Allan PETTERSSON (1911-1980)
Violin Concerto No. 2 (1977 rev. 1980) [53:28]
Symphony No.17 (fragment) (1980) [7:35]
Ulf Wallin (violin)
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/Christian Lindberg
rec. 2017/18, Louis de Geer Concert Hall, Norrköping, Sweden
BIS BIS-2290 SACD [61:06]
My introduction to the music of the Swedish composer and violist Allan Pettersson was in the form of CPO’s boxed set of the symphonies Nos. 2 to 16 (CPO 777 247-2). If this wasn’t full immersion, I don’t know what was - I listened to them one symphony after another and, with over twelve and a half hours of, at times, challenging music, probably it wasn’t the best way to do it. But I soon came to the conclusion that here was a modern master – the box set rapidly became a firm favourite and a regular on my CD player. Since then I have come to appreciate his music further, including Lindberg’s recording of the 1st Symphony (BIS-CD-1860), the one not included in the CPO box, and Isabelle van Keulen’s recording of the revised version of the Violin Concerto No.2 (CPO 777 199-2), the main work on this recording.
Unlike the First Violin Concerto, which is in reality a chamber work, scored for Violin and String Quartet, and which has received a fairly good recording by Ulf Hoelscher (CPO 999 169-2), this concerto is scored for the much larger forces of violin and orchestra. Indeed, the composer went as far as to describe the work as “a symphony with violin”. This fits in with Pettersson’s devotion to the symphonic idiom, one that dominated his compositions in the latter half of his career, this being only his fifth work since 1951 that was not a symphony – the others are the Concertos for String Orchestra Nos. 2 & 3, a Symphonic Movement and Vox Humana. Of non-symphonies, only the fragments of the Viola Concerto of 1979 followed, while in the meantime Pettersson composed all of his symphonies.
The Concerto was originally composed in 1977 between Pettersson’s Thirteenth and Fourteenth Symphonies, and at its heart is the melody from Herren går på ängen, one of the composers Barefoot Songs. The Concerto fits well with his symphonic oeuvre, its musical style being akin to that of the later symphonies. Indeed, the revision of the Concerto from 1980, the version that is recorded here, is generally regarded as his last completed work. The music is quite intense and yet beautiful in its sustained lyricism despite Lindbergh’s hard driven interpretation – the way the opening lilting solo violin over muted strings leads into main body of the first section is tremendous. The second section ramps up the intensity as the music becomes more driven and tense in its outlook, but it is also very detailed, with both the solo violin and orchestral rising well to the demands set by the composer. If you listen to the orchestral writing, you soon become aware of just how good Pettersson was as an orchestrater. In the final two sections the mood changes somewhat, with the music slowing down and becoming more lyrical in character. The third section is marked by some wonderful lilting solo writing pitted against the occasional semi-crescendo, with a rise in temperature and tempo in the orchestra as the song theme gradually becomes less disjointed and more prominent. The fourth section is quite lovely in the way that the thematic material reaches its maturity, with the melody coming through strongly in both the solo and ensemble passages. There is some nice writing for the woodwinds here, with a telling part for the bassoon and flute to play as this movement gently winds its way to its conclusion.
Ulf Wallin is excellent in this performance. A comparison with by Isabelle van Keulen for CPO reveals a greater sense here of Pettersson’s description of the work as “a symphony with violin”. Keulen with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Dausgaard give the concerto element of the work greater emphasis, with the violin placed a little further forward in the recording. Lindberg cleverly places Wallin just in front of the orchestra, giving a sense of a concertmaster rather than a soloist. This works well in this performance: Wallin clearly audible, but not so bright as to detract from relationship between the solo writing and the orchestra. Christian Lindberg’s choice of brighter and faster tempos also works well here. This more driven performance comes over as a clear winner over Keulen and Dausgaad in the revised version of the Concerto. I can not compare it with the recording of the original unedited version, as it is a long time since I have had a chance to listen to Ida Haendel’s recording.
The fragment of Symphony No. 17 is just that, having been put into a performing version by Markus Brylka and Christian Lindberg. What hits you most is the abrupt ending. These are the last 207 bars of music that Allen Pettersson composed and it deserves to be heard. There is a close relationship between these bars and the previous symphony. This, and Pettersson’s predilection for the symphonic style, suggests that this fragment was the start of a new symphony, and listening to the way he develops the music in these seven minutes of music, it is a shame he didn’t live long enough to compose more of it.
I have already commented on Ulf Wallin’s excellent performance but add to this that by the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and you get a wonderful and most welcome recording. Theirs is a performance and orchestral sound which is far superior to any of the orchestras employed by CPO for their survey of the symphonies. This is aided by the high production values of BIS, whose hybrid SACD recording brings out the best from this music, detailed and bright, but with a warmth that lets the music speak. The booklet notes by Per-Henning Olsson only add to the listener’s enjoyment – their expert discussion of the Concerto and the construction of the fragment into a performing version of the Symphony a real boon.
Stuart Sillitoe
Previous review: Rob Barnett
