Kurt ATTERBERG (1887-1974)
Piano Concerto, Op. 37 (1927-35) [34.12]
Violin Concerto, Op. 7 (1913-14) [37.06]
Don Franklin Smith (piano); Christian Bergkvist (violin); Gävle Symphony Orchestra; B. Tommy Andersson (conductor). DDD
Notes included.
rec. Gävle Concert Hall, Sweden 25-27 May 1999 (piano); 10-12 June 1999 (violin)
STERLING CDS1034-2 [71.28]
Kurt Atterberg is best remembered today for his symphonies,
and to a lesser extent, for his orchestral suites. But he also wrote five
concertos, for cello, horn, and a double concerto for violin and cello, besides
the two on this disc. The concertos contain the same pictorial Romanticism
found in the symphonies but the addition of a solo instrument, at least in
these two concertos, serves to provide a focus sometimes lacking in certain
of the composer's other works.
Although only Atterberg’s Op. 7, the Violin Concerto was written when
Atterberg was already prominent on the Swedish musical scene, having been
successful with his Symphony No.1 and the first version of the Symphony No.
2. The work opens with a very decisive, almost incisive, main theme, yielding
to a more pastoral and lyrical second one, the latter beautifully elaborated
in the course of the movement. The music alternates between pastoral and dramatic
sections and the orchestration is very effective, especially in the use of
the woodwinds. The highpoint is the return of the second theme after the soloist’s
cadenza followed by a coda combining both themes. The slow movement reminds
one of folksong, being tuneful and somewhat modal, but still on a pretty large
scale and with moments of austerity before an impassioned coda. The rondo
third movement continues the forward thrust of the whole concerto and shows
Atterberg’s skill with the rondo form both in terms of thematic combination
and shifts in tonality. Especially notable is a lyrical passage towards the
end of the movement with the solo horn summing up the whole concerto before
the music dies away.
By the time he came to write his Piano Concerto Atterberg’s mature style
was fully developed, especially the pentatonic elements that figure strongly
in the concerto. The work has been compared to the Brahms Piano Concerto No.
2 in that the piano is more a member of the orchestra than a soloist, although
it attains a more primary position as the work progresses and the piano part
is always strenuous if not exhausting. The work actually begins with a motif
on the piano before the soloist embroiders the beautiful and powerful main
theme. Several motifs follow, including a slow theme that is a highlight of
the whole concerto and the various motifs are developed with great skill and
with some of Atterberg’s most beautiful orchestration. The slow movement
is singular in that its opening may remind listeners of the early Atterberg,
as exemplified by the Violin Concerto, but the beautiful middle section has
elements of the polytonality already mentioned. The movement ends softly and
we are immediately in the rondo, appropriately marked Furioso. Like
the last movement of the Violin Concerto this movement is a rondo, but shows
greater skill in its construction and in its contrast of material. It is also
a preeminent example of the composer’s rhythmic abilities. The brass,
as well as the bassoons, is especially prominent in this movement, and one
is left both exhilarated and impressed by this powerful music.
These recordings are easily comparable to their contemporaneous matches on
the cpo label (see reviews by Kevin
Sutton and Rob
Barnett for Violin Concerto; see
link for Piano Concerto). Indeed the sound quality is somewhat warmer
than in the cpo versions and Christian Bergqvist’s performance
of the Violin Concerto is more impassioned than that of Ulf Wallin. The recordings
of Dan Franklin Smith and Love Derwinger in the Piano Concerto are about equal.
Wonderful music in excellent performances and a perfect introduction to Atterberg’s
works.
William Kreindler
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