# SS 02.12.17 - Petterson #7



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening! 
_*
*_For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Allan Petterson (1911 - 1980)*

Symphony No. 7 

1. Symphony No. 7

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Another weekend is upon us and this weekend it's Swedish composer Allan Petterson's Seventh. I'm not really familiar with Petterson although I've seen him mentioned many times.

There aren't many recordings of this one so I'll post a YouTube link which is also the one I will be listening too:

Antal Dorati/Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I have only one, once bought for €1,00


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

I'll be listening to Segerstam/Norrkoping Symphony via streaming. Never heard this one before.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

Excellent choice (IMO, the 7th or 4th are the best places to start with Pettersson, if you don't know his symphonies). In regards to which recording to listen to, I'd recommend that people read the following two reviews of the 4 or 5 recordings of Pettersson's 7th Symphony:

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/pettersson/sym07.php

http://allanpettersson100.blogspot.com/2011/05/recordings-symphony-no-7.html

Interestingly, both reviewers put the 7th recordings by Sergui Comissiona and Leif Segerstam at the top of their list, both prefering Comissiona. (I do as well.) Granted, Dorati conducted the premiere of the 7th and was an early champion of Pettersson's music (along with Comissiona), and therefore presumably worked closely with the composer. (It was the last premiere Pettersson was able to attend, due to his crippling rheumatoid arthritis.) However, as the classical.net reviewer points out, on the later recording Dorati inexplicably silences the horns on page 68 of the score. I find it hard to believe that this omission came from Pettersson, so I have a problem with Dorati's choice.

Fortunately, the Comissiona recording is on You Tube, with brass untempered in the central section, and that's what I'll be listening to:






I find this symphony to be one of the most beautiful, lyrical, haunting, moving (in the final 15 minutes), searingly intense and powerful symphonies composed in the 20th century. Pettersson ability to compose for a full orchestra is also impressive, and at times, astonishing. What I like most about Comissiona's interpretation (versus others) is that he fully gets the romantic elements in this symphony, and therefore is able to bring out it's lyricism & varied emotions better than conductors that focus more intently on its modern aspects. (By the way, not surprisingly, Pettersson asked Comissiona to premiere his next symphony, the 8th.)

When I think about how horribly Pettersson physically suffered in his life, I find myself in awe of him, and inspired, that he was somehow able to get himself to his writing desk each morning to compose, and find the strength and will to create music of such incredible depth, imagination, and beauty--a masterpiece.

EDIT--I've just re-listened to the Comissiona recording (above), and unfortunately I find the You Tube sound transfer to be slightly muted in the final 15 minutes. Another YT clip of the performance (which was filmed) appears to be more present, and (crucially) allows you to hear the whole score more clearly--though regrettably it only includes the last 30 minutes of the work:


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I will go with the link provided by realdealblues this week
Never heard this before


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

Will also go with the You Tube recording with Comissiona


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Haydn man said:


> I will go with the link provided by realdealblues this week
> Never heard this before


My CD is spinning now, so not my music, but I stay strong.


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

Allan made it to second round í ½í¸. First one here : SS 15.07.17 - Pettersson #7


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## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

Gerd Albrecht, Philarmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg:


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## Bill Cooke (May 20, 2017)

Dorati for me...


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

Pugg said:


> I have only one, once bought for €1,00


The same as Pugg. I'm listening to this symphony for a couple of months, after I was aware of it in TC.


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## rw181383 (Aug 4, 2017)

A few days late-listening to:


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Whoops, sorry Mika, I totally missed it. I had it in my notes and didn't remove it from when you had posted it earlier this year.

I apologize folks for the double post SS. I've been sick for the last 2 weeks, on antibiotics and steroids and my head is just not in anything lately.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

Hopefully some people got to hear it this time around who didn’t get to hear it last time.

I listened to it twice this week. I listened to Dorati/Stockholm and Comissiona/Swedish RSO. I enjoyed both. I was struck by the musicality, passion and clarity of the music and how simple the language was. And very conservative for the time period. Definitely one of the great symphonies of the latter 20th century.


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