Kurt Atterberg - String Quartet No. 3, Op. 39 (1937)

Kurt Magnus Atterberg (12 December 1887 – 15 February 1974) was a Swedish composer and engineer. He is best known for his symphonies, operas, and ballets.

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String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 39 (1937)

1. Allegro Op. 39, No. 1 (0:00)
2. Scherzo - Presto Op. 2, No. 1 (8:24)
3. Romans - Adagio Op. 2, No. 2 (15:43)
4. Rondo - Allegro deciso Op. 39, No. 2 (22:44)

Stenhammar String Quartet

Details by Edition Silvertrust:

Atterberg's String Quartet No.3 in D Major is actually a revisiting of his first string quartet, his Op.2, which was incomplete. It consisted of two movements, a scherzo and a romance. It was composed in 1909. He returned to it again in 1936 and added two more movements. It was then christened String Quartet No.3, Op.39. The two outer movements, that is to say the first and last movements are Op.39, the middle movements Op.2. The work begins with an upbeat Allegro with a lovely, flowing melody. As the movement unfolds, a nervous foward motion takes over and the overall effect is one of pleasant energy. The second movement, a Presto, which he subtitled Scherzo, is played muted. Playful and frenetic, it seems to show an affinity with the French impressionists. The third movement, a very romantic Adagio, was subtitled Romance. The finale, Allegro deciso, Atterberg subtitled Rondo, intending it apparently to have a dance-like feel. The effect created is one of motion, a kind of restless traveling music.

Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974) was born in the Swedish city of Gothenberg. As a boy he studied the cello locally before moving to Stockholm. There he studied engineering but also entered the Stockholm Conservatory taking composition lessons although most sources claim that he was essentially a self-taught composer. For most of his life, he pursued a dual career as an engineer, while at the same time composing in most genres. Like so many other late Romantic composers, his music was buried by the rush to atonalism after the First World War. As this work shows, his music is well-worth discovering. This is a great work, which would certainly make a hit in the concert hall.