Pettersson's Pavilion

[vandermolen]

Have just listened to it right through (Von Keulen, Dausgaard). I am always in tears at the end (and I do not often cry at music...only when John Terry missed that penalty )

Jeffrey 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Have just listened to it right through (Von Keulen, Dausgaard). I am always in tears at the end (and I do not often cry at music...only when John Terry missed that penalty )

Jeffrey 

Yes, those are the experiences that reach the core of our being... 

[greg]

I do not know of a more overwhelmingly moving piece of music than the end of Pettersson's Violin Concerto No 2. I think that it is one of the greatest 20th Century violin concertos, possibly the greatest ,and I do not say this lightly.

I think this is the same thing Xantus said, if i remember correctly....

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

Just realized there's a recent VC2 performance on CPO:



Anyone having this? EDIT: Ah, Vandermolen has it

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

http://rapidshare.com/files/118224928/Pettersson_-_Symphony_No._6__Okko_Kamu_-_vinyl_rip_.mp3

Ah I see it's the 52:52 one which is floating around for some while now. Has been on Operashare even lossless.

I like the performance, good tempi, good mood overall. The sound goes pretty well with this symphony. But still I like the cleaner CPO more, it has more details. In the Kamu recording the snares often do not appear as expected.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Ah I see it's the 52:52 one which is floating around for some while now. Has been on Operashare even lossless.

I like the performance, good tempi, good mood overall. The sound goes pretty well with this symphony. But still I like the cleaner CPO more, it has more details. In the Kamu recording the snares often do not appear as expected.

I have it lossless (FLAC), but I couldn't be certain everyone can play those kind of files, so I converted it. I have the CPO, too. I should give it a listen now, just to compare. But first that VC...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I have listened to Pettersson's Second Violin Concerto. I think the inherent soulfulness of the violin makes this work the most approachable of his works I have heard so far. Apart from that, it's simply very inspired. The violin starts singing and doesn't stop. That singing is like a lamp that lights the way in the darkness the music sometimes has to pass through. I agree with vandermolen about the ending - sublimely expressive. Yes, I think this is a great work, too.

[Hector]

Of course, I have as yet listened to only a few of the symphonies;  but I should not characterize what I have heard as "depressing," either.

Likewise. Tormented, perhaps.

I find that he always allows a chink of light in at the end and it is this element within his symphonies that adds to his interst as a composer.

If he was that depressed or depressing, he was in a lot of physical pain, he would have taken the cliched Swedish way out and committed suicide. He did not, which suggests to me that he retained  'hope,' which I hear in the symphonies.

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

If he was that depressed or depressing, he was in a lot of physical pain, he would have taken the cliched Swedish way out and committed suicide. He did not, which suggests to me that he retained  'hope,' which I hear in the symphonies.

But which I find is misplaced after the huge lament in the very end of Sym#9.

[Sef]

But which I find is misplaced after the huge lament in the very end of Sym#9.

OK - So now I need to listen to 9! I have 6-8 (ripped my own 6 from a recently bought second hand LP). VC2 can be found at Naperville public library if you're in the area - thank you NPL for getting that for me! I'm not utterly convinced about the "depressiveness" of 6-8 that others seem so sure about. Yes, I can understand that if you are in that kind of mood then it can take you right to the bottom, and I dare say that "uplifting" is an adjective I wouldn't care to use, but throughout these pieces I see turmoil being resolved into calm. Depending on the mood I can interpret that as acceptance of death, calm after the storm, hope even. Because of that I can listen to Pettersson quite often. Maybe not every day though!

[greg]

I have another comparison- maybe Pettersson could be considered Bruckner's Gothic counterpart? 

I'm not utterly convinced about the "depressiveness" of 6-8 that others seem so sure about.

I might've made it sound that way myself, but i don't think it's quite that simple. I think it's more of a struggle, just straight-out depressing would be something like Rachmaninov, or the end of Tchaikovsky's 6th, music i like but doesn't move me as much as many others.
In fact, I wouldn't even call Mahler depressing, because that'd also be oversimplifying..... it's more like, as I said, ecstatic and depressing in the same breath.


I can't really get into the 6th, maybe eventually..... listened twice, it feels like it just floats about everywhere. But I can't stop listening to the 8th. Sure, it's not perfect and much of it feels awkward or too simple, but it has enough for me to go back again and again.

The two note melody..... and especially the chord progression that occurs repeatedly (see 20'-21' of the 2nd movement)- it's something that is "deep" and "exotic" at the same time. And I do have an imagery of this- for me, it's like 1) dreaming that I'm in Japan or 2) watching anime late at night.

It's Bbm (with a major 7 added) to F major (with a major 7 added, resolved to F major). I hear what is nearly the same progression in Brahms' Paganini Variations, which has like an Amajor-Am-E major (maj7)- E maj type thing going on in some of the variations of Book 1. That one also has given be very specific imagery- walking down at night down the streets of an old neighborhood.

[vandermolen]

I find that he always allows a chink of light in at the end and it is this element within his symphonies that adds to his interst as a composer.

This is very true, although at the end of VC No 2 it is, for once, something more I think.

I have to listen to Symphony 9 too! I have the CPO CD but never properly listened to it.

[MDL]

I played the CPO recording of the 6th Symphony recently. I made it through to the end, which didn't happen the last few times I tried it, and was actually quite impressed. But I do think that Pettersson worried and niggled at some ideas for too long and I was occasionally exasperated by the work: "Yes, I've got the idea, now move on and do something new!" I've never felt that while listening to the 7th, which I rank as one of the most compelling symphonies of the last century. I might give the 9th and 14th another whirl soon.

[vandermolen]

The violin starts singing and doesn't stop. That singing is like a lamp that lights the way in the darkness the music sometimes has to pass through.

Oh yes, totally agree.

[Pettsson]

I have a recording of the 6th with Lothar Zagrozek from November 1994 in cologne. The german radiostation WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) recorded many of the Concerts given at the german Pettersson Festival in 1994/95 but on the radio since then i never heard these recordings again.
This recording of the 6th is a very good performance wich is in my opinion one of Petterssons "best" pieces.
I hope someday the WDR will make all the recordings available for the public.
At that time the WDR recorded also the following concerts: 2nd Violin Concerto with Isabelle van Keulen (a very bad performance, not the same as the CPO recording from the later years), the 7th Symphony with Othma M.F. Maga, the 12th Symphony with Ingo Metzmacher (not a good performance and sung in german), the 9th Symphony with Peter Guelke (more than 90 Minutes, very slow), the 16th Symphony and the 2nd Symphony wich i didn´t recorded but it was a very good performance.
In 2011 on the birthday of Allan Pettersson i hope to finish a performance of the available parts of the first Symphony wich has never been recorded since now. I have the partition of that work and i am working with Vienna Library (http://vsl.co.at/) on it. Does anyone here also have this software? You can hear my own compositions wich i made with it on http://www.opus100.de (since 2008)
For a first version of the first Symphony it would be fine to find other enthusiasts who are working with Vienna Library. Does anybody do so?


Good to be here again,

Markus Brylka
http://www.opus100.de
http://www.zann-music.com
http://www.iapg.de (International Allan Pettersson Society)

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

I'm no musician, can't help you here. Is this a huge library for use in hosts like maybe Sibelius? Anyway, just wanted to express someone's watching this thread. I'm still not through with all symphonies, for me it's basically all about 6-9. Listened (completely) to 10,11 and 13 as well, but hey, it's difficult stuff.

How much (~minutes?) of sym. no. 1 has survived?

[Pettsson]

The partition of Symphony No. 1 seems to be complete. 136 pages handwriting. Pettersson himself said, that someday this Symphony could be performed but he didn´t write it "clean" so the material is only the original manuskript of the process of composition and a few clearer pages.

You are right, difficult stuff hehe. It takes some time to get an overview to all his music.

[Sef]

Pettersson fest today (WFH!). 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 in one sitting. Don't have 9 yet but would dearly love it. I would say that 6 has my favour right now, but that can change like the wind.

Did you know that Pettersson's 7th was performed at the Konserthuset Stockholm back in April by conductor Alan Gilbert (of soon to be NYP fame)? Perhaps he may be in the mood for a repeat performance during the 2011 centennial? I know he has guest conducted the CSO, but I would certainly travel to NY to see that!

[Dundonnell]

Pettersson fest today (WFH!). 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 in one sitting. Don't have 9 yet but would dearly love it. I would say that 6 has my favour right now, but that can change like the wind.

Did you know that Pettersson's 7th was performed at the Konserthuset Stockholm back in April by conductor Alan Gilbert (of soon to be NYP fame)? Perhaps he may be in the mood for a repeat performance during the 2011 centennial? I know he has guest conducted the CSO, but I would certainly travel to NY to see that!

Good grief! You are braver than me Six Pettersson symphonies back to back would be far too much He is a composer I can take in single doses only

[Sef]

Good grief! You are braver than me Six Pettersson symphonies back to back would be far too much He is a composer I can take in single doses only

Ho Ho (Yes I can still laugh) - maybe you become immune to it after a while. I followed up with a dose of "The Swan of Tuonela" just to cap it all off, and lighten the mood!