Pettersson transitioned from being a violist in the Stockholm Concert Society Orchestra to a composer in the late 1940s, a move that initially took place without public recognition.
Composer Biography
Allan Pettersson's symphonic output includes fifteen completed symphonies, chronologically framed by two incomplete fragments: Symphony No. 1 and preliminary sketches for a Symphony No. 17.
Composer's Artistic Vision
During a study trip to Paris, Pettersson studied dodecaphonic music with René Leibowitz and simultaneously took lessons from Arthur Honegger, who fundamentally opposed that compositional style.
Compositional Technique
Pettersson's Symphony No. 2 employs a 'double-function form,' where the characters of movements in a multi-movement cycle (fast-slow-scherzo-finale) serve as elements of a single, larger sonata-form entity.
Composition History
The Symphony No. 1 was left incomplete by Pettersson, and this recording features a performance edition by Christian Lindberg, the conductor, from the original score.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Pettersson consciously distanced himself from his former teacher René Leibowitz's aesthetic values, stating he had to write as he himself wanted, not like others.
Recording & Production
This album includes a bonus DVD, 'Allan Pettersson - The First Symphony,' an hour-long film documenting the genesis of the work, the preparation of its performance edition, and its first performance and recording.
