How did I miss this?
As a former brass player I don't know how I missed the music of Kurt Atterberg in my ca. 50 years of listening to music. I bought the symphonies set based on the reviews on Amazon and don't regret it. This is incredible music and the performances are excellent. I would agree with the other reviewers who said that this is their best complete symphonies purchase ever. It is difficult to pin down influences because this is very distinctive music. Powerful!

A Pleasant Surprise
I didn't expect much from this box set. An orchestra and conductor that I was not familiar with, and a composer not played in concert halls outside his country to any great extent, if at all. So it was a pleasant surprise to find beautiful, tuneful well crafted symphonies and orchestral pieces that give hours of listening pleasure contained within.

Atterberg regarded himself as a "national classicist" rather than a "national romanticist" And to a certain extent this is true. His music is indeed conservative and classical in form, but it is also romantic in the harmonies adopted. There are expanded self contained folk melodies, and references to early established motifs throughout his music. All seem natural and logical.

All in all, then, a box of delights. And yes, the Stuttgart orchestra play with appropriate verve, and are recorded in a suitable acoustic. If you like traditional, tuneful, conservative well crafted music then I am sure you will enjoy Atterberg as recorded here.

Excellent!!!
This is the best box set of classical music I have purchased in the past 5 years. When listening to Atterberg, I hear touches of Vaughan Williams, Sibelius and Bax, just to name a few that come to mind.

Atterberg's music has a "grandness," an expression of life and effective blending of the full range of human emotion that differentiates it from any other composer that I know of. Memorable forms and often thick, beautiful orchestration guarantee you will revisit this music. And it is difficult not to, even a casual listener is easily drawn in. Atterberg takes you on a journey through a world, not in the sense of Mahler however, it's never exaggerated, instead the music is always focused, and above all, effective.

This music can be difficult to describe to a new-comer. With most composers a certain "quality" comes to mind immediately; the symphonies of Bax for example have a very nature-esque quality which I love. Much of Tubin's symphonic work dwells in a somber world of dark human emotions. The music of Sibelius inspires a rugged, Finland landscape. But Atterberg defies these limits to my ears, listening to these discs for the first time was like opening a box of candy. I never knew exactly what I would get, but from the other discs I knew it would be wonderful. This is a very enduring cycle; every symphony is something special and unique. In particular I recommend listening to the third and sixth to begin with.

Beauty and intensity...Romanticism at its best
Kurt Atterberg's symphonies are wonderful examples of *music which exults* (to paraphrase Rachmaninoff): gorgeous melodies, lush orchestration, tension and release with climactic moments of epic sweep and grandeur alternating with moments of quiet poignancy and serenity. The other reviewers have done a great job of pointing out the merits of invididual symphonies/movements. Taken as a whole, I consider this to be one of the most satisfying symphonic sets I have ever come across. The craft is there, but as a hopeless romantic, I enjoy music which primarily touches my heart, music of unabashed beauty and intensity. If you revel in this type of music as well, buy this set! I plan on searching for the rest of Atterberg's music (his Horn Concerto, opus 28, is another gem!) and making it part of my collection.

Best Complete Symphonies You Can Purchase
Having heard the sixth symphony on a radio broadcast (albeit missing the second movement because of problems at the station), I decided to go out on a limb and buy the complete symphonies, being completely unfamiliar with Atterberg.

It was a decision I do not regret.

Atterberg's complete symphonies has to be the best CD purchase I have ever made, out of a collection of 500 some classical CDs. There's nothing revolutionary about Atterberg's music. He takes what has been done already and does it better, to the extent that this in and of itself is the revolutionary component of the works. Sometimes, it can even be frustratingly simple, such as how he insists time and again to end a movement or work with a V, I. Yet the depth, the color, the masterful orchestration: Atterberg's music is worth a hear, whether you are a fan of the twentieth century serialism or Baroque period music. Everytime I hear his symphonies, I wonder again and again: how does he do it? He siphons every last drip of gorgeous Scandianvian tones, textures, and cattails out of the orchestra that I think, not even Sibelius had this talent for orchestration, not even in Lemminkainen. And the music always goes right where you want it to go, perfectly, yet without you knowing it's going there. Not cliche, so transient.

When I buy a complete symphonies set, I am sometimes overwhelmed and do not know where to go with it. So hopefully this plan will help those who wish to listen:

A) Start with the sixth symphony. The melody, orchestration, and tempo are all balanced well. Atterberg composed this for a Franz Schubert contest and won. (Originally, the contest called for a completion of his unfinished symphony, but it was so controversial, that the idea was dropped.) Atterberg decided not to show at the awards banquet since he didn't want to applaud the victory of another composer. How suprised he was the next morning when he saw the newspaper headlines! Another catch to this story that is less well known is another of his works he submitted, a chamber work, received third place.

B) Then listen to the third. The first and third movements are gentle and have soaring, gorgeous moments, while the second is a loud storm, reminiscent of Britten's storm in Peter Grimes. No movement, no, no movement, compares to the last. Atterberg at his pinnacle for soaring gorgeous colorful orchestration: the twinkle of heavenly bodies at the gust of a chilly breeze, the retired contemplations of fish in the sea, then the applauding grandeur of the cued sun illuminating the twilight sky, a color scheme no advanced digital art could ever render accurately.

C) The second symphony is stylistically similar to the third, with the first and second movements containing triumphant and broad, yet gentle sections. The second movement is especially colorful, and is my second favorite movement of all the symphonies. It concludes with a blazing theme ice skating across the clouds. The last movement was written after a frustrating performance of his Suite No. 1 that went sour due to poor musicianship. Thus, it's sort of a loud and forceful, though not angry, response, ultimately recalling themes earlier in the symphony. Personally, I think the symphony was satisfactory without the third movement, as Atterberg original had it, but then again I'm thankful for the additional movement regardless of its appropriateness in this symphony.

D) The first symphony sets the foundation for the second and third. This is one of his three four-movement symphonies. Thus, we're treated to a scherzo that is well-worth its insertion. The second movement resembles the slow, broad movements of Atterberg's other symphonies that are lush with surging ecstasy.

At this point, you may wish to listen to the River piece, included as an extra work in the complete symphony set.

E) The eigth symphony is Atterberg's other four-movement work. Once again, a beautiful Scherzo, and a complimentary slow movement that is more exploratory and dismally curious in nature than previous slow movements. The first and fourth movements show a more rough side of Atterberg.

F) The fifth symphony, the "funeral," is written in a darker, more abysmal style with more dissonance and conflict than what the listerner is used to hearing. The second movement, however, is characteristic of Atterberg's slow movements, though with much restrained hope: mournful and longing. The forward-movement leading to the climax leaves the listener clinging to every chord progression and does not fail to deliver a fulfilling revelation at the end with a thematic call of the brass and shrilling, pulsating strings. The counterpoint amongst the strings is also gripping. The third movement recalls moments of conflict from the first movement and the serenity from the second, but ends with a heavy waltz, sort of like dancing in 3/4 time with Death himself, except he weighs 500 pounds.

G) The fourth symphony is a smaller work consisting of four movements. The highlight is the second movement, which is the slow movement; it's soft and introspective. The other three movements are loud and violent.

H) The seventh symphony, which is the Romantic, was where I started when I got the set. However, it was difficult listening at first. The first and third movements are loud and heavy on the brass, symbols, and drums/timpani. The second movement is typical slow-movement Atterberg. In time, I came to appreciate it, too, but it's a triffle harder to when I'm treated to music the likes I've never heard before in most of his other symphonies.

I) The ninth symphony is different than the previous eight symphonies. It's more of a cantata of Norse mythology. The writing is somewhat peculiar for Atterberg. The work alternates between violence and stillness, all leading up to the final doomsday battle. The symphony employs several soloists and a chorus.

If you find that you have enjoyed this symphony set and want to hear more, the Piano Concerto and the Horn Concerto may be logical next steps. Also, try some of Atterberg's chamber pieces. He wrote a piano quintet that is an arrangement of the sixth symphony. I believe most of his out-of-print chamber music CDs are now available on MP3 if you have trouble finding the albums.

Also, if you haven't heard them yet, listen to
Howard Hanson's seven symphonies, especially 2, 3, and 4
Melartin's Symphonies 3 and 4
Alfven's Symphony 4
Sibelius' Lemminkainen Suite
Madetoja's Symphony 2
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger's Symphony 3 and Romance in d Minor
Kaljo Raid's Symphony 1
Eduard Tubin's Symphonies 2, 3, and 4
Ture Rangstrom's four symphonies
Lars-Erik Larsson's Symphony 3 and Winter's Tale
Del Tredici's In Memory of a Summer Day
And of course, Atterberg's other works, including concertos and chamber pieces

All are Scandinavian/Baltic composers except the first and last, who are neo-romantic American composers, the former adopting a deliberate Scandianvian style and the latter having immense depth, color, and intricate tonal structure in his music.

The orchestration, style, and depth of the aforementioned pieces are well compatible with Atterberg's works.

If interested in exploring more Atterberg music, I've compiled a list of recorded works available:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/RCCA9X5282U8L/ref=cm_lm_pthnk_view?ie=UTF8&lm%5Fbb=

After this CD purchase, I became an immediate Atterberg completionist- all recordings of all his music. Will I ever find a composer who impresses me like this all over again? I hope so.