Kurt Atterberg’s music is instantly lovable and so stereotypically “romantic”-sounding that it sometimes threatens to cross over the line into caricature. This happens, for example, in his Piano Concerto, but the Violin Concerto is another matter entirely. I had previously lumped the two together in the wake of singularly disappointing performances released on Sterling a couple of years back, but now it seems that in a fine rendition such as this one, the music really does repay attentive listening.
At nearly 40 minutes, it’s still a long haul, especially for the soloist, but Ulf Wallin has matters well in hand and gives an intense, passionate account of the score. My only criticism is that the finale, which is marked Allegro molto and shares a thematic relationship to the “storm” music of the Third Symphony, could have been conducted by Roger Epple with still greater abandon. But I strongly doubt that the composer’s fans will be disappointed.
The two shorter works are typically appealing. If the Overture in A minor–an early piece already clearly revealing the composer’s mature idiom–arguably outstays its welcome by a minute or two, the folk-inspired Värmlands Rhapsody is just plain gorgeous, and beautifully made in all respects. It makes an enticing disc-opener, and given the extremely high quality of the orchestral playing and typically fine German radio sound, anyone who has been collecting this series will need no further urging from me. [6/19/2006]
