Oriental Dance Wilhelm Peterson-Berger / Arr. Jerker Johansson

Serie / Series: Concert Band Originals and Transcriptions

Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867¬1942), Swedish composer, beloved most of all for his collections of small piano pieces, Frösöblomster 13 (Flowers from Frösö). Peterson-Berger himself, primarily treasured his five symphonies and five operas, but today it is mainly his songs and piano pieces which are performed. Besides composing he worked as a music critic at the daily paper Dagens Nyheter, and was feared by many for his sharp, sometimes almost vicious, pen.

Peterson-Berger originally composed Oriental Dance for piano during his studies in Dresden in 1890, and immediately orchestrated the piece. It is one of his earliest pieces, somewhat of a bagatelle, admittedly, which might have found its inspiration in Grieg's Peer Gynt suite, yet it has a naïve charm which well compensates for its weakness. Oriental Dance was first performed by the Künstlerverein in Dresden in February, 1890.

[NO]Wilhelm Peterson-Berger har genom sina pianosamlingar Frösöblomster 13 kommit att bli en av Sveriges mest folkkära tonsättare. Han lade själv störst vikt vid sina fem symfonier och fem operor men det är i huvudsak hans små pianostycken och sånger som framförs idag. Vid sidan om sitt komponerande var han musikkritiker vid tidningen Dagens Nyheter och fruktad av många för sin vassa penna.

Orientalisk dans skrevs ursprungligen för piano under Peterson-Bergers studietid i Dresden 1890. Det är ett av hans tidigaste verk och han instrumenterade det omedelbart för symfoniorkester. Uruppförandet gjordes av Künstlerverein i Dresden februari 1890.

Aufnahme / Recording:Tognum Power - New Music for Concert Band Demo Tracks 2016-2017