Pettersson - Syms No 5 & 16 - A Francis, Saarbrucken RSO, J-E Kelly, sax (1995) [Philidor; FLAC]

Allan Pettersson is now considered one of the most important Swedish composers of the 20th century. In his lifetime, he had several champions but stood outside the musical mainstream, with his large-scaled, expressively grim scores. A Honegger pupil, his life wasn't easy: a violent, alcoholic father, and a mid-life diagnosis of crippling arthritis. Still, he continued composing to the end. His entire symphonic legacy--effectively 15, since the first and seventeenth were unfinished--have now been recorded complete, though a few have multiple recordings to their credit.

Pettersson's 5th symphony began a series that concluded with his 8th, gaining greater recognition abroad. The 16th, by contrast, was the last symphony the composer completed before his death. He'd been approached by a saxophonist to write a work, and instead of responding to discuss the matter, wrote his new symphony with the spotlight on the sax, and sent it along. Pettersson never played the saxophone, which made the work difficullt to perform, but ultimately proved a rewarding challenge. It was very well received upon its premiere.

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You can find all my classical uploads by searching on Philidor, or just looking in this regularly updated thread:

http://kickasstorrents.ee/community.../philidor-s-classical-stuff/