Sym, 7, : Dorati / Stockholm Po, Sym, 16, : Ahronovitch / Stockholm Po

Allan Pettersson once referred to himself as "a voice crying in the wilderness." Despite this bleak outlook there is a compassionate grandeur to Pettersson's symphonic output, a body of work that is considered in many circles to be a landmark of the 20th century.
The Seventh Symphony is perhaps his most widely known work and this 1969 performance by Antal Dorati, long regarded as a definitive interpretation, demonstrates why this brooding work of grim desolation is a modern classic. This symphony is written without movement breaks, resulting in a continuous flow of music by which Pettersson conveys his ever-shifting state of emotional turmoil. The many shattering climaxes of this ebb and flow are underscored by a Mahlerian battery of percussion.
The Sixteenth Symphony has fewer meditative parts than the Seventh. It is a work of a continuous forward momentum, and all driven by an alto saxophone that often takes on an improvisatory aspect as if elevated above the fray and anguish of the orchestra. It is given a stunning performance and, as Pettersson's final composition, serves as a capstone to an enduring body of work.