Pettersson composed his Ninth Symphony in 1970 while his health was rapidly deteriorating, suffering from chronic rheumatoid arthritis and an undiagnosed kidney disease.
Critical Reception
The conductor Sergiu Comissiona, for whom the Ninth Symphony was dedicated, described the rehearsal process as demanding "tremendous concentration" from the orchestra for over an hour without interruption.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Pettersson viewed the stark contrasts in his music not as a 'clash of styles' but as necessary aspects of a single, organic unity, like a tree with branches growing in unexpected directions.
Composer Biography
Allan Pettersson (1911-80) was an "out-and-out symphonist," composing symphonies throughout his active career from 1953 until his death in 1980.
Compositional Technique
Pettersson's music, including his Ninth Symphony, features stark contrasts between radical, atonal elements and traditional, tonal harmonies, sometimes incorporating triadic harmony within modernist works.
Compositional Technique
The Ninth Symphony is one of the largest single-movement works in symphonic literature, spanning 2,146 bars over 385 pages of score.
Composition History
Despite his declining health and limited time, Pettersson completed the score of his Ninth Symphony, his longest work, in less than half a year before being hospitalized.
