Atterberg conducted the premiere of his First Symphony in Gothenburg on January 10, 1912, using his mother's flower stick as a baton.
Composition History
Atterberg's primary motivation for remaining a composition pupil was to gain free entry to all concerts at the Royal Academy's Concert Hall, then Stockholm's leading venue.
Composition History
Atterberg revised the final movement of his Symphony No. 5 in 1947, 25 years after its premiere, drawing on a deeper understanding of his craft gained from composing other major works.
Performer Biography
Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this album, is the head of a musical dynasty and has an impressive discography of over 450 recordings, including complete symphony cycles of Prokofiev, Sibelius, Nielsen, and Brahms.
Composition History
Atterberg's composition teacher, Andreas Hallén, tried to persuade him to write programmatic works with naturalistic elements, but Atterberg preferred to keep his symphonic work private.
Composer Biography
Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974), the composer, studied civil engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm while also teaching himself cello and studying composition.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Atterberg used a quote from Oscar Wilde's 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'—'For each man kills the thing he loves'—as a motto for his Symphony No. 5, though he admitted to misinterpreting it.
