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 |
Allan Pettersson wrote his Symphony No. 9 in 1970.
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]
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]
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]
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]
The miniature score was published in 1989 by Nordiska Musikforlaget of Stockholm and runs to 385 pages and 2146 bars. [4] [3]
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 |
Allan Pettersson wrote his Symphony No. 9 in 1970.
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]
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]
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]
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]
The miniature score was published in 1989 by Nordiska Musikforlaget of Stockholm and runs to 385 pages and 2146 bars. [4] [3]