Among the symphonies by Allan Pettersson, the Seventh is often\naccorded a special importance, partly because of the immediate\nsuccess it enjoyed at its first performance, in 1968, but also\nbecause it has come to be perceived as more closely associated than\nother works with the personal life of its composer. As a result,\nSymphony No.6, which was premièred less than a year before the\nseventh, has come to be overshadowed by its successor. It is\nnevertheless an imposing work: an almost hour-long single-movement\nsymphony in which the composer established a specific,\nself-contained musical style which would serve as a basis for the\nthree symphonies that followed in quick succession. Allan\nPettersson’s Sixth forms a compelling and singular edifice, with\nits slow introduction, a first part characterised by intense\nactivity on a motivic level and a slower second part reminiscent of\nan immense coda and remarkable for Pettersson’s extensive use of\nthe melody from Han ska släcka min lykta (‘He will extinguish my\nlight’), the last of his own Barefoot Songs. Christian Lindberg –\n‘whose affinity with Pettersson’s idiom is manifest’ (Gramophone) –\nhas previously conducted the three Concertos for String Orchestra\non BIS, as well as the first ever performance and recording of the\nFirst Symphony. This work was begun in the late 1940s, but although\nthe composer never completed it, he never abandoned it either.\nChristian Lindberg oversaw the preparation of a performance edition\nbased on Pettersson’s sketches, and his recording of the results\nwas received with great interest at its release in 2011, with\ncritical accolades including the seal of approval from\nInternational Record Review (‘Outstanding’), klassik-heute.de\n(‘10/10/10’) and Scherzo magazine (‘Disco excepcional’), and praise\nfor both Christian Lindberg and the Norrköping Symphony\nOrchestra.

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