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Pettersson's symphonies can be a tough nut to crack. I have some older recordings of them from Swedish labels, but haven't listened to them in years. You certainly have to be in the right mood. They're mostly dissonant, but tonal, and extremely somber. I haven't heard the more recent Hamburg recordings, but they got very mixed reviews when they came out. If I am not mistaken, I think his 2nd and 5th symphonies are his most approachable for first time listeners.Nice to see a recommendation of music off the beaten path. Thanks. I may sample this series.
... Silvestrov's 5th symphony, the version that came out on Sony, was another hit of the same era, very similar in style to Rautavaara's music of the time. Kancheli is another one who comes to mind, and of course Pärt. I have enjoyed many of their works, but never did like Pärt very much, for some reason. Some of this music can get monotonous as it just sort of drifts along. Kancheli will occasionally wake you up with a few gigantic fortissimos. BTW, I love Silvestrov's chamber music and his music for solo piano. Beautiful stuff. Look for a couple of discs with pianist Jenny Lin.
My first taste of Bartok, very nice............Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Hungarian Sketches by Bela Bartok, Fritz Reiner, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Hybrid SACD).