Pettersson's Pavilion

[DieNacht]

It´s the final string song in particular. It´s not different from a lot of other elegiac string music then. But the faster sections become less stressful as well.
I too find the Francis recording usually too much, so you´d have to take my word for this, since you haven`t heard Dorati.

EDIT: Oops, I remembered the conductor name wrongly - it is Comissiona, not Dorati !

[Mirror Image]

It´s the final string song in particular. It´s not different from a lot of other elegiac string music then. But the faster sections become less stressful as well.
I too find the Francis recording usually too much, so you´d have to take my word for this, since you haven`t heard Dorati.

Perhaps but Pettersson is a composer I seldom listen to or have the desire to listen to on a more frequent basis. My own problem, not yours or anyone else's.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Twenty more minutes of torture? I wouldn't give it the time of day. No thanks. The 9th is certainly one of the most horrible pieces of music I've ever heard.

You put it strongly, but I'm afraid I agree. I found the Ninth impossible to get through and stopped after striving heroically for about twenty minutes. Fortunately there are other pieces by P. I can love.

[springrite]

I am beginning to wonder if I am a sadist...

[snyprrr]

I am beginning to wonder if I am a sadist...

Really! Yes,... I find the 9th to be full of "information", which is the word AGP used to describe all the notes. The 9th in particular, I thought, was the most "musical" noise indeed, frankly very transparent. Well, I do tend to listen to noisy music for the "information", or relationships, therein, and not to the assaulting quality of the tumult. I mean, one can always turn the volume down, and, with the 9th, you can pick it apart track-by-track, so....

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

I just had the 6th (CPO) in the car yesterday, stopped, and when I started the car back up, the cd player spit it out (the cd player's doing this A LOT ). Oh, well, 20mins. down the drain, haha. The 6th and 13th are the ones I have trouble with, if only for the single track length.

Anyhow, I thought Penderecki's 2nd was the perfect AGP Symphony!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I love the Sixth! A great journey.

[Mirror Image]

I love the Sixth! A great journey.

Yes, I agree Johan. It's most definitely one of Pettersson's stronger symphonies. That light/dark contrast really is what makes Pettersson's music work for me, otherwise, all I really hear is chromatic scale torture. Music needs relief and Pettersson understood this in his middle trilogy of symphonies. As far as I'm concerned, Pettersson only wrote three symphonies that are worth hearing. The rest are just aimless, shapeless masses of noise.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Yes, I agree Johan. It's most definitely one of Pettersson's stronger symphonies. That light/dark contrast really is what makes Pettersson's music work for me, otherwise, all I really hear is chromatic scale torture. Music needs relief and Pettersson understood this in his middle trilogy of symphonies. As far as I'm concerned, Pettersson only wrote three symphonies that are worth hearing. The rest are just aimless, shapeless masses of noise.

I love these three as well. Bus as No. 15 really spoke to me two years ago, I hold out the hope that a few other symphonies might 'open up' some day, too.

[Mirror Image]

I love these three as well. Bus as No. 15 really spoke to me two years ago, I hold out the hope that a few other symphonies might 'open up' some day, too.

The main problem I have with Pettersson is that there isn't enough "meat" in the music to hold my interest. Again, I go back to my viewpoint on the light/dark aspects of his middle trilogy and also the Violin Concerto No 2. These works contain redeeming qualities that make the music worth hearing IMHO.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I know exactly what you mean. That light-dark dichotomy is a structural principle that eases (y)our comprehension of the music's trajectory. But what if the other symphonies do things differently, but with as much validity and we approach them the wrong way? Of course, enjoyment is important. If you don't like the sound the music is making, strenuously working at understanding it is just no fun.

[Mirror Image]

I know exactly what you mean. That light-dark dichotomy is a structural principle that eases (y)our comprehension of the music's trajectory. But what if the other symphonies do things differently, but with as much validity and we approach them the wrong way? Of course, enjoyment is important. If you don't like the sound the music is making, strenuously working at understanding it is just no fun.

Johan, I like lyrical beauty in music and I simply haven't found it in Pettersson's later symphonies. Maybe I'm just not listening good enough? I really can't honestly say, but I just can't stomach, as I have mentioned before, the constant onslaught of chromatic scales that just seem to come out of nowhere with no rhyme or reason. It's music that baffles me because I'm trying hard to understand the musical language and hopefully get something out of it, but those later works are just too much for me to handle.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Johan, I like lyrical beauty in music and I simply haven't found it in Pettersson's later symphonies. Maybe I'm just not listening good enough? I really can't honestly say, but I just can't stomach, as I have mentioned before, the constant onslaught of chromatic scales that just seem to come out of nowhere with no rhyme or reason. It's music that baffles me because I'm trying hard to understand the musical language and hopefully get something out of it, but those later works are just too much for me to handle.

I always had the same problem with ALL of Pettersson's music, until I suddenly could appreciate those three middle symphonies, the string concertos and the Violin Concerto. And then No. 15 bowled me over. But yes - I have trouble liking much of Pettersson's music, too. It gets on my nerves.


But no-one is obliged to love anything (only Lear's daughters, perhaps), and that's a big relief!

[springrite]

The main problem I have with Pettersson is that there isn't enough "meat" in the music to hold my interest. Again, I go back to my viewpoint on the light/dark aspects of his middle trilogy and also the Violin Concerto No 2. These works contain redeeming qualities that make the music worth hearing IMHO.

"Light" and "Meat" are so overrated. 

[Mirror Image]

I always had the same problem with ALL of Pettersson's music, until I suddenly could appreciate those three middle symphonies, the string concertos and the Violin Concerto. And then No. 15 bowled me over. But yes - I have trouble liking much of Pettersson's music, too. It gets on my nerves.


But no-one is obliged to love anything (only Lear's daughters, perhaps), and that's a big relief!

I probably need to listen to the 15th again. I tried to listen to the 9th a couple of weeks ago and was annoyed. Such an aimless work. But, yes, I get what you're saying. There's plenty of music out there that I do enjoy thankfully.

[Mirror Image]

"Light" and "Meat" are so overrated. 

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

Twenty more minutes of torture? I wouldn't give it the time of day. No thanks. The 9th is certainly one of the most horrible pieces of music I've ever heard.

Hmm, well. To me, it's the only one I can listen to, after 6-8. And nice ending, btw. 10 is real torture, but short. 13 is long torture.

[Karl Henning]

"Light" and "Meat" are so overrated. 

You're a tofurkey drumstick man, aren't you? ; )

[Karl Henning]

OMG Pettersson's music is so great!

[The new erato]

OMG Pettersson's music is so great!

What prompted this discovery just now?

[Sergeant Rock]

What prompted this discovery just now?

It just might have something to do with today's date 

Sarge