Recordings: Symphony No. 8

Despite my reservations about this piece, I think it may be possible that this symphony might be another one of those works in the universe of classical music where inherent shortcomings can be overcome with a truly convincing performance. To me personally, Bruckner is a perfect example of this—most of his symphonies, unless conducted by someone who truly understands the Brucknerian idiom, can come across as interminable, flaccid affairs. However, when done right, they can be transcendent.

Coming back to Pettersson, then. There are actually four of recordings for this piece, but out of the three I’m reviewing here, if I had to pick one it would be Segerstam, hands down. But anyways, let’s go through the others a little bit.

Symphony No. 8

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Sergiu Comissiona, conductor

DG 2531 176

NOTE: The recording I listened to is actually Polar 289, but I assume it is exactly the same as the DG recording.

According to the RSPO historical archive, on 3 December 1975 Sergiu Comissiona performed this work during a guest appearance of the Göteborg Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm. Pettersson listened to the performance on the radio and declared that the interpretation was ideal, and that the broadcast tape could be used to make a commercial recording. The present recording was made on 27 and 31 October 1977, so unless Comissiona’s interpretation differs dramatically from his Göteborg performances, one can assume that the performance here is what the composer intended.

Before getting into any details I should mention some issues I encountered while listening to this record. Unfortunately my record player rotates just a hair too slow, making everything sound a half-step flat. This created two problems: first of all, it made an already slow-ish interpretation even slower, and second, having perfect pitch I nearly went crazy looking at the score, seeing one thing and hearing another.

Having said all this, Comissiona really does lead an excellent performance—kudos as well to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Particularly noteworthy is Comissiona’s emphasis on the middle voices, especially in the opening section of the work. Just like his later recording effort of the Symphony No. 7, Comissiona really draws out the ideal Pettersson orchestral sound—listen to the how he moves between brass and woodwinds in the transitional chorals in opening section, for example. In the “movement” proper Comissiona moves very deliberately, creating a sense of reluctance despite the escalating frenzy. The low brass are eruptive and the percussion terrifying (although I could use more tam-tam), which are lacking in the other two recordings. Also listen to the truly evil sounding solo string slashes in the second “movement,” and the following section which is much more menacing in Comissiona’s hands.

Unfortunately, despite being an excellent performance and most likely having the composer’s own stamp of approval, I think Comissiona’s slow tempos really detract from what could have been the most convincing argument for this work. Of the three recordings, his second movement is the slowest and his first takes a minute and a half longer than Segerstam. Accordingly, the opening sections of both “movements,” though played very well, tend to drag. The already protracted second movement unfortunately seemed interminable at times. Who knows, maybe this is all exactly what Pettersson wanted.

Symphony No. 8

RSO Berlin

Thomas Sanderling, conductor

CPO 999 085-2

Unfortunately, like several of the non-Francis recordings of CPO’s Pettersson cycle, Sanderling’s effort in this symphony is not really competitive, although I would say that this performance went better than Albrecht in the Symphony No. 7.

Like Comissiona, Albrecht decides to go the slow route in this piece. Shaky intonation by the bassoons gets things going. From then on, some ensemble issues and a sense of unfamiliarity permeate this performance. Unlike the perfectly blended sound that Segerstam and Comissiona find, here individual instruments come out a bit more than is preferable.

However, there are some good things going on as well. The march section of the opening, though slower than Segerstam, does benefit from the more prominent percussion. This is also an advantage in the proper of the second “movement” where one feels more present in the music, increasing its intensity despite the slow-ish tempo. This is in contrast to the “safe distance” feeling I get from Segerstam. Also listen to the increased presence of Sanderling’s rapid-fire horns and trumpets in this section. 

Symphony No. 8

Norrköping Symphony Orchestra

Leif Segerstam, conductor

CPO 999 085-2

Segerstam easily makes the most convincing argument for this piece, but he cannot quite overcome the work’s shortcomings to make this symphony something I’ll regularly come back to. It certainly helps that Segerstam’s timings most closely approximate Pettersson's score indications: first part,19:39 and second part 26:10 (Pettersson asks for approximately 20 and 25 minutes, respectively).

Like his recording of the Symphony No. 7, Segerstam has his band whipped into top shape while bringing a keen ear for instrumental detail but only in the proper orchestral context—in other words, perfectly blended sound. Listen to the beautiful woodwind/strings chord at the start of the march in the opening section of the first “movement,” with just the right amount of weight in the attack before fading to piano. Or listen to the clarinet/viola section solo, right after the climax of the central march in the opening section: clearly present, but not overpowering above the fragile string background.

Maybe this is more an issue with the recording itself rather than the interpretive or artistic quality, but I find the sound to be somewhat distant and lacking in impact. As this recording was my first exposure to this piece, this might explain why I feel a certain amount of emotional detachment in this symphony compared to its predecessor. Now, if only someone can make a new recording with the intensity of Comissiona and the swift tempos of Segerstam...