Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 7

1. Symphony No. 7
Composed by Gustaf Allan Pettersson
Performed by Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Gerd Albrecht

Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 7,Gustaf Allan Pettersson,Gerd Albrecht,Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra,Cpo Records,20th/21st Century Symphony,Classical,Classical Composers,Orchestral & Symphonic,Symphonic

Average customer rating: Excellent recording of 2 very intense sym's The still, small voice Unbelievable The BEST performance on record of this REMARKABLE symphony! The recommended recording of the most remarkable work

Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 11 Manufacturer: Bis ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 6 Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 9 Busoni: Piano Concerto Music Of Silvestre Revueltas Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 16 ASIN: B0000016IY Release Date: 1994-10-12

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 7
2. Symphony No. 11

Amazon.com

Allan Pettersson (1911-1980) is one of the main influences in the music of Leif Segerstam, so it makes perfect sense for Segerstam to conduct Petterrson's symphonies. Pettersson was able, in his early symphonies, to maintain at once a sense of thematic drive as well as a dark presentiment of atonal forces. Tricky, but both Pettersson and Segerstam--in his own symphonies--pull it off. The Symphony 7 (1968) contains rough moods, dark clouds, with brightness (on the flute and woodwinds) peeking in here and there throughout. The Symphony 11 (of 1974) is full of polyphonic shifts and syncopations that sweep the listener along. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Excellent recording of 2 very intense sym's.......2006-01-10

Great to read comments from Mark, Dan, Daniel, Drew about this least known of the great 20 th century composers. Along with Schnittke, Pettersson, these 2 composers represent the last of the long line of great symphonists starting with Mozart. Its been 20 yrs since P's passing and 15 since Schnittke's passing and yet these master composers have yet to be discovered by even the professional orch members and musical school staff. . This recognition process is slow but its destined u8nfolding is to come.
Regardless of this neglect of P on the world's stage, we devoted fans of this remarkable man have his music in splendid recorded form on the BIS label (almost all) and complete on the CPO label, most of which are excellent as well. Refer to my other reviews.

EDIT: April 17, 2007...upon further lisenting to the 7th, Segerstam, as the booklet notes make mention, seems to miss the "durge, emotive elemenst", his orchestra is just not up to the task of revealing Pettersson's dark, brooding melodic lines. Like Segerstam with his Sibelius cycle, Danish Radio, the orch is not organic enough, the connective tissue is not strongly felt. The CPO release with Albrecht/Hamburg is the finest 7th on record. The CPO is "the definitive 7th". Considering I've heard all 4 recorded performances.
Segerstan's 8th is very good, the 10th I prefer the CPO over the Segerstam/BIS

The still, small voice.......2001-12-29

Pettersson's Seventh symphony is an enormously moving and cathartic work. I am tempted to call it a masterpiece, but that word is so overused nowadays that it is all but meaningless. Certainly it is a work of the very highest artistic quality, and as good a symphony as any Shostakovich ever wrote. At about 35 minutes into the recording, a long and beautiful quiet passage begins in the strings. Almost inaudible in spots, it is like the still, small voice of God speaking to humanity through an obscure and rejected vessel. And truthfully, from his written statements, P. considered himself to be more of a prophet than a composer. He conceived his mission as being a spokesperson through his music on behalf of the outcasts of society with whom he identified. Whether or not he really succeeded in this endeavor, we cannot say. But we are truly indebted to him for the legacy of his music, which speaks with such brutal honesty to those who "have ears to hear".

While there are a number of recordings of this work available, I bought this particular one based on reviewer Mark Shanks' recommendation. I was not at all disappointed with this recording. As usual, the BIS engineers do a superlative job. It's too bad, however, that this recording is not indexed into tracks at the various "turning points" in the score, as has been done on Alun Francis' recording of the Ninth on the cpo label. This would have allowed one to revisit places in the recording much more easily. But that is my only complaint.

The Eleventh symphony is an added bonus to this disc. Clocking in at only a little more than 20 minutes, it is perhaps the shortest of P's symphonies. It possesses a multi-faceted canonical structure. Beginning in a very mild-mannered way, beautifully lyrical and atonal, rather atmospheric and ethereal, slowly the work grows more menacing and uncontrolled, without losing its ethereal nature, until it eventually takes on sinister proportions, then slowly subsides.

Unbelievable.......2001-08-11

If you own only one recording, this should be the one. Pettersson's seventh symphony is a haunting work that you just can't shake. Under the handiwork of Leif Segerstam, the music breathes life and becomes a creature unto its own which, as all living things do, perishes at the end. The only viable complaint that one can make about this recording is that each symphony is only one track long. This makes it difficult to get to the third movement of the seventh which is by far the greatest dark movement written in the second half of the twentieth century.

The BEST performance on record of this REMARKABLE symphony!.......2000-06-07

The reclusive, crippled Swedish composer Allan Pettersson once wrote, "When will the angel come and restore the song sung by the soul, so simple and pure, that a child will stop its weeping?" With this remarkable work, I believe he achieved his aim.

Certainly the most well-known and most frequently performed of all of his symphonies, Pettersson's Seventh was dedicated to Antal Dorati, whose recording of it brought the world's attention to the reclusive composer. If the Sixth is a dark and desperate cry ending in resignation, the Seventh is the "song sung by the soul" that Pettersson sought so yearningly to reveal.

The symphony's origins are not clear. The work was premiered on October 13, 1968 in a concert for the Music for Youth series founded by Antal Dorati in cooperation with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Pettersson, in very poor health, was called to the podium with standing ovations four times after the work's conclusion. It was the last time he was able to personally attend a premiere of one of his symphonies. Some hear it as a "reconsideration" of the bleakness of the Sixth; others have compared its structure to the arch formed by the profile of a mountain range. Many members of the audience at the premier were in tears at the close of this remarkable work. Once again, Pettersson uses a roughly 40-minute single movement. Unlike earlier symphonies, this one is not as clearly divided into sections, but uses recurring themes throughout.

Leif Segerstam's recording with the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra on BIS (CD-580) is the longest one at 46:17. Frankly, I prefer the kind of "punch" Segerstam uses to emphasize the lines, and the intensity of emotion is never in question. The sound is easily the best of the four (it was recorded April 29-39, 1992 in the Linkoping Concert Hall), and it comes coupled with the Eleventh Symphony (an irresistible 7-11!). Some (Paul Rapoport) find the brass overpowering in places, and some passages may be taken too slowly to sustain the music's power. But this is my kind of performance - intense, fervently wrought, and unforgettably affecting. Do not hesitate.

The recommended recording of the most remarkable work.......1998-10-03

The reclusive, crippled Swedish composer Allan Pettersson once wrote, "When will the angel come and restore the song sung by the soul, so simple and pure, that a child will stop its weeping?" With this remarkable work, I believe he achieved his aim.

Certainly the most well-known and most frequently performed of all of his symphonies, Pettersson's Seventh was dedicated to Antal Dorati, whose recording of it brought the world's attention to the reclusive composer. If the Sixth is a dark and desperate cry ending in resignation, the Seventh is the "song sung by the soul" that Pettersson sought so yearningly to reveal.

The symphony's origins are not clear. The work was premiered on October 13, 1968 in a concert for the Music for Youth series founded by Antal Dorati in cooperation with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Pettersson, in very poor health, was called to the podium with standing ovations four times after the work's conclusion. It was the last time he was able to personally attend a premiere of one of his symphonies. Some hear it as a "reconsideration" of the bleakness of the Sixth; others have compared its structure to the arch formed by the profile of a mountain range. Many members of the audience at the premier were in tears at the close of this remarkable work. Once again, Pettersson uses a roughly 40-minute single movement. Unlike earlier symphonies, this one is not as clearly divided into sections, but uses recurring themes throughout.

Leif Segerstam's recording with the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra on BIS (CD-580) is the longest one at 46:17. Frankly, I prefer the kind of "punch" Segerstam uses to emphasize the lines, and the intensity of emotion is never in question. The sound is easily the best of the four (it was recorded April 29-39, 1992 in the Linkoping Concert Hall), and it comes coupled with the Eleventh Symphony (an irresistible 7-11!). Some (Paul Rapoport) find the brass overpowering in places, and some passages may be taken too slowly to sustain the music's power. But this is my kind of performance - intense, fervently wrought, and unforgettably affecting. Do not hesitate.

Average customer rating: powerful and tragic symphonic architecture Read Chris Forbes Lovely Version of a Dark Masterpiece Excellent version, but I prefer Segerstam's recording

Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 7 Manufacturer: Cpo Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 12 Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 9 Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 6 Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 8 ASIN: B000001RW4 Release Date: 1995-01-25

Tracks:

1. Sym No.7

Customer Reviews:

powerful and tragic symphonic architecture.......2007-07-04

The idea of an incredibly tragic vision, the lack of a happy ending, is downright un-American. God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, that's the national ethos (I proclaim, on the 4th of July!). It occurs to me that we are in for another letdown in the realm of U.S. foreign policy in the "every story has a happy ending" department, but that's the topic for another review. This is a symphony. There is a great, and popular, 20th century composer, a master symphonist, who conveyed a deeply tragic vision in his art -- Dmitri Shostakovich, of course. Stylistically, Allan Pettersson is not really that similar to DSCH, who was mercurial, and strongly influenced by Mahler's stylistic heterogeneity, other than the no doubt important fact that they both worked in the tonal tradition, and not the post-Schoenberg avant-garde. Pettersson, I gather, based on hearing my first Pettersson symphony, and on what I've read, did not go in for the Mahlerian "a symphony should contain the world" approach. This Symphony No. 7, at least, burrows into one idea, one mood, one train of thought exclusively. But if you appreciate Shostakovich's tragic works, it is altogether possible that you, like me, might appreciate Pettersson as well, perhaps even *because,* as opposed to despite, his tragic vision.

The Seventh Symphony portrays a vast tragic struggle. It turns elegiac toward the end, but the mood is overwhelmingly one of grief and anger. This has been taken as autobiographical, but it would not work if it did not tap into the universality of loss, grief, pain and suffering. The Buddha pointed this out round about 2500 years ago, and said it must be dealt with, not denied, if we are to be fully alive, fully awake. Pettersson, then, can help us -- we shouldn't listen in a mood of pity for someone who had it so bad (he was crippled with chronic polyarthritis). Someone who hasn't felt serious pain has a surprise waiting around the corner... Pettersson very effectively weaves a compelling narrative out of simple tonal materials and melodic cells, that builds up to a moment of seeming epiphany, breaking through to serenity. This is at the 31-minute mark, a serene melody in the strings, seeming to reveal peace and hope. This interlude ends, though, at the 35-minute mark as despair returns. In the last nine minutes a dominant menacing figure for horns and woodwinds is set against wistful high woodwinds and strings, settling into a waltz-like rhythm and gradually subsiding.

The German CPO label (Classic Produktion Osnabruck) has recorded all of Pettersson's symphonies, which are superbly produced and packaged with suitably dark abstract paintings, and has this year (2007) released them all together as the Complete Symphonies. This is what reminded me that I needed to hear the music of a composer many say is one of the finest late 20th century symphonists. Everyone says "start with No. 7," and so that is what I did. It seems generally agreed that Symphonies 5 through 9 are the best of the 16 (No. 17 exists as a fragment), for those who want to hear more.

Music for the dark night of the soul, perhaps, but music for the spirit.

Peace, shalom, salam, namasthe.

Read Chris Forbes.......2006-01-14

Excellent review.
Rich emotional content, all his syms offer one a lifetime of exploration and challenges.

All AP's syms might be considered as movements in one gigantic symphonic schematic score.
All CPO and BIS releases are 5 stars.
Shostakovich, Schnittke, Carter, Pettersson the last 4 great composers in the 20th century.
If for whatever reason you don't like this sym 7, no need to further explore Pettersson.

EDIT:
As I mentioned in my Schnittke review/Sym 5, if for whatever reason you don't like this sym 7, after 3 trys, no sense in trying to pretend you like it. Move on to another composer.
Why paly false to your soul, she knows what she likes/does not like.
We are all different based on our beliefs/temperments/phliosophy.
Music is a reflection of our unseen structure. Music gives depths to our life's meaning, helps shape that which is to become.




btw I ever-so-slightly prefer the BIS, but I wouldn't want to be w/o either recording.

Schnittke. Pettersson, carter the last of the great composers, beginning with Bach.(skipping Beethoven)
Paul

Lovely Version of a Dark Masterpiece.......2003-01-18

Allan Pettersson is probably the darkest tonal composer that I know of. This Swedish composer spent most of his creative life completely unknown outside of his native Sweden, and barely known inside. Pettersson's output was considerable, 16 fairly large symphonies, most in monumental single movements, concerti, many arts songs, including his important Barefoot Songs. Most of these works recieved premieres late in the composer's life, as his stark brand of romanticism fit in neither with the more avant-garde composers in Europe at the time, nor with conservative audiences. As a result, it is only in the last 20 years, in the time of his old age and death, that Pettersson has gotten the recognition he deserves.

Pettersson's work is colored by his deeply unhappy life. Born in conditions of incredible squalour, Pettersson never lived more than a precarious financial existance. And artistically, he felt overlooked and out of the mainstream. This deep bitterness invades much of his work, though there are moments of heartbreaking loveliness, all the more heartbreaking given the darkness that surrounds them.

The Seventh Symphony was dedicated to Antol Dorati, who gave the first performance of the work and continued to champion the work of the composer throughout his life. It is in a single unbroken movement, as are most of Pettersson's symphonies. It begins with an agitated and highly dissonant build up for the orchestra which contrasts with moments of greater lyricism. Though much of the language is unremittingly tonal, (simple triads abound) there is a harshness and heaviness to the music that belies it's conservative tonality, much like late Shostakovitch. The construction is loose, but not as loose as other Pettersson symphonies. Motives do return often in slightly transformed guises, often brutalized in Shostakovitchian fashion.

Particularly telling in the work is a passage about two thirds of the way through the work. The winds drop out and the strings are left to play a soaring, lyrical line that is almost 16th century counterpoint. It is completely diatonic, lovely and you never want it to end. Perhaps it's doubly moving since it is surrounded with bleakness on either side. It is as if Pettersson were looking regretfully at an idyllic past that can never be recaptured.

I first learned this work through Dorati's marvelous recording, and the present one will not take place of that. But it is good nevertheless. And given that the Dorati recording is getting difficult to find, this is a good substitute.

If you like the music of Shostakovitch, or would be interested in listening to a darker version of Sibelius, Pettersson is up your alley. As bleak as his vision is, it is also quite beautiful. He is one of the 20th century's great romantics.

Excellent version, but I prefer Segerstam's recording.......1998-10-03

Certainly the most well-known and most frequently performed of all of his symphonies, Pettersson's Seventh was dedicated to Antal Dorati, whose recording of it brought the world's attention to the reclusive composer. If the Sixth is a dark and desperate cry ending in resignation, the Seventh is the "song sung by the soul" that Pettersson sought so yearningly to reveal.

The symphony's origins are not clear. The work was premiered on October 13, 1968 in a concert for the Music for Youth series founded by Antal Dorati in cooperation with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Pettersson, in very poor health, was called to the podium with standing ovations four times after the work's conclusion. It was the last time he was able to personally attend a premiere of one of his symphonies. Some hear it as a "reconsideration" of the bleakness of the Sixth; others have compared its structure to the arch formed by the profile of a mountain range. Many members of the audience at the premier were in tears at the close of this remarkable work. Once again, Pettersson uses a roughly 40-minute single movement. Unlike earlier symphonies, this one is not as clearly divided into sections, but uses recurring themes throughout.

The cpo recording is with the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gerd Albrecht, recorded in a live performance in the Hamburg Music Hall on May 6, 1991. Albrecht's reading, at 44:38, is the second longest reading (cpo 999 190-2). This was the first non-Dorati recording I heard, and my first impression was one of intense concentration, as if one were walking a tightrope. Albert's is an acceptable if not outstanding version; it has the best booklet, hands down, but as with the Dorati, no coupling and that makes it sort of a luxury purchase, particularly at cpo's price.

Average customer rating: An excellent version of a haunting contemporary symphony

Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 7; Mozart: Bassoon Concerto, KV191 Manufacturer: Caprice ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Bassoon | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000000UHJ Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks:

1. Con in B Flat, KV.191: Allegro
2. Con in B Flat, KV.191: Andante Ma Adagio
3. Con in B Flat, KV.191: Rondo
4. Sym No.7 - Swedish RSO/Sergiu Comissiona

Customer Reviews:

An excellent version of a haunting contemporary symphony.......1998-10-03

Allan Pettersson (1911-1980) was born into poverty but managed through sheer force of will to qualify for admitance to the Royal Conservatory, win the Jenny Lind prize, and study in Paris under some of the most notable names in composition of his day. His music frequently alternates between furious bitterness and an infinite resignation; oases of the purest calm are scattered across the craggy musical landscape.

Certainly the most well-known and most frequently performed of all of his symphonies, Pettersson's Seventh was dedicated to Antal Dorati, whose recording of it brought the world's attention to the reclusive composer. If the Sixth is a dark and desperate cry ending in resignation, the Seventh is the "song sung by the soul" that Pettersson sought so yearningly to reveal.

The symphony's origins are not clear. The work was premiered on October 13, 1968 in a concert for the Music for Youth series founded by Antal Dorati in cooperation with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Pettersson, in very poor health, was called to the podium with standing ovations four times after the work's conclusion. It was the last time he was able to personally attend a premiere of one of his symphonies. Some hear it as a "reconsideration" of the bleakness of the Sixth; others have compared its structure to the arch formed by the profile of a mountain range. Many members of the audience at the premier were in tears at the close of this remarkable work. Once again, Pettersson uses a roughly 40-minute single movement. Unlike earlier symphonies, this one is not as clearly divided into sections, but uses recurring themes throughout.

Sergiu Comissiona knew the composer (Pettersson dedicated his Ninth symphony to him!) and this recording can be considered nearly definitive. Comissiona clocks in at 41:58, only marginally slower than the original Dorati recording, but with a lyricism that immediately captures your ear. The brass in not overwhelming, but makes it's necessary impact in the central section, and the sound is excellent for a live recording (October 1990 in the Berwald Concert Hall). This CD was produced from a benefit for the 40th anniversary of the Swedish Cancer Society, which may partially explain the bizarre coupling (Mozart Bassoon Concerto,K.191). Documentation is skimpy, though, especially considering the status of the conductor and the author of the liner notes for what should have been a release of some greater significance (first recording after the historic Dorati).

Average customer rating: REfer to Mark Shanks The historic FIRST recording of Pettersson's Seventh Nothing is as good as this record Nothing is as good as this record The original world-premiere recording of a miraculous work

Pettersson: Symphonies No. 7 & 16 Manufacturer: Swedish Society ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000061P5 Release Date: 2000-10-10

Customer Reviews:

REfer to Mark Shanks.......2006-01-21

For excellent insights and analysis into that one particular shortcomming of the Dorati. Honestly I didn't keep the Dorati long enough to know about the trombone part missing.
I sold it to a friend shortly after purchasing this cd from another friend. Who claims it is "the best 7th"
Well I knew the CPO release well enough that it was a very very fine recording. So I admit that i had my doubts as to the Dorati surpassing the CPO. And I was disappointed right from the start. I got little emotional involvement with the Dorati. Nothing is right about this perforamnce. The Stockholm has no feelings for Pettersson what so ever. I guess Dorati did the best he had to work with.
I also bought the Comissiona live 7th/SWedish RSO. I enjoyed the Comissiona 14th ( I have since sold the 14th off /prefer the CPO 14th) . Good, I'd rate it a 8.
This week I got the Segerstam/BIS in, along with all the BIS in Pettersson. The Segerstam 7th might very well be my favorite. But not by much as I also love the CPO release, and am happy to have both. Those are my 2 favs of the 4 releases.
Now if we can get that Kamu on DG in the 10th released on cd some day. Or is it the 8th?

Paul
paulfbest@cox.net

The historic FIRST recording of Pettersson's Seventh.......2000-06-07

Allan Petterson (1911-1980) wrote 16 symphonies, three concertos for string orchestra, and an oratorio, but remains almost totally unknown to today's concert audience. Pity, because he could be called the last of the Romantics; an inheritor of the mantles of Mahler in his reliance on song and eventual world-weariness, and of Sibelius in his thriftiness of form and totally Nordic sound world.

Certainly the most well-known and most frequently performed of all of his symphonies, Pettersson's Seventh was dedicated to Antal Dorati, whose recording of it brought the world's attention to the reclusive composer. If the Sixth is a dark and desperate cry ending in resignation, the Seventh is the "song sung by the soul" that Pettersson sought so yearningly to reveal.

The symphony's origins are not clear. The work was premiered on October 13, 1968 in a concert for the Music for Youth series founded by Antal Dorati in cooperation with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Pettersson, in very poor health, was called to the podium with standing ovations four times after the work's conclusion. It was the last time he was able to personally attend a premiere of one of his symphonies. Some hear it as a "reconsideration" of the bleakness of the Sixth; others have compared its structure to the arch formed by the profile of a mountain range. Many members of the audience at the premier were in tears at the close of this remarkable work. Once again, Pettersson uses a roughly 40-minute single movement. Unlike earlier symphonies, this one is not as clearly divided into sections, but uses recurring themes throughout.

There are four recordings of the Seventh available. This is the original, the one that secured the composer's reputation worldwide, played by the Stockholm Philharmonic, conducted by Antal Dorati. It was recorded nine months after the premiere, September 18-20, 1969, in the Stockholm Concert Hall, and has been released on numerous LP labels. It is, at 40:00, the shortest recording. It has, of course, the stamp of authentic emotion and commitment, if not the clearest sonics. However, I have found at least one serious shortcoming: at the phrases beginning on page 68 of the score (20:08 on the Dorati CD, and 23:37 on the Albrecht, 22:24 on the Segerstam, and 21:11 on the Comissiona), the trombones are completely silent or absent. The horns are doubled by the cellos and, in a slightly different rhythm, the clarinets and bass clarinet (in the score). I have no information on what happened: the engineer may have goofed, or Dorati may have made a decision to back them off. Imagine listening to this recording for twenty years, and then hear the horns for the first time in a new recording! As an historic document, the recording is invaluable, but newer recordings have supplanted it.

The 16th, which could really be considered more of a concerto for saxophone and orchestra, is simply a piece that I have not been able to warm up to. Frankly, it just sounds loopy to me, and given the (to my ears) superior performance, sound quality, and coupling of the Segerstam disc (with symphonies 7 and 11), I can recommend this CD to ONLY those who MUST have the original, historic Dorati recording.

Nothing is as good as this record.......1999-11-22

When I first heard this music in Stockholm conducted by Antal Dorati I almost cried, it is such powerful music. When I then heard this record I almost cried, so happy to be able to restore the feeling.

Nothing is as good as this record.......1999-11-22

When I first heard this music in Stockholm conducted by Antal Dorati I almost cried, it is such powerful music. When I then heard this record I almost cried, so happy to be able to restore the feeling.

The original world-premiere recording of a miraculous work.......1998-10-03

Allan Petterson (1911-1980) wrote 16 symphonies, three concertos for string orchestra, and an oratorio, but remains almost totally unknown to today's concert audience. Pity, because he could be called the last of the Romantics; an inheritor of the mantles of Mahler in his reliance on song and eventual world-weariness, and of Sibelius in his thriftiness of form and totally Nordic sound world.

Certainly the most well-known and most frequently performed of all of his symphonies, Pettersson's Seventh was dedicated to Antal Dorati, whose recording of it brought the world's attention to the reclusive composer. If the Sixth is a dark and desperate cry ending in resignation, the Seventh is the "song sung by the soul" that Pettersson sought so yearningly to reveal.

The symphony's origins are not clear. The work was premiered on October 13, 1968 in a concert for the Music for Youth series founded by Antal Dorati in cooperation with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Pettersson, in very poor health, was called to the podium with standing ovations four times after the work's conclusion. It was the last time he was able to personally attend a premiere of one of his symphonies. Some hear it as a "reconsideration" of the bleakness of the Sixth; others have compared its structure to the arch formed by the profile of a mountain range. Many members of the audience at the premier were in tears at the close of this remarkable work. Once again, Pettersson uses a roughly 40-minute single movement. Unlike earlier symphonies, this one is not as clearly divided into sections, but uses recurring themes throughout.

There are four recordings of the Seventh available. This is the original, the one that secured the composer's reputation worldwide, played by the Stockholm Philharmonic, conducted by Antal Dorati. It was recorded nine months after the premiere, September 18-20, 1969, in the Stockholm Concert Hall, and has been released on numerous LP labels. It is, at 40:00, the shortest recording. It has, of course, the stamp of authentic emotion and commitment, if not the clearest sonics. However, I have found at least one serious shortcoming: at the phrases beginning on page 68 of the score (20:08 on the Dorati CD, and 23:37 on the Albrecht, 22:24 on the Segerstam, and 21:11 on the Comissiona), the trombones are completely silent or absent. The horns are doubled by the cellos and, in a slightly different rhythm, the clarinets and bass clarinet (in the score). I have no information on what happened: the engineer may have goofed, or Dorati may have made a decision to back them off. Imagine listening to this recording for twenty years, and then hear the horns for the first time in a new recording! As an historic document, the recording is invaluable, but newer recordings have supplanted it. At it's length (and with no coupling) and skimpy notes, it isn't a bargain, but it stands as an example of the voice of the individual crying in the wilderness.

Track Listings:

1. Allan Pettersson: Syphony No. 14
2. Angels are Everywhere!
3. Arie E Cantate
4. Aulin/Haquinius: Violin Sonata In D Minor, Op. 12/String Quartet No. 1 In A Minor
5. Bach, Buxtehude and Friends
6. Bach: Goldberg Variations; Preludes & Fugues
7. Bach to Nature: Three Suites Performed in the Wilderness
8. Ballad Stories
9. BBC Recordings 1937-39
10. Beethoven: Variations in F Op66; Variations in Ef WoO46

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