Amazon.co.uk Review
The main interest here is the symphony, regarded in Sweden as Peterson-Berger's orchestral masterpiece. His first two symphonies (also in this CPO Norrköping SO series) don't really convince, though there are plenty of attractive ideas in the nonetheless overblown
Symphony No.2. A counterpart to Vaughan Williams' later
Sinfonia Antarctica, the third symphony (composed between 1913 and 1915) graphically depicts the wilderness of Lapland in all its seasonal moods, as outlined by Peterson-Berger in his own notes, reproduced here. Grieg was clearly an influence, maybe also Glazunov in his sunniest mood. There are plenty of memorable melodies and imaginative touches, such as the prominent use of the piano in the first movement (reminiscent at times of de Falla's
Nights in the Gardens of Spain, composed at almost exactly the same time) and the incorporation of several Lapp chants, or
jojks. OK, so this is a work that never set out to alter the course of 20th-century musical thinking, but so what? You won't be disappointed. The symphony's main companion here, the
Earina Suite, charmingly celebrates the northern spring. Performances and sound do the works full justice. And despite any reservations about the other two symphonies, the accompanying items on the respective CDs (such as the impassioned Romance for Violin and Orchestra) are worth exploring. --
Andrew Green
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