Pettersson's Pavilion

[foxandpeng]

I have to say I didn't much care for the 5th. I listened to it last night and it seemed kind of half-baked to me. It's like you hear where he is going with his symphonies, but it just hasn't got there yet. Whereas with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, I didn't feel this same kind of feeling at all. The 2nd and 4th were especially good to my ears.

What do you guys think of Symphony No. 12, "The Dead in the Square". For a choral symphony, I find it pretty gnarly and really not far removed from Shostakovich's Babi Yar or one of Penderecki's choral works. I enjoyed this work in the Honeck performance on CPO, but I have yet to listen to the Lindberg or Carl Rune Larsson (on Caprice), which I acquired recently.

#5 is one of those that I also particularly enjoy, but then I don't have any that I dislike. #12 is perhaps closest to slipping out of my wheelhouse due to its dependence on voices, but I even like the reconstructed #1 ...

I've found the Lindberg to be a nice alternative to the previous recordings that were my staple. Unlikely to discard Francis/Segerstam et al, but I usually look for the BIS Lindberg.

[CRCulver]

What do you guys think of Symphony No. 12, "The Dead in the Square".

It's something I'd like to see live. I am bothered by the fact that BIS recorded the orchestra alone, and then recorded and overdubbed the choir weeks later.

[vers la flamme]

It's something I'd like to see live. I am bothered by the fact that BIS recorded the orchestra alone, and then recorded and overdubbed the choir weeks later.

I didn't know that but I don't like that either... Will try and seek out another recording like the Honeck.

[DavidW]

It's something I'd like to see live. I am bothered by the fact that BIS recorded the orchestra alone, and then recorded and overdubbed the choir weeks later.

I didn't know that!  I think I will relisten to Honeck soon since it has been awhile.

[Spotted Horses]

With all of the talk of the Pettersson complete edition, I'm tempted to dip a toe in again. Notes indicate my last listening (about a year ago) was the 6th, which made an impression. The third or second didn't make a strong impression. Did I listen to the forth, should I?

Maybe follow the sixth with the seventh. But the long, uninterrupted spans of music are difficult for me to budget time for. My pace for listening to Pettersson averages out to about once per year.

(The temptation to get the complete Pettersson Edition from BIS at $25.99 was overwhelming, although I can stream it.)

[DavidW]

With all of the talk of the Pettersson complete edition, I'm tempted to dip a toe in again. Notes indicate my last listening (about a year ago) was the 6th, which made an impression. The third or second didn't make a strong impression. Did I listen to the forth, should I?

Maybe follow the sixth with the seventh. But the long, uninterrupted spans of music are difficult for me to budget time for. My pace for listening to Pettersson averages out to about once per year.

(The temptation to get the complete Pettersson Edition from BIS at $25.99 was overwhelming, although I can stream it.)

Yes I would say either the seventh or the second violin concerto.

[Maestro267]

The positive reception of late for Symphony No. 13 is inspiring me to give it another go. 67 minutes of unbroken music with no real idea of where even large sections begin and end is quite daunting to me, but here we are.

[Atriod]

I received the Pettersson Complete Edition on BIS today and it was business-per-usual for Amazon as they shipped the box set in a bag w/o any support nor was there any bubble wrap --- there was nothing. I contacted Amazon UK and chatted with two associates that gave me the runaround and wouldn't work with me, so I requested to get help through a phone call, which lasted about 12-15 minutes. Long story short (too late for that!), I got the set for free and given a complete refund. So, while the damage to the set was disappointing, less disappointing was the fact that the woman I spoke with was quite nice and fair during our conversation.

Anyway, it's a gorgeous set and the booklet itself will be fun to go through (as will be the music, too, of course). Definitely looking forward to digging into this set.

I received it as well recently. Some tiny damage on one corner and some visible creases on the spine. I would have paid a handsome amount if BIS did a super deluxe style packaging like they did for the second edition box of Suzuki's Bach Sacred Cantata cycle that only came out in Japan.

Worth mentioning that the booklet notes in the box set are not identical to the individual albums, I downloaded all the booklets.

Blasted Symphony 2 last week in pitch darkness after coming back exhausted from a mountain bike ride. Incredible. Not just the music but now hearing it better than streaming quality. Bone crushing dynamic range. Such tonal realism.

[foxandpeng]

Blasted Symphony 2 last week in pitch darkness after coming back exhausted from a mountain bike ride. Incredible. Not just the music but now hearing it better than streaming quality. Bone crushing dynamic range. Such tonal realism.

I like the early symphonies very much, including #2. It may not scale the heights of some but it stands well on its own.

[Atriod]

I like the early symphonies very much, including #2. It may not scale the heights of some but it stands well on its own.

I agree. I am playing the box in order and trying to really relish the performances by hearing them several times before moving on to the next. There are several symphonies I have not heard before. I want to see Pettersson enter the mainstream repertoire with the major labels and start getting programmed, this music is good enough that I'd make a mini vacation to see it performed live.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

I received it as well recently. Some tiny damage on one corner and some visible creases on the spine. I would have paid a handsome amount if BIS did a super deluxe style packaging like they did for the second edition box of Suzuki's Bach Sacred Cantata cycle that only came out in Japan.

Worth mentioning that the booklet notes in the box set are not identical to the individual albums, I downloaded all the booklets.

Blasted Symphony 2 last week in pitch darkness after coming back exhausted from a mountain bike ride. Incredible. Not just the music but now hearing it better than streaming quality. Bone crushing dynamic range. Such tonal realism.

I'm glad to read you're enjoying the Pettersson BIS set --- it's really a magnificent achievement for them. Now BIS and CPO can lay claim to any kind of comprehensive survey of his oeuvre and, to put it as frankly as I can, I seriously doubt any other label will step up to this musical plate again in our lifetime.

My main complaint about these more streamlined BIS box sets is the cheap CD sleeves. They look like something you got when you purchased one of the  Microsoft Windows OSs back in the day. I replaced all the cheap sleeves with some clear sturdy CD sleeves, which is what BIS should've used in the first place.

Anyway, we're certainly in agreement about this Pettersson Complete Edition. I'll have to resume my survey of it whenever I can muster up the endurance to do it. It's such intense music that I had to get away from it for awhile.

[DavidW]

I have the CPO and the BIS box sets side by side on my shelf.

[Spotted Horses]

I have the CPO and the BIS box sets side by side on my shelf.

They're side by side on my hard drive.

[Atriod]

My first time hearing Symphony 3. Like if Sibelius drank Absinthe.

[Spotted Horses]

My first time hearing Symphony 3. Like if Sibelius drank Absinthe.

Like he mainlined it.