Thanh-Tam Le [[log in to unmask]] wrote: >(unless one of our distinguished Swedish listers says the contrary...). As I see I am called for, I'd better come out and tell:-) >I haven't read the critics Joel mentionned, but I have known the concerto >for about 15 years. It is a bit eclectic, retaining Atterberg's intense >lyricism, sometimes even coming close to Rachmaninov, but also -- and more >unexpectedly still -- to Prokofiev. It is altogether more ironic than the >symphonies Nos. 1-6, but does not betray the kind of bitterness to be >found in later works. This is not too surprising, since Atterberg's >reputation had not collapsed as yet Atterberg has actually never been popular. The reason is that he had many enemies in his lifetime. And the reasons to that is first of all that he notoriously followed Peterson-Arger and Rangstroem in the tradition of aggressive Swedish critics, and he made enemies to right and left. Also there was that clumsy saying. I will tell it for those who don't know it: When Atterberg hold a speech about the future of classical music, with the journalists from the daily papers present, he said about that "the etablishment shall help those musicians who are white and blad and ignore those who are dark and hairy" - a clearly racist speech. (That was my summary, but I am ready to produce it word for word if somebody is interested). This was on 2 december 1941. Half a year later Atterberg in an article attacked two non-Swedish musicians very foul. And the result was more quarreling. So in an article in "Expressen" 24.10.1945 Atterberg was accused for being a member of the Swedish nazi party and furthermore it claimed that there was a secret agrement that said that if Hitler had invaded Sweden, Atterberg should get the post as leader for the Swedish correspondance to "Reichmusikkammer". There was a public investigation of the case, and Atterberg defended himself with that he had neither interest of insights in politics, but he loved the Swedish music and his burning passion to defend it has caused him to make some improper speeches. As a matter of fact all those attacks worked like a boumerang and had severly damadged Atterbergs own reputation. I would say one is wrong if one assume that his isolation and bitterness at old age was selfcaused. The strange thing was that although he this very sharp intelligence, he seemed completely unable to realize that all his thinking was based on racist bias. On a question in an interwiew 1971 of if he was a antisemit, he replied: "How can I have been an antisemit when I have found my dearest childhood friends - Rolf Heymann and his family - within the jewish race? How can I have felt hatred towards the jews when I have built my play "Jefta" on three jewish melodies and made a suite of it which was premiered in 1948? The text to my opera "Fanal" was written by two Austrians, of which I.M. Welleminsky is a jew. I tried to save him and his old mother for Sweden in 1939 but I failed. Better luck I had with the French jewish writer Jean-Jacques Bernard who was set in a concentrationcamp by the Germans. I did it through Dankwort, a demarche at "Auswaertiges Amt" in Berlin. This was the 25.04.1942. In August the same year I and my wife recieved two books by Bernard with thankful dedications. Furthermore I suggest my memorynotes and a letter to Mia Leche-Loefgren where I answer her accusations in "Idun" (1942:16) of "antisemitic derwishmess". Finally I want to point out that the jews are known for keeping together and help each other. That I see as something positive. But why aren't we aryans allowed to defend our interests?" I think most of people here see clearly what is wrong. Atterberg was convinced, and he said it at several occasions, that there was a jewish conspiracion against him and his music, a sort of late revenge for his claimed antisemitism. That he had made many people very angry with his aggressive reviews and articles, he didn't seem to be aware of. >I personally feel closer to, say, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5, but this >concerto certainly is temperamental and spectacular. I like the 6th sinfonie "Dollarsinfonie", although it maybe hasn't the same symphonic quality as say sinfonie nr.4 "Piccola". But it has charm. "De faavitska Jungfrurna" is also a good work indeed. And the 8th symphony is indeed interesting. Could you recommend a good recording of the 3rd and 5th sinfonies? Mats Norrman [log in to unmask]