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BIS

Pettersson: Seven Sonatas For Two Violins / Duo Gelland

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Details

Composer
PETTERSSON, ALLAN
Artist
DUO GELLAND
Format
CD
Label
BIS
Released
Feb 01, 2000
Catalog #
BIS-CD-1028
UPC
7318590010280

About


Allan Pettersson is best known, even notorious in some circles, for having composed some of the bleakest symphonic music of the post-war era, especially those works cast in a single, uninterrupted movement filling a vast, grim canvass. Among his earliest mature compositions, however, stands this remarkable cycle of seven sonatas for two violins, all written in 1951. These are compact works ranging from three-and-a-half to 13 minutes in length. Each foam at the mouth with nervous, creative energy and relentless virtuosic demands. Folk-related themes plus fingerprint ostinatos and repeated notes morph into twisted images in a room full of fun house mirrors. Shrieking glissandos and stabbing pizzicatos spruce up Pettersson's visionary string deployment, which often gives the illusion of more than a mere pair of fiddlers. For the most part, Martin and Cecilia Gelland bring out the music's unbridled, daring aspects to more cogent effect than the Grünfarb/Mannberg violin duo that pioneered the sonatas in the late 1970s on the Caprice label. Some listeners, though, may prefer the earlier duo's suaver and steadier opening in the First Sonata. A group of violin/piano miniatures fills out the disc. These early, brooding character pieces are both somber and fragile, and are sensitively played by Martin Gelland and pianist Lennart Wallin. There's little to choose between Wallin's stark reading of Petterson's 1945 Lamento and Volker Banfield's slightly more animated, flowing version on CPO. Alexander Keuk's clear and useful annotations will appeal to curious Pettersson neophytes. If you've never encountered Pettersson's uncompromising brand of modernism, the sonatas for two violins are the best place to start. --Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Tracklist 18 tracks

  1. 1 Sonata No. 1 for two violins 13:03
    Track
    1
    Title
    Sonata No. 1 for two violins
    Duration
    13:03
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  2. 2 I. Allegro con allegrezza 01:34
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Allegro con allegrezza
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  3. 3 II. Moderato 03:06
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Moderato
    Duration
    03:06
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  4. 4 III. Allegro veloce - Ostinato 01:58
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Allegro veloce - Ostinato
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  5. 5 Sonata No. 3 for two violins 05:10
    Track
    5
    Title
    Sonata No. 3 for two violins
    Duration
    05:10
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  6. 6 Sonata No. 4 for two violins 05:14
    Track
    6
    Title
    Sonata No. 4 for two violins
    Duration
    05:14
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  7. 7 Sonata No. 5 for two violins 10:48
    Track
    7
    Title
    Sonata No. 5 for two violins
    Duration
    10:48
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  8. 8 I. Andante 02:19
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. Andante
    Duration
    02:19
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  9. 9 II. Walzer 01:11
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Walzer
    Duration
    01:11
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  10. 10 III. Mesto 02:16
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Mesto
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  11. 11 IV. Tempo di Walzer 01:33
    Track
    11
    Title
    IV. Tempo di Walzer
    Duration
    01:33
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  12. 12 V. Andante 04:38
    Track
    12
    Title
    V. Andante
    Duration
    04:38
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  13. 13 Sonata No. 7 for two violins 03:34
    Track
    13
    Title
    Sonata No. 7 for two violins
    Duration
    03:34
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
    Ensemble
    Duo Gelland
  14. 14 Lamento for piano 02:50
    Track
    14
    Title
    Lamento for piano
    Duration
    02:50
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
  15. 15 I. Andantino 01:38
    Track
    15
    Title
    I. Andantino
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
  16. 16 II. — 01:16
    Track
    16
    Title
    II. —
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
  17. 17 Romanza for violin and piano 02:22
    Track
    17
    Title
    Romanza for violin and piano
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson
  18. 18 Andante espressivo for violin and piano 02:30
    Track
    18
    Title
    Andante espressivo for violin and piano
    Duration
    02:30
    Composer
    Allan Pettersson