Atterberg: Symphony No. 3 / Horn Concerto (Kurt Atterberg)

Album review

If you are going to have one recording of a symphony by the late Romantic Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg, this one, including his Third Symphony and Horn Concerto, is the one to have. This superb performance by the Stockholm Philharmonic under the inspired direction of Sixten Ehrling makes the strongest possible case for the piece. Dating from 1916 and subtitled "West Coast Pictures," it is in three movements entitled "Sun Haze," "Storm," and "Summer Night," and every note is aimed at depicting the images of the titles. Some will say the evocations are magical while others may find them mundane. What cannot be denied is the energy and enthusiasm the Swedish forces bring to this music. Atterberg's Third may sound like a throwback to the middle years of the 19th century, but the conviction of the Swedes may convince even doubters that it is a wholly effective and thoroughly compelling work. The Horn Concerto, composed 10 years later, mines the same late Romantic vein, and soloist Albert Linder and Gérard Oskamp leading the Gothenburg Symphony, do their best by it. Recorded on the cusp of the digital era, the sound is cool, clear, and deep.
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