Atterberg: Symphony No. 3 ... Slap!

After decades, we listen to the unknown or forgotten composers from taste revival without much expect to renew the magical experience of his first hearing a Beethoven symphony, his first Mahler symphony or a passion Bach. And indeed the friends, the beginning was promising, and came to the symphony No. 3, the slap !!

Thank you and congratulations to Ari Rasilainen to have effect a complete with the orchestras of the NDR Hannover or those of Stuttgart and Frankfurt. More than respectable phalanxes. The head Rasilainen Ari, born in 1959, studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki where exited number of large Finnish conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jukka-Pekka Saraste, or composer Kaija Saariaho. Rasilainen is also a violinist. All symphonies are directed with elegance and clarity, even in very energetic and richly orchestrated passages as the second movement of the third symphony.
The complete nine symphonies is available in either single CD, is available in the price box. The recordings have ranged from 1998 to 2003. A mammoth task because the scores are rarer than the grail. The sound is excellent. J''avoue low for the 3rd symphony.

The Symphony No. 3 entitled "Images of the West Coast" was not initially a symphony. Kurt Atterberg had composed three symphonic isolated "sketches" during a stay on the island Skaftölandet around Gothenburg between 1914 and 1916. I have not used the word sketch by chance because of the meeting room into a coherent symphony reminds me of "The sea" of Claude Debussy, also a triptych of three sketches with a common thread: sea and impressionism. Found in the symphony that same thread, namely a musical inspiration nourished by observations of nature and marine elements. The three parties are explicit in any work program subtitles: "haze of sun", "Storm", "Summer Night". Atterberg met them in 1918 in a symphony of great descriptive power.

1 - haze of sunshine: The book begins with long quiet words to the strings, colored by a flickering little notes xylophone. Subjectively, the sun's rays creep with infinite delicacy. Light string arpeggios overlap and suggest the surf on a beach of the island Skaftölandet. Following this shimmering dawn, the orchestra soars to briefly illuminate a scene of a burning sun. The initial melody resumes with arpeggios harps, a diaphanous orchestral dawn, singing, voluptuous When I tell you I took a slap from the first listen; I try my words to define the glittering kaleidoscope which invites us Atterberg. It is not easy to set up music by the chef. The risk of syrupy romanticism hides behind each measure. Ari Rasilainen controls all the musicians of his orchestra to avoid this, and we offer a symphonic ode illuminated with thousands of lights: harps and delicate pizzicato, distant brass consider making a Marshmallow come in waves around the island

Storm 2: second slap! Oh Atterberg is not the first to unleash orchestral elements interposed violence. But there, hang in there and put the waxed! Marine hostilities tear from the opening bars: breaking the strings, foaming at the rich percussion. The bass drum tackles cliffs projecting Dantesque the brass geysers. All consoles crashing against each other. These are highly charged climax of a level of orchestration that brings warlike madness of Prokofiev (Scythian Suite) or Shostakovich (Symphony 10 and 8). One could feel Hollywood accents in these powerful and pathetic outbursts. Ari Rasilainen size the sickle that fury. The richness of orchestration, valor percussion and brass virility recall the battle of a life Hero or the storm of the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. But where the Bavarian composer based discourse by apocalyptic masses and some dozens of heavy brass Atterberg prefer a flood fiercely staccato: stamps shocks, conflicts between sliced ​​miles sounds thinning related cataclysmic. There is no thickness, we think of Bartók or Stravinsky. So I am in no way surprised that the chef that was Richard Strauss has enjoyed directing the works of his Swedish colleague like any storm, calm returned in the final bars with ropes and some small stirrings of notes triangle white hot for this second movement. (Belle miking, I confirm.)

3 Summer Night: Conclude a symphony is difficult. The third and final movement of the third symphony, with its 18 minutes, is half the work. It's risky a great final. We often think that only Bruckner and Mahler mastered such ambitions, knew the lengths and avoid duplication while ensuring the cohesion of a final symphonic work. The Finnish Jean Sibelius admired the writing of Atterberg, and it is not irrelevant to compare the monumental and glorious end of the 2nd Symphony of Sibelius with what you listen here. The key to success: a free cutting between several parties related to a definite theme and especially one or more leitmotifs that give unity to this great final piece. It is a total success.
After the roar of the storm, the end opens into a meditative sentence to strings, illuminated pattern of the song of the little harmony and sparkling harp. A sweet melody with strings she develops under a starry sky? It is by the will of Impressionist composer to paint this nocturnal atmosphere, the russet shadows Nordic nights. At [4'00 "] a melody soars huge and elegiac in acute violins supported by the distant singing of horns. It's beautiful because majestic humanity. A look at the Milky Way, towards the sea and diaphanous mist? A third idea came with a solo oboe and bassoon. All this music is intimate and crystalline. It is the 3rd slap. Atterberg was a poet who gives us to understand the subtle colors of a Ravel or Debussy. Ari Rasilainen climates alternated with talent, without rushing the transition, with a subtle legato unfussy. The great class. [8'55 "] A merry flute solo still sheds light and induces a small wild ride in the dark. Atterberg resumes themes of the storm to the mix with the leitmotif in the beginning of a coda that starts early. Yes, the orchestra will now blow a varied and entertaining instrumental wind which will complete the work in grandiose apotheosis but without emphasis. This is probably what characterizes the style of this composer: the elegance of discourse in the tutti, but fluid rich orchestration. The lack of interest in this composer and his absence concerts are really a mystery! There is always this hegemony to German music and Austro-Hungarian It's a shame but this first integral is an encouraging sign.

Excerpt from an article in the deblocnot (see profile)