Beneath the Surface #6 - Atterberg: Symphonies nos. 2 & 8

Composer: Kurt Atterberg (Swedish, 1887-1974

Works: Symphony no.2 in F major Op.6 (1911-1913); Symphony no.8 in E minor Op.48 (Composed on Swedish National Melodies) (1944)

Performers: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi

Label: Chandos

Kurt Atterberg was born in Gothenburg and died in Stockholm. Initially he was studying to become an engineer, but his musical talents began to dominate, and he became a cellist in what is now known as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. On New Year's Eve 1911 he was invited to rehearse the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and they liked him so much he was booked immediately for a concert, where he was able to conduct his First Symphony. Encouraged by this success, he was soon at work on a Second.

In placing an emphasis on his symphonic output Atterberg was joining an increasingly big group of Scandinavian composers expressing themselves in this form. Though their distant ancestor was Franz Berwald, who wrote his four symphonies at the start of the nineteenth century, the Scandinavians were now dominated by Sibelius and Nielsen.

Yet these so-called 'secondary' composers contributed much to the form from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. They were headed by Stenhammar, a fine pianist and conductor, but also included Rosenberg, Svendsen and Atterberg himself.

The booklet notes to this new Chandos release tell the fascinating story of how Atterberg slept outside while writing his Symphony no.2, falling under the influence of some particularly beautiful sunsets. At the premiere no less a figure than Stenhammar himself played the orchestral piano part, giving the piece his stamp of approval, and the performance was a success. The three-movement work uses a favourite Atterberg device, combining the slow movement and faster scherzo together as one.

The Eighth symphony was written in 1944, and its subtitle, Composed on Swedish National Melodies, put down in print what Atterberg was already practising in composition, the use of the folk melodies of his own country in symphonic form. Sibelius himself sent a telegram to Atterberg after the performance, saying, 'Thank you for your wonderfully cogent symphony. With warm greetings, Jean Sibelius'. It was the ultimate seal of approval, to which Atterberg responded that the words 'hang framed in glass before my nose'. The folk tunes sourced included those about love, nature and drinking!

Thoughts

There is an immediate appeal to this open air music, right from the start of the Second Symphony. It is full of melodic invention and attractive, lucid orchestral textures – the sort of music you would want to save for a sunny morning. It is not in any way demanding, but nor is it too simple, and on this disc the music is communicated in the best possible way by musicians who obviously love it.

The Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi has a long and illustrious discography of Scandinavian symphonies to his name, many of them recorded with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra – and here the pairing enjoy the clearest of recorded sound at the hands of Lennart Dehn and Torbjörn Samuelsson, producing for Chandos.

It is also Atterberg's orchestration that is responsible for this clarity, a kind of blend of the best that Grieg and Schumann had to offer. The horns often take the tune in the Second Symphony in particular, but the rest of the orchestra join in with lyrical countermelodies, out in the open air with them.

After a few listens these tunes made their way right to the back of my head and took up root, but the sheer positivity of the symphony carries all before it, similar in mood to Schumann's Rhenish symphony. The first movement segues easily into the second, which has a satisfying cut and thrust, and there is plenty of symphonic drama in the third, too, the music positively bursting with high spirits by the end.

The Eighth has a brooding start, its lower register scoring the only moment on the disc where I sensed a debt to Sibelius. Soon however it hits a resolute passage of faster music; and from there does not look back. Atterberg uses the folk themes sensibly, developing each so that mere repetition is avoided, and his scoring is again extremely clear, allowing the tunes – many of them catchy – to take root once again. As the final movement of four arrives there is a strong feeling of triumph through perseverance, suitable to a wartime symphony, though avoiding the anguish of composers more directly affected by the conflict.

Verdict

It is difficult to imagine a better set of circumstances for Atterberg's music, which is wonderfully performed and recorded here. Chandos scores highly for its pairing of one of his lighter, more pastoral scores with the initially troubled Eighth, which has impressive strength in adversity.

This is the second volume Chandos have released of Atterberg symphonies, and on this evidence I shall certainly be investigating the first – and look forward to the rest of the nine symphonies as they are inevitably released. This is fresh, outdoor music with a taste of spring – and I left the Atterberg experience thoroughly invigorated.

Further listening

The Chandos disc is not on Spotify, but this playlist contains the Symphony no.2 in a recording made for CPO by the Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Ari Rasilainen. It also includes a recording of the Symphony no.6 by no less than Arturo Toscanini, the Cello Concerto played by Truls Mørk and the Sinfonia for Strings.