a r t i s t : Allan Pettersson (Manfred Honeck)
t i t l e : Symphony No. 12, De Doeda pσ torget (The Dead of the S
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : CPO
g e n r e : Classical
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2007
t r a c k s : 09
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 72,3 MB
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Who was Allan Pettersson?
He answered the question himself with his music, in particular
in the Barefoot Songs, and also in interviews: "A voice crying
in the wilderness that is nearly drowned by the noise of
time", was how he described himself.
One answer to the question is that Allan Pettersson was one of
the most important symphonists in the Nordic countries. Many
have born witness to the overwhelming feelings that his
symphonies and songs have aroused. His music touches the
heart, as does his own life and his indomitable fighting
spirit.
Nowadays there are many people who have grown up since Allan
Pettersson died and who are probably not so familiar with his
music. Not everyone has had the same opportunity to hear
performances; certain benchmark LP recordings are no longer
available and have not yet been transferred to CD
But abroad?
Oddly enough, while Pettersson's music is rarely performed in
his native country, his admirers are on the increase in other
countries, particularly in Germany and America where many
activities have been organised. We need only mention the major
Pettersson festival of 1994, when most of his larger works
were performed by symphony orchestras in twenty-seven cities
in northern German.
http://www.allanpettersson.org/
---
The composer Allan Pettersson was born in 1911. He lived all
his life in S÷dermalm in southern Stockholm and he became a
spokesman and interpreter for the poor working-class people of
that area. He played the viola in the Royal Stockholm
Philharmonic Orchestra but left the orchestra in 1951 to
devote all his time to composing. His sixteen symphonies form
the backbone of his output. He died on the 20th June, 1980.
---
When I first heard this symphony as a college student, it so
intimidated me that I didn't return to Allan Pettersson's
music for about ten years. (Far better to start with the
Symphony #7.) Part of the problem, as I recall, was that the
LP included the texts in Swedish, but that there were no
English translations. Well, once again, cpo's booklet reprints
the Swedish texts and a German translation, but no English. At
the end of the printed text, there is a short note from cpo:
"We regret that û for legal reasons û we cannot print the
original poems of Pablo Neruda and the corresponding English
translations. We ask for your understanding for this fact."
Understand I do, but anyone interested in penetrating the
symphony's surface is advised to hunt down an English
translation first, if at all possible. As the texts in this
symphony are taken from the fifth part of Neruda's Canto
general, commonly regarded as his magnum opus, this should not
be terribly difficult.
Pettersson selected nine of Neruda's poems for this symphony,
whose English title is "The Dead in the Square." This is an
allusion to an event in Chilean history: on January 28, 1946,
eight Chilean workers affiliated with the resistance movement
were killed, and more were injured, by police forces in a
public square in Santiago de Chile. Pettersson, whose
background in Sweden was firmly proletarian, probably shared
at least some of Neruda's political viewpoints, but he
insisted that the Symphony #12 was not a political work, but
rather a commentary on the seemingly unending story of human
cruelty towards those who are disenfranchised. Neruda's texts
are full of unsentimental solidarity with the dead, and anger
against those who betrayed them and ordered their slaughter.
There's hope too: the final poem is a portrayal of the "day of
judgement" as a day of hope for those who died in these and in
similar circumstances. In the Swedish translation set by
Pettersson, the final word that is sung is "dag" (day), and
how telling it is that this symphony, so full of struggle,
comes to an end 53 minutes later in a brilliant burst of C
major!
The symphony was premiered in 1977. Pettersson had been asked
to compose a symphony marking the 500th anniversary of the
founding of the University of Uppsala. The finished work is
anything but celebratory û at least in the traditional
academic manner. Apparently it did not set well with those who
wanted something to make them feel good. They should have
known, however, that Pettersson's background of poverty,
misunderstanding, and debilitating illness made it unlikely
that he would have written a "feel good" symphony on demand.
The chorus is rarely silent and acts as a protagonist û the
communal voice of the people, if you will. Pettersson did not
write extensively for the voice, but he had an almost
instinctive talent for setting words, and what he does with
Neruda's impassioned texts is very poetic and moving. Even
though the dominant mood is one of anger and protest,
Pettersson keeps the symphony from becoming a 53-minute rant
by frequently turning to introspection. The orchestral writing
keens with anguish in the composer's familiar style. It is,
however, never so complex or harsh that it becomes
incomprehensible to the open-eared. Pettersson never talked
down to his listeners, but neither did he forget his origins.
Despite his modernism, he always communicates.
The symphony's first recording appears to be out of print, so
this new release is most welcome. It was recorded live in
Stockholm in 2004, and it has an electricity I don't recall
from that Caprice LP I once owned. There's no doubt that this
is an important addition to the Pettersson discography. I
encourage those who disliked the Symphony #12 the first time
around to give it a second chance in this passionate new
recording by Honeck and the Swedish musicians.
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/c/cpo77146a.html
---
Composed by:
* Allan Pettersson (1911-1980)
Performed by:
* Swedish Radio Choir
* Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
* Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor:
* Manfred Honeck
---
Tracks:
I. De d÷da pσ torget
"Jag kommer inte hΣr och grσter dΣr de f÷ll"
II. Massakern
"Men dσ var blodet g÷mt"
III. Nitratets mΣn
"Jag var i salpetern med de m÷rka hjΣltarna"
IV. D÷den
"Chilenska folk, hΣr besl÷t du att rΣcka handen"
V. Hur fanorna f÷ddes
"Sσ har det hittills varit med vσra fanor"
VI. Jag kallar pσ dem
"En efter en ska jag tala med dem i kvΣll"
VII. Fienderna
"De slΣpade hit gevΣren laddade"
VIII. HΣr Σr de
"Jag ska kalla pσ dem som om de vore hΣr"
IX. Alltid
"Ocksσ om fotsteg n÷ter denna plats i tusen σr"
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01-De doeda pσ torget [10:06]
02-Massakern [07:32]
03-Nitratets maen [04:49]
04-Doeden [04:41]
05-Hur fanorna foeddes [01:40]
06-Jag kallar pσ dem [06:11]
07-Fienderna [06:12]
08-Haer aer de [03:17]
09-Alltid [08:38]
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53:06 min