Kurt Atterberg - Piano Concerto; Rhapsody; Ballade & Passcaglia (Love Derwinger; Ari Rasilainen)

Information

Composer: Kurt Atterberg

• Rhapsody for piano & orchestra, Op. 1
• Piano Concerto in B flat minor, Op. 37
• Ballade & Passacaglia over a theme from a Swedish folk tune, Op. 38

Love Derwinger, piano

NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

Ari Rasilainen, conductor

Date: 1999

Label: CPO

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Review

Atterberg’s Piano Concerto begins like Grieg’s, thus setting the pattern for an expansively melodic and noble, heroic work in the grand Late Romantic tradition. There are sideways glances at Tchaikovsky and, in the more introspective and melancholic passages, Rachmaninov is often recalled in the orchestra’s Romantic opulence with the piano intoning bell-like figures in counterpoint. That is not to say that the voice of Atterberg is subjugated; on the contrary his individuality is strong, through the sort of assertive treatment of Nordic material familiar from the symphonies. The Andante begins in hushed stillness in the strings, the momentum picking up slowly with the piano quietly pensive – the bell-like tones are revisited – until a passionate climax is reached with piano and orchestra returning to Rachmaninov territory. The finale, marked Furioso, is the least successful of the three movements. It is a peculiar, uncomfortable mix of galumphing folk material, odd syncopation and jazz inflections, and some self-conscious romance with Rachmaninov waiting for the grand final peroration.

The Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra is Atterberg’s Op 1 and it shows. That is not to say that it does not have charm or fails to grip. It passes through many moods from the grand heroic through dark introspection to carefree high spirits taking in some very oddly accented rhythms, while influences fluctuate between the Nordic and the hot heady Oriental – typified by Rimsky-Korsakov. An interesting oddity.

More assured is the Ballad and Passacaglia, subtitled “On a Theme in the Swedish Folk Tone” which was once quite popular. It was premiered in Stockholm, in 1937, by Eugene Ormandy. It is something of a short symphony in structure. The opening movement has plenty of bravado and one is reminded of the storm movement of Atterberg’s Symphony No 3 “West Coast Pictures”. A lovely lyrical episode follows as a ‘slow movement’; the cheeky scherzo section is extraordinary, it sounds like a clog dance, while the concluding section brings the work to end in Brahmsian solemnity.

A feast for unashamed romantics. Grand Romantic, heart-on-sleeve stuff, over the top music, delivered in bravura performances by Derwinger and Rasilainen. Another winner in this splendid cpo Atterberg edition.

— Ian Lace

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Kurt Atterberg (12 December 1887 – 15 February 1974) was a Swedish composer and civil engineer. Born in Gothenburg, he studied composition at the Stockholm Conservatory and earned an engineering degree from the Royal Institute of Technology. Atterberg composed nine symphonies, six concertante works, five operas, and two ballets, all in a late Romantic style. In addition to composing, he also served also as a conductor, critic and administrator. After the end of World War II, Atterberg was accused of being a Nazi sympathizer, which resulted in him being isolated and ignored by younger composers and writers.

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Love Derwinger (born 26 August 1966) is a Swedish pianist. He is educated at Musikhögskolan in Stockholm and made his debut at the age of sixteen. Since then he has given concerts in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, the Middle East and South America and also participated in many prestigious festivals worldwide. Derwinger has appeared as a soloist with the major Scandinavian orchestras, collaborating with renowned conductors. He also devotes much attention to chamber music, contemporary music and the Lieder repertoire. For many years he has been regular accompanist of soprano Barbara Hendricks.

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Ari Rasilainen (born 18 February 1959 in Helsinki) is a Finnish conductor. He studied conducting with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy and with Arvid Jansons in Berlin. He also studied violin in Berlin with Aleksander Labko, then played as a violinist in the Finnish Radio Symphony and the Helsinki Philharmonic. As a conductor, Rasilainen was Generalmusikdirektor of the Deutschen Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz from 2002 to 2009. He has also worked as a guest conductor with several German radio symphony orchestras. Rasilainen has been teaching at the University of Music in Würzburg since 2011.

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