Duo Gelland (Martin and Cecilia Gelland) first performed Allan Pettersson's Seven Sonatas for two violins as a complete cycle in a recital.
Compositional Technique
Allan Pettersson's use of the violin's possibilities was avant-garde for his time, demanding high notes on low strings, double-stopped prime intervals, and special glissando and pizzicato techniques.
Composer Biography
Allan Pettersson studied violin and later musical theory at the Conservatory in Stockholm, switching to viola in 1935.
Composition History
Allan Pettersson composed the Seven Sonatas for two violins between 1949 and 1955, alongside his First Symphony and other concertos.
Composer Biography
Allan Pettersson, the composer, grew up in poverty and toured restaurants with his fiddle to help his family.
Instruments
Martin Gelland plays a Giovanni Baptista Rogeri violin from Brescia, 1703, with an Eugene Sartory bow from Paris, 1930.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Allan Pettersson described his duets as "sonatas" but clarified they were more "timbral pieces with their own formal conceptions based on an original, investigative mind."
You might also enjoy...
Poulenc - De Falla - Franck - Massenet
Sibelius: Complete Youth Production for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2
