There’s a certain honesty to Kurt Atterberg’s music that’s really very fetching. His harmony is resolutely diatonic and romantic: when it’s major it’s happy, when it’s minor it’s sad, and this emotional directness remains consistent throughout his career. There is very little stylistic difference between the Second Symphony of 1911 and the Eighth of 1944. The latter is based on “Swedish National Melodies”, but the pastoral former work might have been as well for all the difference it makes. Both fall gratefully on the ear, but have plenty of contrast in mood, color, and texture to keep things interesting throughout their modest, half-hour length.
As in the first release in this series, Järvi leads vivid, energetic performances greatly assisted by some first-class playing from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. After all, if they don’t represent Atterberg well, then who will? The Eighth Symphony, in particular, was written for a small orchestra with a limited brass section (including two horns and a single trombone), and yet the textures remain remarkably rich and full. The string playing in the scherzo features notable delicacy and lightness without ever sounding like retrogressive, faux-Mendelssohn, as so many late-romantic German-style symphonies can. Chandos’ SACD sonics are also excellent. Keep up the good work, fellas.