Symphony No.5 in D minor "Sinfonia Funebre" - Kurt Atterberg

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ari Rasilaien.

I - Pesante allegro - Molto più mosso - Subito allargando molto - Tempo I - Più vivo - Subito poco largamente - Tempo I - (attacca): 0:00
II - Lento - (attacca): 9:10
III - Allegro molto - Tempo vivo - Un poco meno mosso - Adagio - Allegro - Adagio - Allegro - Tempo vivo - Tempo di Valse - Poco tranquillo - Subito poco largamente - Tempo di Valse - Molto tranquillo - Lento: 19:00

Atterberg's Symphony No.5 was composed between 1917-22, being later revised in its orchestration in 1947. He explained that this long composition process was due to the doubts that he had in his own creative capacity. It was premiered in Berlin on January 12 of 1923, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Atterberg himself. It was very well-received all over Germany and his natal Sweden.

While the work is not programmatic in nature, its subtitle denotes a state of mental turmoil and great sadness, both in Atterberg's life and the world surrounding him after the horrors of the Great War. The composer preceded the score with the following motto: "For each man kills the thing he loves". It comes from Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol". The poem is based on thoughts about the execution of a prisoner in Reading prison, accused of killing the woman he had loved. The phrase chosen by Atterberg belongs to the verses cited below:

Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die.

The first movement is structured in sonata form. It begins a series of dramatic chords, which will be present through the work. A tragic and rhythmic main theme is presented by cellos over nervous violins. After a bitter climax, a lyrical but melancholic second theme is presented in a manner reminiscent of Sibelius. The following development section opens with the chords of the beginning, being very violent and dramatic. The recapitulation opens with the lyrical second theme before the forceful main one, resulting in a symmetrical structure. A thunderous, hopeless coda closes the movement and a sustained note of the piano takes us to the next part.

The second movement is a funeral lento in for of an arch. It opens with an elegiac main theme on strings, which unfolds in an expressive manner over a simple march rhythm as oboes take it. The heckelphone (a kind of baritone oboe) introduces a new idea, before the main theme is taken by strings, which slowly grows until leading to a powerful climax. Brass and percussion enter as painful screams before they calm down. A hopeless transition leads us to the next part.

The third movement is written in a modified sonata form. It begins with the work's opening chords, leading us to a furious, forceful main theme. After an extensive exposition of this material, an eerie, haunting second theme is presented by low strings over figurations of the wood. A dynamic development then begins with great urgency, full of dissonances and menacing gestures. The recapitulation begins in form of a sardonic waltz, a kind of danse macabre. Material from the second movement reappear in a brief remembrance, interpreted in an elegiac way by the string. The opening chords reappear once again, put against two repetitive notes. A low-key pizzicato chord ends the work.

Picture: "See you in Valhalla" (2015) by the German concept artist Mateusz Katzig.

Sources: https://bit.ly/3IRe2j9, https://bit.ly/3xTsG4b and https://bit.ly/41pHHbx

To check the score: https://bit.ly/3xWgrE1

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