred to as 'Volume 1'. So I suppose there is a scheme afoot for Jarvi to record all the symphonies? The glee diminishes a little when I guess the series will be built around the symphonies and the considerable amount of other orchestral music will take second place. The symphonies have been very well recorded - by Ari Rasilainen on CPO among many others - and I'm not sure whether I want to duplicate them however 'top-notch' Jarvi turns out to be.

Rung two of my disappointment: I can well remember (about 20 years ago I think) my excitement when I read that a contract had been drawn up between Jarvi, the Gothenberg Orchestra, and DG to record the complete symphonies of Hilding Rosenberg. Sadly that contract gathered dust and I doubt will ever be realised (such are the ways of the record industry). Now a largely unrecorded Rosenberg would have provided (for me at least) a far more resounding 'Wow' than a very well recorded Atterberg. In recent weeks I have revisited the Rosenberg quartets (12 in number and shared between the Kyndel, Gotland, Copenhagen, Fresk, Berwald, Tale and Lysell Quartets in a very chunky boxed set from Caprice). Those quartets are enormously satisfying and make me yearn for more of the symphonies than the few odd ones recorded.

Come on Jarvi! I note Kristan Jarvi recorded Rosenberg's fairy tale opera 'The Isle of Bliss' (and wonderful it is) so I suppose a devotion to Rosenberg at least runs in the family!

And if eyebrows get raised at this pleading for Rosenberg, I counter by pointing out that, give or take just a couple of years, Atterberg and Rosenberg were exact Swedish contemporaries. It is really only the latter to whom we can attribute the 'unsung' status. And, besides, to conclude with a real sneaky point, I rather doubt if either can be called a 'Romantic' composer. But I won't press that one for I'm an enthusiastic liberal over the boundaries of that category!

[Alan Howe]

No, Rosenberg's beyond our remit, I'm afraid. As for me, I'm always glad to have more Atterberg. Maybe Järvi will trump Rasilainen - who knows? One thing's for sure, though: a lot more people will come to know Atterberg through Järvi's - and Chandos' - efforts.

[TerraEpon]

Figured they'd start with No. 6, which easily has the most recordings already. Though I like the piece, and it's worth recording again, it's just one of those cases where the lesser piece got notice because of extra-musical circumstances (it winning a competition? and Stokowski recording it)
Yes the CPO set is great, but perhaps as was talked about with Raff, this may help give him a bit more notice?

[Peter1953]

There goes Chandos again. First Rufinatscha, then Raff and now Atterberg. OK, another conductor, no one less than Järvi Senior, and perhaps even a better total performance, but... Well, I don't collect duplicates. The reason for this is my personal question: how many times a year do I listen to these symphonies? Atterberg? Perhaps once a year. Not enough to buy duplicates. I'm not retired yet (and considering my health circumstances, I hope I ever will). But I second Alan's opinion that more people will get to know Atterberg (and Raff and hopefully Rufinatscha) thanks to Järvi and Chandos.

[Alan Howe]

I collect duplicates if the new version is ostensibly superior to the old; I also like to compare performances and hope to gain a better appreciation of the music that way. If my policy were always to avoid duplicates, I would be stuck with some pretty mediocre CDs and very possibly a skewed or partial view of the music involved.

[mbhaub]

I collect duplicates like a madman of music I really love. So count me in on this one: the Atterberg 6th is one of my favorite works of all time. And finally in SACD. The 6th to beat is the BIS recording. I hope the commitment is there and the entire cycle is recorded. And then Maestro Jarvi: get back to M. Steinberg and record the 3rd & 4th. Then Rosenberg. And the Gliere 3rd. And keep your health up to do it all.

[tc]

Much as I look forward to the cycle, the prospect is however highly dubious given Jarvi's advanced age yet having 2 huge cycles on hand (Raff & Atterberg), and the recording industry's typical slow progress. There are plenty of incomplete and dead cycles, e.g. Jarvi's Steinberg on DG, Abbado's Bruckner on DG (not that it will be missed), Klenau on DaCapo, Dopper on Chandos. Some cycles take nearly or over a decade in making, e.g. Dausgaard's Langgaard and Hamerik on DaCapo, and Letonja's Weingartner on CPO. At some point one just can't help wondering if they would ever be completed. The combination of Raff and Atterberg cycles, even if only symphonies are included, is about 13 hours' music and may take 11 CD's. I wouldn't work my hope up. 

[FBerwald]

One of my biggest disappointments is that Järvi never got round to complete the Maximilian Steinberg cycle. 

[Alan Howe]

My view is simple: we should be grateful for anything we get. Something is surely better than nothing, especially with a conductor of Järvi's quality.

[FBerwald]

Quite right. Järvi's take on unsung composers have been quite successful.

[Alan Howe]

Something else we should remember: there is no obligation on the part of Järvi (or Chandos) to bring out a complete cycle of Atterberg's (or Raff's, or anyone else's) symphonies. In fact, as far as I know, we should not be expecting Järvi to do anything of the kind. As far as Raff is concerned, all that has been announced is a "series of orchestral works", so I think all the talk about complete cycles is wildly premature. As I said before, let's be thankful for anything we get.   

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Quite so. It always irritates me a little when people say a company or a conductor 'ought' to record or conduct such and such, or even that they have a 'duty' to do so. Always nice, of course, for those who have a wish when that wish is met - but no moral let alone legal obligation is placed on anyone if others happen to have a particular wish! It is an obvious and remarkably mundane claim, but record companies, unlike hospitals or schools, aren't there to meet a public need, but to sell records and make a wee profit so they can make yet more records.

And again I sometimes think collectors make far too much of 'whole cycles'. Ever since I first succumbed to the compulsive need to feather my nest with records I never quite saw the point of, e.g. complete Beethoven cycles with the same conductor, or string quartet, or pianist or whatever. Many will disagree, I know, but I've never thought there is any real merit in having a little row of near identical discs on the shelves or a boxed set with the same name on it. Unless of course that name has a particular affinity with a composer and can bring something quite 'special' to the music. Thus for example (and way beyond the boundaries of the forum) the Borodin Quartet's readings of the Shostakovich quartets, or (and not quite in the same league) Serebrier conducting the Glazunov symphonies. Apart from 'special' cases such as these, it is always more satisfying to seek out especially rewarding accounts of individual works.

However having said that, how I wish Jarvi would turn his attention to Steinberg 3 and 4. Not so that we could then have a complete set by Jarvi of these symphonies, but simply because his Steinberg 1 and 2 are so compelling that this gives good grounds for thinking his treatment of 3 and 4 would share the same quality. (Although that's a slightly irresponsible comment since I don't know the latter two symphonies and hence am only guessing. And if Jarvi doesn't have any particular wish to conduct them then, quite simply, so be it.)

[Alan Howe]

The sheer cheek of some people (not on this forum, thank goodness) in expecting companies to fulfil their pet wishes and then upbraiding them for failing to to do so is quite breathtaking.

[britishcomposer]

It was an announcer from Swedish radio who told the listeners last year that Järvi was going to embark on a complete cycle of Atterberg's symphonies.