Allan Pettersson: Violin Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 17 (Fragment)

Ulf Wallin (violin) & Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Christian Lindberg

In terms of genre, Allan Pettersson was uniquely single-minded: during his entire career as a composer (1953–80) he produced only a dozen or so works that were not symphonies. By name, Violin Concerto No. 2 is one of these, but it is fair to say that it straddles the divide. Pettersson himself remarked: ‘In reality my work was a Symphony for violin and orchestra. From this results the fact that the solo violin is incorporated into the orchestra like any other instrument.’ It should therefore not come as a surprise that Christian Lindberg has chosen to include this massive 53-minute work in his acclaimed and award-winning series of Pettersson’s symphonies, realised in collaboration with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra.

Pettersson:
 Symphony No. 17 (fragment)
 Violin Concerto No. 2

"Lindberg moulds the structure [of the Violin Concerto] convincingly, driving the music forwards without overwhelming his soloist…Thoroughly engrossing, [the Symphony’s] sudden finish is dismaying but it is wonderful to hear this final utterance in such an idiomatic account. Needless to say, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra are on top form; no one plays Pettersson like them!"
Gramophone Magazine - June 2019

"An excellent addition to the catalogue of Pettersson’s recorded music."
MusicWeb International - June 2019