Ulf Wallin, Norrköpings Symfoniorkester, Michail Jurowski - Peterson-Berger: Symphony No. 5, Violin Concerto in F-Sharp Minor (2005)

I recently reviewed Peterson-Berger's First Symphony, which I thought deserved to categorized as "light music" (not a criticism, just description of my impression), so I thought I would try his final symphony to see how he had developed. Well . . . this is a lovely piece. Titled "Solitudo," it is expressively coherent and beautifully scored, and it's played very well here by Michail Jurowski and the Norrkoping Orchestra. Let's be clear about what it seems to express -- not the depression of isolation but rather a contented solitude. The indication "tranquillo" marks three of the movements. So there's no drama, no intensity, but a contentment that is never boring because the music in which it is expressed is presented with clarity and variety and with the kind of feeling that I associate with the Vaughan Williams of the folk-song settings (for V-W's symphonies are intense and disturbing in ways that P-B's are not). The opening of the slow movement has gorgeous woodwind writing, and the transition from the allegro to the andante section of the last movement is beautifully managed, both in terms of tempo and in variation of the thematic material that constitutes the first part of the last movement. All in all, the symphony is a very accomplished production.

The disc also contains a beautiful performance, by Ulf Wallin, of P-B's Violin Concerto. To pair this concerto with the Fifth Symphony makes good sense because they are expressively quite similar. Here the soloist and orchestra are comfortable partners -- there are no violin heroics contra the orchestra here. That might make it less memorable than the Brahms or Tchaikovsky, but the experience of listening to it is just as satisfying. The balance between soloist and orchestra is ideal here, and that suits P-B's conception well. The almost 4-minute cadenza in the middle of the first movement separates a largely lyrical first section from a more agitated final section, so that, though the movement runs to 17+ minutes, it's not at all boring. The slow movement opens with a lovely wind passage and continues with an unpretentious lyricism when the soloist enters. The finale has a dance-like feel -- a jig, one is tempted to say -- and again Vaughan Williams comes to mind, although this movement ends with understatement rather than flourish. All in all, it's difficult to understand why this music isn't programmed more often. Highly recommended!