Allan Pettersson wrote his Symphony No. 9 in 1970.
| Symphony No. 9 | |
|---|---|
| by Allan Pettersson | |
| Composed | 1970: Stockholm |
| Dedication | "For the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor Sergiu Comissiona" |
| Duration | 69:00 – 85:00 |
| Movements | 1 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 18 February 1971: |
| Location | Gothenburg |
| Conductor | Sergiu Comissiona |
| Performers | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra |
History
The symphony is his last composition preceding a nine-month stay in Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm (starting September 1970);[1][2] Pettersson composed the symphony in less than half a year.[3]
Structure
It is Pettersson's longest symphony with a duration of ca. 70–85 minutes (score: 65–70 minutes).[4][a] There is one movement, though it divides into a number of smaller sections that follow each other with at most nominal pause but usually none.[5][b][c]
Music
Much though not all of the material in the symphony is based on the ascending (and later descending) chromatic[6] scale motif heard at the very beginning, played by bassoons, violas and cellos.[5] Additional material is a repeated-note figure.[6] Pettersson juxtaposes innocent, diatonic melodies with passages of great contrapuntal ferocity.[6] There are sections of tango and canon and also a quotation of Song No. 10 "Jungfrun och Ljugarpust" (The Maiden and the Lying Wind) from his Barefoot Songs.[3] The Ninth can be described as an extended struggle in which harmony is the ultimate winner.[3] The concluding bars of the symphony[d] consist of a long final melody (in Peter Ruzicka's terms: a "Canto") played by violins and cellos and later by the violas in unison, and ends in a slow peaceful plagal cadence[6] into F major.[3][5]
Paul Rapoport uses adjectives like vast, nightmarish and delirious to characterize the symphony.[6] The symphony is a natural, organic unity and demanding for musicians and listeners.[3]
Performances
Pettersson dedicated the symphony to Sergiu Comissiona and the Gothenburg Symphony, who premiered it on 18 February 1971[5][6] and had commissioned it for the 350th Anniversary of the Founding of the City of Gothenburg.[5] It was played again in December 1974, and the first Stockholm performances were given on 25 and 26 May 1976.[6] Comissiona described later the Ninth as "Jupiter" among Pettersson's symphonies.[7]
Score
The miniature score was published in 1989 by Nordiska Musikforlaget of Stockholm and runs to 385 pages and 2146 bars.[4][3]
Recordings
- Sergiu Comissiona, conductor, Gothenburg Symphony; on Philips 2-LP set 6767 951, 1978. OCLC 604049544
- Alun Francis, conductor, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; on cpo 999 231–2, 1994. OCLC 1011485081
- Christian Lindberg, conductor, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra; on BIS 2038, 2013. OCLC 883802421
Notes
References
Further reading
- Gülke, Peter (2001). "Protest, Vergeblichkeit, verweigerte Resignation: Gedanken beim Studium von Allan Petterssons Neunter Sinfonie.". Die Sprache der Musik. Essays zur Musik von Bach bis Holliger (in German). Kassel: Bärenreiter. pp. 445–451. ISBN 978-3-7618-2025-4.