Pettersson studied violin and composition, receiving more thorough training in twelve-tone composition than any other Swedish composer, as a pupil of René Leibowitz in Paris.
Composition History
The thematic material for Pettersson's Eleventh Symphony largely came to him during a stay at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm.
Composer Biography
Allan Pettersson, the composer, grew up in a Stockholm slum in a working-class family that was unsympathetic to classical music.
Composition History
The Eleventh Symphony was commissioned by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, but the commission was cancelled due to lack of funding from the NOMUS foundation.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Pettersson's symphonies are described as personal confessions and virulent assaults on the powers that be, aiming to go straight to the heart.
Performer Biography
Leif Segerstam, the conductor, has written 26 string quartets and 6 violin concertos, reflecting his origins as a violinist.
Critical Reception
Pettersson's Seventh Symphony brought him a near-hysterical breakthrough in 1968, making his name widely known after its performance by Antal Doráti and the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.
