Download - Nordic Highlights 4 2014
NO
RD
IC4/2014HIGHLIGHTS
N E W S L E T T E R F R O M G E H R M A N S M U S I K F Ö R L A G & F E N N I C A G E H R M A N
Kalevi Aho’s opera Frida y Diego
Focus onWennäkoski
& Haglund
N E W SN
OR
DIC
HIGHLIGHTS 4/2014
NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN
Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at
www.gehrmans.se/highlights
Cover photos: Erika Back and Matias Haakana in Frida
y Diego (Erkka Malkavaara), Lotta Wennäkoski (Maarit
Kytöharju/Music Finland), Tommie Haglund (Per Möller)
Editors: Henna Salmela and Kristina Fryklöf
Translations: Susan Sinisalo and Robert Carroll
Design: Tenhelp Oy/Tenho Järvinen
ISSN 2000-2742 (Print), ISSN 2000-2750 (Online)
Printed in Sweden by TMG Sthlm, Bromma 2014
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4
Phot
o: G
eorg
Odd
ner
New Kai Nieminen CDPilfi nk Records
has released a CD
of music by Kai
Niemi nen under the
title Astolfo. Included
are seven chamber
music works dating
from 1996-2011, e.g.
Refl ecting Landscapes
and In der Winterzeit
for piano trio. Th e works are performed by Trio
La Rue (Virva Garam, piano, Susanna Armi-
nen, violin and Markus Pelli, cello) – a trio that
has premiered and performed Nieminen’s works
on several occasions.
Eliasson, Börtz and Aho awardedAnders Eliasson was posthumously award-
ed the Swedish Music Publishers’ Prize 2014
for his string trio Ahnungen – the last work he
composed. “As always, Eliasson’s music is deeply
personal; intensity alternates with lyrical phrases
and melancholy”, writes the jury.
In the category large ensemble/opera Daniel
Börtz won the prize for his Sinfonia 12, a work
commissioned by the Swedish Radio SO. Ac-
cording to the jury “the expressive human voice is
an important source of inspiration for Börtz and
the basis of his melodic creativity. In this sym-
phony with a baritone soloist grandiose sections
are mixed with chamber music.”
Th e Finnish Music Publishers Association
chose Kalevi Aho as the “Composer of the Year”
in September. Aho has been active in composing
both large-scale works and chamber music, and
his concertos have toured around the world at an
increasing rate.
Marie Samuelsson newsMarie Samuelsson´s Varför skulle jag inte tro på
kärleken (Why Would I Not Believe in Love)
for mezzo-soprano and percussion, was pre-
miered at the festival Sound of Stockholm this
November by Duo Ego (Monica Danielsson
and Per Sjögren). Th e music is set to a poem
by Magnus William-Olsson, and sung in four
languages: Swedish, German, English and Span-
ish. Conducted by Tobias Ringborg, the Royal
Stockholm Philharmonic will perform Samu-
elsson’s Singla this December. Th e piece was
composed in connection with the Weekend Fes-
tival 2007 at the Stockholm Concert Hall, and
is also included on her acclaimed newly released
CD “Th e Sun Goddess”. At present Samuelsson
is working on Afrodite, a jointly commissioned
work for the Swedish Radio and Gothenburg
Symphony Orchestras scheduled to be pre-
miered in the 2015-2016 season.
A piano teacher’s treasure troveFennica Gehrman has
published a veritable
treasure trove for piano
teachers: an album titled
Piano Day (Pianopäivä)
of 24 pieces by Mirka
Vähtäri. Th ese pieces are
a source of delight and en-
tertainment: they dream,
dare, swing – and will get you hooked. Th ey will
also develop your skills and technique with their
carefully-devised pedagogical approach. Some
of the pieces are sure to be real hits: Rain and
Waves is brilliant for the fi rst few piano lessons:
a welcome alternative to Chopsticks! See samples
of the pieces on our web site.
Sibelius 150 jubilee yearDecember 8, 2015 will mark the 150th anni-
versary of the birth of Jean Sibelius. Among
the items on the programme for the jubilee year
are the International
Jean Sibelius Violin and
Singing Competitions
and the annual Sibelius
Festival. Th e Sibelius
Birth Town Founda-
tion maintains a website
at www.sibelius150.fi
which includes a calen-
dar of events and con-
certs during 2015.
Several of the maes-
tro’s hidden gems have
been published in recent decades with the kind
permission of the Sibelius estate. Read more and
listen to sound samples on the Fennica Gehr-
man composers page.
Kalevi Aho featured in Lyon
Th e Les Subsistances festival in Lyon, France is
to work with music by Kalevi Aho on January
27–31 in its programme Aire de jeu. Th e idea
is to arrange a meeting place for contemporary
music and dance by inviting choreographers to
create a choreography to the most adventurous
scores by great contemporary composers. Aire de
jeu will concentrate on Aho and the music will
be performed live. Kalevi Aho will be present at
the festival to meet the artists, choreographers
and musicians. As an introduction to the perfor-
mances, musicians from the Conservatoire Na-
tional Supérieur musique et danse de Lyon will
give a short concert of his works.
Medea at the Royal OperaTh e Royal Swedish Opera has commissioned
a new opera from Daniel Börtz for a premiere
scheduled in spring 2016. Börtz has now fi n-
ished the opera Medea, which is based on the
classical drama by Euripides. It is an opera in
two acts and 17 scenes, and this time Börtz has
written the libretto himself.
Phot
o: S
aara
Vuo
rjoki
/Mus
ic F
inla
nd
Phot
o: M
ats B
äcke
r
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4
P R E M I E R E SMARIE SAMUELSSONVarför skulle jag inte tro på kärleken
Duo Ego5.11. Stockholm, Sweden (Sound of Stockholm Festival)
JONAS VALFRIDSSONA Dragon Kiss Always Ends in Ashes
Stockholm New Chamber Orchestra SNYKO7.11. Stockholm, Sweden (Sound of Stockholm Festival)
BENJAMIN STAERNPolar Vortex – Symphony No. 1
Gävle SO/Leif Segerstam14.11. Gävle, Sweden
KAI NIEMINENQuadri Morandi – sul tele di silenzio
Patrik Kleemola, guitar16.11. Espoo, Finland
Towards the Light (from far beyond),
for string quartetLänsi-Pohjan jousikvartetti26.11. Keminmaa, Finland
PAAVO HEININENClarinet Sonata Op. 111
Mikko Raasakka, clarinet, Antti Vahtola, piano28.11. Helsinki, Finland
SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMForce and Beauty
Five dance pieces for violin and chamber ensemble Dance performance. Choreography: Susanne Jaresand, KammarensembleN/Staff an Larsson, sol. Anna Lindal, violin, dancers4.12. Stockholm, Sweden
Dödsskepp i natten,
for solo voice, choir and orchestraSwedish Radio SO/Swedish Radio Choir/Hans Ek, sol. Tommy Körberg17.12. Stockholm, Sweden
ROLF MARTINSSONIch denke dein…
Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/John Storgårds, sol. Lisa Larsson, soprano14.1. Zürich, Switzerland
FREDRIK HÖGBERGAccordion King
Nordic ChO/Niklas Willén, sol. Jörgen Sundeqvist, accordion22.1. Kramfors, Sweden
ALBERT SCHNELZERTales from Suburbia
BBC SO/Kirill Karabits13.3. London, UK
MIKKO HEINIÖNew work for guitar
Patrik Kleemola23.3. London, UK
OLLI KORTEKANGASThe Return
Tapiola Chamber Choir/Hannu Norjanen 29.3. Helsinki, Finland
Höstlig skärgård,
for male choirYL/Pasi Hyökki 11.4. Helsinki, Finland KIMMO HAKOLARe-Joy, for organTuomas Pyrhönen12.5. Helsinki, Finland
Phot
o: L
ouise
Mar
tinss
on
Martinsson and the Youth Orchestra of CaracasTh is November Rolf Martinsson went on tour in Europe with the Youth Orchestra of Caracas with sold
out performances at Cité de la Musique in Paris and the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Dietrich Paredes
conducted the orchestra and Edicson Ruiz was soloist in Martinsson’s Double Bass Concerto.
Kyllönen’s concerto
a competition set pieceTh e Accordion
Concerto by
Ti m o - J u h a n i Kyllönen has
been chosen as
one of the set
pieces for the
prestigious Klin-
genthal Interna-
tional Accordion
Competition to
be held on May
4–10, 2015. Tak-
ing part in the
competition will be 35 accordionists, and the
fi ve who get through to the fi nals will perform
Kyllönen’s concerto with an orchestra. Fennica
Gehrman has just published a piano score of the
Accordion Concerto (See: New publications).
Th e concerto was composed in 2000–01 and
was recorded by Alba Records in 2008. Its spicy
rhythmic fi gures refl ect Kyllönen’s many visits to
Latin America.
Pekka Kostiainen at 70Th e music of Pekka Kostiainen is a byword in choral cir-
cles, not only in Finland but also abroad, where his most
frequently-performed pieces include Th e Sons of Jacob
playing with Biblical names. Th ere is also a mixed-
choir version of this called Th e Big Sons of Jacob. While
humorous works for children’s choir occupy a prominent
position in Kostiainen’s choral output, he has also com-
posed music for the church. A freelance composer and
choral conductor since 2000, Kostiainen has featured on
the programme of many concerts in his anniversary year.
Next spring his music is widely presented at the Leiden
Amateur Arts festival, where he will be the Compos-
er-in-Residence.
Broström and Schnelzer
in DresdenTh e Dresden Music festival presents works by two Swed-
ish composers in May 2015. Tobias Broström’s Concerto
for Two Percussionists and Orchestra will receive its world
premiere on 17 May, with the percussion duo Malleus
Incus and the Dresdner Philharmonie under the direc-
tion of Michael Sanderling. Daniel Harding will con-
duct the Swedish Radio SO in the German premiere of
Albert Schnelzer’s Tales from Suburbia on 15 May.
New multimedia concerto
by HögbergFredrik Högberg has created a new multimedia concer-
to for accordion, orchestra and video projections. Th e
concerto is called Th e Accordion King and is dedicated
to the accordion virtuoso Jörgen Sundeqvist and all for-
mer accordion kings. Sundeqvist will be the soloist with
the Nordic Chamber Orchestra under the direction of
Niklas Willén at the premiere on 22 January. As usu-
al with Högberg something out of the ordinary can be
expected.
Phot
o: T
uire
Ruo
kosu
o
Phot
o: D
on F
ogg
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4
“My compositions may be born in
many ways. But there must be
some idea that permeates all the
levels, and from which I can derive the name, the
sound and possibly even the harmony. Musical
phenomena alone do not inspire me; instead, I
readily take impulses from the extra-musical
world.”
Th us Lotta Wennäkoski (b. 1970) describes
the genesis of her works. But though the initial
impulses are usually extra-musical, she does not
compose descriptive programme music as such;
rather, she moulds the ideas provided by the
impulses into musical expression. Within the
framework of a Modernist aesthetic, her works
constitute a coherent, organically-growing en-
tity, and the changes taking place within them
have been ones of expression rather than of style.
Lotta Wennäkoski fi rst emerged as a compos-
er in the 1990s, when she was studying com-
position at the Sibelius Academy, mostly with
Eero Hämeenniemi, and where she graduated
in 2000. Her other teachers at the Academy
included Kaija Saariaho and Paavo Heininen,
and in the Netherlands she studied with a teach-
er representing a very diff erent approach, Louis
Andriessen.
Th e biggest categories in Lotta Wennäkoski’s
output are works for orchestra and for instru-
mental ensembles. Her most sizeable achieve-
ment to date is her score for the Finnish silent
movie Amor Omnia lasting nearly an hour-and-
a-half. She composed this for symphony or-
chestra and later did a shorter version for con-
cert use (Amor Omnia Suite, 2014). She has also
written some vocal music and works with ele-
ments of other arts, but she does not regard her-
self as a particularly crossover composer. Some
of her works refl ect her desire to take a stand on
such grave, pressing issues as human traffi cking
and forced prostitution, as in the monodrama
Lelele of 2010–2011.
“Timbres mean a lot to me”Th e world of timbre in Wennäkoski’s music is
rich and multi-coloured, but also transparent.
She often incorporates noise and unconvention-
al ways of producing sound.
“Timbres mean a lot to me,” she says. “But I
don’t consider myself a spectral composer. I want
dynamic form. Transparency is also important;
music must have air. Which is maybe why the
orchestra interests me. I want to hear the whole
cross-section.”
As her career has unfolded, the orchestra has
in fact become an increasingly prominent medi-
um for her.
“An orchestra is a laborious instrument but
I love it. Chamber music is lighter to produce,
but you can do more distinctive things with an
orchestra. Th e potential combinations seem to
be endless.”
“I’m interested in fast music”Th e earlier works of Lotta Wennäkoski were
dominated by lingering, fragile moods; as a re-
sult, she began to be described as a lyricist. A
lyrical element still exists in her music, but in the
recent works her range of expression has become
much broader, deeper and stronger. She has also
upped her tempos, and she more and more often
structures the fl ow by means of a clear pulse.
“I’ve recently been interested in fast music; I do
quick timbral music.”
An example of Wennäkoski’s recent rap-
id-pulsed idiom is Hava (2007). Composed for
the Tapiola Sinfonietta, it is a work she describes
as “scherzo-like”. It is indeed a quick-fi gured
work in which the focal element of the gestures
and textures is the idea of falling, “like the feeling
of leaves fl oating down”.
Quick gestures and a rich colour palette are
also a feature of the fl ute concerto Soie
(2008–2009), inspired by various fabrics. Th e
coarse, noise-like sounds in the middle move-
ment, Lin gros (Coarse Linen), for example,
express the texture of linen, while the closing
movement, Soie, has a silky, rustling feel.
Lotta Wennäkoski’s latest project is a com-
mission for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for
delivery in 2015. For this, the client has request-
ed some not specifi cally-formulated allusion to
the music of Jean Sibelius as a tribute to that
composer on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Wennäkoski’s orchestral music will also soon be
featured on a new CD by Ondine Records.
Kimmo Korhonen
Lotta Wennäkoskipaints sumptuous worlds of shimmering timbresWhile Wennäkoski’s career has unfolded, the orchestra has become an increasingly prominent medium for her. “I want dynamic
form but music must also have air. Which is maybe why the orchestra interests me. I want to hear the whole cross-section,” she says.
Phot
o: M
aarit
Kyt
öhar
ju/M
usic
Fin
land
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4
Listeners familiar with Tommie Haglund’s
repertoire know his approach to classi-
cal music is highly poetic and not at all
academicized. Unlike works written for the pur-
pose of demonstrating a composer’s vocabulary
and a virtuoso’s aptitude, Haglund’s music charts
the course of an ongoing interior journey. It is a
literature of spiritual reconnaissance. Although
one immediately feels a poet’s sensibilities at
work in the music, Haglund’s works are not sym-
phonic poems in the same sense as Lizst’s. Th e
literary currents which fl ow through Haglund’s
compositions do not serve to illustrate. Rather
they open apertures to the inward world, and
speak in a language of Romantic transformation
less akin to Lizst or Grieg, and more akin to Ril-
ke and Novalis.
Hymnen an die Nacht (2005) , for violin
and orchestra, is a work which depicts Nova-
lis’ allegory of transubstantiation, not of death
and rebirth, but of purifi cation through the
pain of the inner journey beyond life and death,
the passing through of darkness into light. In
Daughter of the Voice (2003), the themes of
transformation and ascent are re-codifi ed in the
mystical language of the Passion of the Cross.
Here, the rarely explored symbiosis of Jesus and
Mary – the agony of the crucifi xion physically
transmitted from son to mother – is rendered
in dual soprano vocals which carry the intense
demands of this composition and subject matter.
A sense of emergenceHaglund’s String Trio (Sollievo dopo la Tempes-
ta) (2013) is, like the violin concerto, a work
with an episodal but non-repetitive structure.
Reaching out of the strings is a voice speaking
not in words but in forward motion about a
bittersweet past. Strength and hope are, as ever,
tempered by moments of stumbling fear and
loss, false hopes and shadows. Time fl ows for-
ward and backward, not mechanically, but as it
does in the memory, a simultaneous whole. But
Haglund’s works are not existential treatises.
Th ey are not answers cheapened by questions.
Th ey are more. And like Rilke’s poems, they are
both hard-wrought and spontaneously gener-
ated, part hymn and part synthesis. Th e String
Trio is a work in which we can feel, as in several
Tommie Haglund – a poetic point of view
sion of the spirit. Is there a world beyond our fi ve
senses, through which occasionally traces of in-
formation permeate? Or is the world of the spirit
ours alone, within us, constructed from a palate
of Jungian symbols, and impervious to the selec-
tive forces of nature? Th e Latin phrase ‘Flaminis
Aura’ can mean many things, among them some-
thing ‘felt in the air prior to a vision’. With this
key, a vista to the same inner world of Hymnen
an die Nacht and Daughter of the Voice, opens.
Inner life and sincerity It was Rilke’s belief that only through poetry
could one develop an inner life, and furthermore
that this could only be achieved through utmost
sincerity. What is meant by sincerity in musical
practice? Perhaps it is the antithesis of mechan-
ical performance. More than once I have heard
Tommie Haglund despair at the technical per-
fection of an orchestra and soloists when some-
thing deeper is lacking. It would be too much to
disparage all music which does not come from
deep within, but it would also be not enough to
say his music requires spiritual fl uidity to per-
form. It is not music which needs waking up, it is
music to awaken to.
Aram Yardumian
Th e writer is Asst. Professor of Anthropology at Bryn
Athyn College, Pennsylvania USA. He is a regular
contributor to the arts & culture journal Times
Quotidian.
Tommie Haglund, increasingly, composes as if he must
fi nd a way to say everything. One immediately feels a poet’s
sensibilities at work in his music which charts the course of an
ongoing interior journey.
FootnoteTh e Royal Academy of Music has awarded
Tommie Haglund Sweden’s most coveted com-
poser prize, the Christ Johnson Prize, for his
cello concerto Flaminis aura. Th eir citation
reads: “With liberating seriousness and his own
personal stamp Tommie Haglund invites the
listener into his poetical universe. Th e cello con-
certo Flaminis aura is music that gropes its way
forward, and is all the while singable.”
Phot
o: E
lisab
et L
öfbe
rg H
aglu
nd
Haglund with a student at the Luzerne Music Centre
of Haglund’s compositions, a sense of emergence
– the poignant relief of triumph over suff ering
– not conquest but survival – with the rising of
each episode.
Th e String Trio, as well as Flaminis Aura
(2000) , engage a subject for which Rilke nev-
er found words, and for which Lizst’s symphonic
poems did not meet their own challenges. May-
be the diff erence is in the urgency of creation.
Whereas Rilke never, until his fi nal years, looked
down the long barrel of mortality and thus cre-
ated his work untouched by the immediacy of
corporeal pain, Haglund, increasingly, composes
as if he must fi nd a way to say everything. Th e
subject of mortality is not, actually, bound to the
music. Rather, with Flaminis Aura, Haglund re-
turns to the question of the mystical apprehen-
Phot
o: P
er M
ölle
r
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4
KALEVI AHOThe Bells / Kellot – Concerto for Saxo-phone Quartet and Orchestra (2008) Dur: 28’
sax-quartet (sopr., alto, tenor & bar.)+2222-3330-02-str
The sound of the church bell tolling at the funeral
of Aho’s colleague and friend Pehr Henrik Nordgren was the decisive
impetus for this saxophone quartet concerto. Bells or bell-like sounds
are heard in each movement, which gives the work a timbre all of its
own and creates some extraordinary moments. The quartet mostly has
a rather homophonic part constituting a sort of supersaxophone. Each
of the players also has some big solos.
Chamber Symphony No. 3 (1995-96) Dur: 30’ asax+str
This work for alto saxophone and 20 strings was inspired by the Tu-
nisian fi lm The Silence of the Palace. The fi lm contains a lot of Arabian
music, and Aho was greatly attracted by its unique melodic heter-
ophony. The fi rst movement of the Chamber Symphony is scored for
string orchestra and can be performed as an independent work. The
saxophone does not enter, slowly, until the beginning of the second
movement. Towards the end, the soloist slowly starts to leave the
stage, still playing in glowing terms.
ANDERS ELIASSONConcerto for Saxophone and String Orchestra (2002/2009) Dur: 25´ asax+str (2002), sop-sax+str (2009)
Eliasson´s concerto is characterised by a kind of
spiritual tranquillity, where the lamenting, melancholically singing
saxophone and the supporting, billowing strings accompany each
other throughout the work. The music fl ows without a break but there
is an underlying multi-movement structure. The serene sections alter-
nate with the more rhythmically accentuated ones in which the tempo
is accelerated and the saxophone rushes on in rapid passages.
FREDRIK HÖGBERGConcerto for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra (1998) Dur: 26´ sop-sax+2222-2200-11-hp-pf-str
The saxophone introduces itself immediately in
Högberg’s concerto, with quick rhythmical, riff -like arabesques that
eventually pass over into a happy and harmonious theme. There are
some threatening clouds, but the harmony returns at the end of the
fi rst movement. The second movement is more rhythmically playful,
and in the third yet another light-hearted theme is presented. The
fi nale has a forcefully forward driving character, which is manifested
in a wild chase on the virtuoso, fl eeing saxophone that lasts right up
until the end.
LARSERIK LARSSONConcerto for Saxophone and String Orchestra (1934) Dur: 20’ asax+str
Larsson is supposed to have said that the Saxo-
phone Concerto was the best piece he ever composed. It was written
in close collaboration with the legendary saxophonist Sigurd Rascher,
and the solo part is brilliant. Composed in neo-classical style, it follows
the concerto form with two fast outer movements, and a slow middle
movement. The music is entertaining, rhythmical and elegant, and in
the Adagio movement one gets an inkling of the lyrical and romantic
Larsson to come.
NILS LINDBERGMythological Portraits (2001) Dur: 26´ sop-sax+2222-4431-12-str
This fi ve-movement suite opens with a mood-cre-
ating prologue based on a traditional Swedish folk
melody, played by the horn section alone. And it is folk music, beauti-
fully combined with jazz harmonies in symphonic attire, which char-
acterises the rest of the music. The soprano saxophone sounds lovely
in the melancholy melodies, over an accompaniment that alternates
between string orchestra, big-band-like sections and full symphony
orchestra.
ROLF MARTINSSONGolden Harmony – Soprano Saxophone Concerto No. 1 (2012) Dur: 23´ sop-sax+2222-2200-11-str
In this concerto Martinsson displays his gift for
lyricism. The fi rst two movements are characterised by beautiful and
romantic melody lines, embedded in exquisite sonorities. Martinsson
himself describes the orchestral garb as “a luxurious alloy of sound
from the piccolo, muted strings and trumpets, stopped horns and a
bowed vibraphone.” The third and last movement off ers an energetic
fi nale with breakneck virtuosity.
PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENConcerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra (1995) Dur: 22’
asax+str (55432)
Nordgren’s concerto could be described as one
big cadenza in which the soloist gets bound up in the avalanche of
orchestral sound. It was inspired by John-Edward Kelly and commis-
sioned by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. The concerto is in one
movement and, in the manner characteristic of Nordgren, the musical
soundscape becomes more peaceful towards the end, journeying to-
wards the light.
TAPIO TUOMELASwap – Chamber Concerto for Saxophone and Sinfonietta (2012-13) Dur: 25’
asax/sop-sax+2222-221(ossia tuba)0-02-str
”Swap” refers to constant exchange of short musical
motives between the soloist and members of the orchestra. The lively
dialogue takes diff erent forms in the four movements. Sometimes the
variations provide a set of “accelerated” interactive passages, where
the saxophone triggers the orchestral members towards the extreme
of their virtuosity. The soloist may use a wide range of his expressive
and technical ability on the alto and soprano saxophone, alternating
between extreme rapidity, intensive melodies, and sighing multi-
phones, fi nishing with a scent of distant swing rhythms.
HARRI VUORIConcerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (2004) Dur: 22’
asax+1111-2100-02-hpd-el.org-pf-str
The saxophone begins by calling up the other in-
struments in the manner of a snake-charmer. Soloist and orchestra
at times build up an enchanting melodic and polyphonic partnership.
Unusual timbres and quick cuts combine in harmonies tinged with
yearning. The concerto culminates in an explosive outburst before
sinking back into the opening stillness.
REPER TOIRE T IPS R E V I E W S
Works for saxophone and orchestra
Fresh, richly colourful
Frida y DiegoThe music of Kalevi Aho is ablaze with Latino
colour from the very outset… All the numerous
quotations are woven seamlessly into the operatic
narration, and Aho demonstrates his skill as a mas-
ter of style and orchestration. Rondo 11/2014
The focus in Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is from a
fresh angle, and the idea of making Trotsky a dram-
aturgical catalyst is brilliant… Aho also shows his
mettle with his variously-styled signatures, often
in the form of leitmotifs… A master orchestrator,
he makes his 30-player ensemble resonate like a
dream even in dry acoustics. Hufvudstadsbladet 19.10.
Kalevi Aho: Frida y Diego, opera in four acts
World premiere: Sibelius Academy SO/Markus Lehtinen, dir.
Vilppu Kiljunen, sol. Erica Back, Matias Haakana, Aule Urb, Sampo
Haapaniemi, Saara Kiiveri etc., 17.10.2014 Helsinki, Finland
Impressive Clarinet ConcertoThe work proved to be a colourful and emotionally
impressive jaunt. Kortekangas is particularly skilful at
exploiting the clarinet’s ability to produce an almost
insubstantially quiet sound. The adroit soloist was
Christoff er Sundqvist. Kaleva 1.11.
Olli Kortekangas: Clarinet Concerto
World premiere: Oulu SO/Johannes Gustavsson, sol. Christoff er Sund-
qvist, 30.10.2014 Oulu, Finland
Madetoja’s symphonies shine Madetoja has a fascinating, utterly personal style
marked by a straightforward idyllic quality and fi ne-
ly-tuned narrative. Where Sibelius was a master of
moods, Madetoja shines in his melodies backed by
cunningly-woven rhythmic webs. Rondo 4/2014
Leevi Madetoja: Symphonies Nos 1&3,
Okon Fuoko Suite
CD: Helsinki PO/John Storgårds (Ondine 1211-2)
Frida y Diego at the
Helsinki Music Centre
Phot
o: E
rkka
Mal
kava
ara
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4
This work will amaze…Finnish composer Kalevi Aho’s magnifi cent 2011
Theremin Concerto is subtitled Eight Seasons…
Eyck’s ability to produce warm, vocal sounds is un-
matched, and at several points she’s required to sing
along in duet. The theremin’s velvety lower register
can produce extraordinary sounds, though Eyck can
do coloratura craziness just as well… A remarkable,
emotionally involving contemporary piece that you’d
love to hear live. www.theartsdesk.com 27.10.
Kalevi Aho: Theremin & Horn Concertos
CD: Lapland ChO/John Storgårds, sol. Carolina Eyck, theremin, Annu
Salminen, horn (BIS-CD 2036)
Brain Damage The music hurls the listener into eruptive crescendos
towards a limit – until it yields to a painful, achingly
beautiful song by the strings… a motif in the strings
breaks free and prepares the way for a wondrous
radiance from an alien world that at the same time
sounds archaic and like science fi ction… In the third
movement´s “Dam breaks open” there is an opening
for a new and airier motoric drive and for a singularly
beautiful theme in the brass that in the end makes
the work’s central and redeeming message glow: not
to be afraid of what is hidden on the dark side of the
moon. Dagens Nyheter 12.9.
Albert Schnelzer: Brain Damage
World premiere: Gothenburg SO/Alain Altinoglu, 10.9.2014 Göteborg,
Sweden
Eliasson’s Quartetto d´archiThe emotional temperament of
the Dahlkvist Quartet was also well
suited to Anders Eliasson´s restless
work Quartetto d´archi that begins
with intermittent attacks by the
strings. The cello part puts a tem-
porary comforting hand on the
listener’s shoulder before the lively
third movement rushes away again
like the white rabbit in Alice in Won-
derland. Dagens Nyheter 6.10.
Anders Eliasson: Quartetto d´archi
The Dahlkvist Quartet, 4.10.2014 Stockholm,
Sweden
The Dahlkvist Quartet
New reference for Pettersson’s
symphoniesWhile he [Jörgen Pettersson] dispatches the rap-
id, virtuosic passages with apparent ease, it is his
soulful and bittersweet tone which is particular-
ly memorable during the work’s lyrical passag-
es… Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of these
interpretations is the utmost respect that the
Norrköping SO and Lindberg give to this music.
Through fanatical adherence to the scores and
just pure hard work and commitment, this new
recording makes, yet again, the strongest possi-
ble argument for Pettersson’s unsung greatness.
Res Musica 6.10.
Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 16
CD: Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg, sol. Jörgen Pettersson,
alto saxophone (BIS-2110)
Rapid thoughts are presented here, but also time-
less happenings in music that uninterruptedly
and with urgency hammers its message home on
the listener… The attitudes here were explosive
and heart-rending. And Lindberg had the ability
to set the music’s emotional power free.
Norrköpings Tidningar 22.9.
Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 13
Swedish premiere: Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg, 20.9.2014
Norrköping, Sweden
Phot
o: H
ans L
indö
n
Exquisite Garden of DevotionMartinsson´s tone language blossomed out in soft yet not sentimental passages, in harmonious neat-
ness and easily accessible melodies, with opportunities for the soloist to show what she can do. There
are no sharp edges here but plenty of warmth and refi nement. Sydsvenska Dagbladet 27.9.
And Lisa Larsson´s sparkling and sonorous, indeed delightful, soprano captured and conveyed both
the exquisite music and the emotions of the texts. It is not often that newly written music aff ords such
unmitigated musical joy. Skånska Dagbladet 28.9.
Rolf Martinsson: Garden of Devotion
World premiere: Musica Vitae/Fredrik Malmberg, sol. Lisa Larsson, soprano, 25.9.2014 Växjö, Sweden
Tally’s LamentThe piece opens with an airy and metallic crack and
the cello´s lovely melody rises out of a cluster. Clouds
of sound accumulate, chords of the brass fall and the
violins cut sharp patterns in the mighty languidness.
The theme moves from one part to the other, sur-
rounded by atmospheric clouds and dark bands of
brass in quite an exquisite manner. All quite exciting;
a work in my taste. Gefl e Dagblad 9.10.
Mirjam Tally: Lament
Gävle SO/Kristiina Poska, 9.10.2014 Gävle, Sweden
Phot
o: M
usic
Fin
land
/Saa
ra V
uorjo
ki
Phot
o: M
arco
Fek
listo
ff
Imposing and hot If anyone has full command
of the range of colours in
this orchestral palette then
Linkola does. The fourth
movement is a hotly sensu-
al, nocturnal Habanera with
the clarinet at the centre.
Imposing in every possible
way. A standing ovation, of
course.
Österbottens tidning 7.10.
Jukka Linkola: Clarinet Concerto “Gipsy Heart”
World premiere: Pietarsaari Sinfonietta & BRO/Jukka Linkola, sol.
Christoff er Sundqvist, 3.10.2014 Pietarsaari, Finland
Martinsson’s intense ForlornIn an idiom that strongly reminds of the Schönberg
of “Verklärte Nacht” and now and then of a Fifties’
musical, the Swedish Martinsson set Tagore’s poetry
intensely and seriously. Conductor Bas Wiegers let the
strings sparkle romantically up to an almost unbeara-
bly beautiful ending. Volkskrant 20.10.
Rolf Martinsson: Forlorn – Three Songs on Poems by
Rabindranath Tagore
World premiere: Netherlands CO/Bas Wiegers, sol. Lisette Bolle, soprano,
Jakob Koranyi, cello, 17.10.2014 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phot
o: M
usic
Fin
land
/Saa
ra V
uorjo
ki
A splendid impact and chargeJyrki Linjama turns old into new in his Sonata da chiesa
II for organ. The magnifi cently rising and falling arches are
grounded on a heartbeat in the pedals and a barely percep-
tible hallelujah theme. The years have given the idiom of
an unconditionally modernist composer a splendid impact.
At the base of Olli Kortekangas’s sonata are chorales…
The themes are somewhere, broken down into rhythms,
but the overwhelming charge is what captures most atten-
tion. Helsingin Sanomat 10.11.
Jyrki Linjama: Sonata da chiesa II, for organ
Olli Kortekangas: Organ Sonata No. 3 – in memoriam
World premiere: Jan Lehtola, organ, 8.11.2014 Helsinki, Finland
Albert Schnelzer
Jyrki Linjama
Phot
o: Ja
n-Ol
av W
edin
INSTRUMENTAL & CHAMBER
N E W P U B L I C AT I O N S
CHORAL
ANDERS ELIASSONConcerto for Violin and String Orchestra
Folkwang Kammerorchester/
Johannes Klumpp,
Kathrin Ten Hagen, violinARS 38 157 (“Northern Lights”)
OLLI KORTEKANGASTwo Christmas Songs (Tuokoon joulu, Tule lapsen luo),
Christmas Song Arrangements, Adventus for organ
Tiina-Maija Koskela, soprano, Nicholas Söderlund, bass baritone,
Tuomas Tainio, percussion, Kari Vuola, organNew Finnish Christmas Music (”Star Tracks / Tähtiraidat”)
KAI NIEMINENRefl ecting Landscapes, Capriccio, Astolfo sulla luna, Poems from
Standstill Time and Silence, Waves of Sorrow… In memory of… ,
Notturno,” Uccelli della notte”, Epitaph, In der Winterzeit
Trio La RuePilfi nk Records JJVCD-137
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMNordisk Mässa (Nordic Mass)
Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir/
Mogens Dahl, Toke Møldrup, celloEXLCD 30164
JÖRGEN DAFGÅRDCaprism – Concerto for Clarinet
and Orchestra GE 12242
ANDERS ELIASSONConcerto per corno ed archi
– Farfalle e ferroGE 12597 (manuscript score)
TIMOJUHANI KYLLÖNENAccordion ConcertoFG 55011-219-3 (piano reduction)
JAN SANDSTRÖMDet är en ros utsprungen /
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming /
Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen
for string orchestra
Can be performed separately or
with choir, version for SATB
(SK 8403) or TTBB (GE 11522)GE 11165
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMForce and Beauty
Five dance pieces for violin and
chamber ensemble GE 12511
ALBERT SCHNELZERAnimal Songs
Five songs for soprano and
orchestra
Text: Margaret Atwood (Eng)GE 12308 (score),
GE 12309 (soprano part)
Brain Damage - Concerto for
OrchestraGE 12521
BENJAMIN STAERNWorried Souls
Concerto for clarinet
and symphony orchestraGE 11892 (score),
GE 11893 (solo part)
MIRJAM TALLYLament
for orchestraGE 12280
ANDERS ELIASSONMalaria (a Hummel)
for clarinet, trumpet, trombone,
percussion and double bassGE 12602 (manuscript score)
TOMMIE HAGLUNDSollievo (dopo la tempesta)
for string trioGE 12580
TOBIAS RINGBORGBä, bä vita lamm (Ba, ba White Lamb)
9 variations in diff erent styles on
a children’s song by Alice Tegnér
for violin and pianoAgnus Dei (Palestrina)
Die Kunst des Lammes (J. S. Bach)
Das Zauberlamm (Mozart)
The Deaf Lamb (Beethoven)
The Lamb Shall Sleep (Brahms)
Rhapsody on a Theme by Alice Tegnér
(Rachmaninov)
To the Memory of a Lamb (Alban Berg)
The Silence of the Lambs (John Cage)
The Lamb in the TV-age
(on “Dallas Theme” by Jerold Immel)GE 12546
MARTIN SKAFTETwelve Preludes
for piano
Inspired by Debussy’s Préludes:
premier livreGE 12575
MIRKA VÄHTÄRIPiano Day / Pianopäivä
24 Catchy Pieces for PianoFG 55011-221-6
HARRI WESSMANFive Trumpet Pieces for Alevtina Parland
for trumpet and pianoFG 55011-223-0
HAROLD ARLEN,
ARR. MATS HÅLLINGOver the Rainbow
for solo, male choir TTBB and piano
Text: E. Y. Harburg (Eng)GE 12362
MATS HEDFORSAway in a Manger
New setting of the old carol text
for mixed choir SATB a cappellaGE 12487
KJELL LÖNNÅ ARR.Masters in this Hall
French carol
for mixed choir SATB a cappella
Text: William Morris (Eng)GE 12499
PER GUNNAR PETERSSONThe Lord is My Shepherd
for mixed choir SAB and organ
Text: Psalm 23 (Eng)GE 12519
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARAI min älsklings trädgård / In My
Lover’s Garden
for female choir
A suite of three choral songs to
texts by Edith Södergran, English
translation by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
(Swe/Eng)
1. In the Great Wide Woodlands
(I de stora skogarna)
2. In between Grey Stones
(Mellan gråa stenar)
3. Lucky Cat (Lyckokatt)FG 55011-222-3
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMNordisk mässa (Nordic Mass)
for mixed choir SMzATBarB and
cello
Text: Tomas Tranströmer (Swe)GE 12467
Recording: Mogens Dahl Chamber
Choir & Toke Møldrup, vcl, cond.
Mogens Dahl (EXLCD 30164)
ORCHESTRA
Over the Rainbow
Arr for
TTBB and piano
Mats Hålling
Lyrics and music:
E. Y. Harburg &
H. Arlen
Blandad körBlandad kör
Away in a manger
Mats Hedfors
Blandad körBlandad kör
Masters in this Hall
French CarolArr for SATB
Kjell Lönnå
Blandad körBlandad kör
The Lord is My Shepherd
For SAB and organ
Per GunnarPetersson
Sollievo(dopo la tempesta)
for violin, viola and violoncello
P A R T I T U R / S C O R E
Tommie Haglund
Variationer över
Bä, bä, vita lammför violin och piano
Tobias Ringborg
Tolv preludierTwelve Preludes
for piano
Martin Skafte
inspired by
Claude Debussy’s Préludes: premier livre
Concerto per corno ed archi
Farfalle e ferro
Concerto for Horn and Strings
P A R T I T U R / S C O R E
Anders Eliasson
Es ist ein Ros entsprungenLo, How a Rose E’er Blooming Det är en ros utsprungen
version for string orchestra
P A R T I T U R / S C O R E
Jan Sandström
Brain DamageConcerto for Orchestra
P A R T I T U R / S C O R E
Albert Schnelzer
Worried Soulsconcerto for clarinet and
symphony orchestra
P A R T I T U R / S C O R E
Benjamin Staern
N E W C D s
For further information about our works or representatives worldwide check our web sites or contact us at:
Gehrmans Musikförlag AB
Box 42026, SE-126 12 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel. +46 8 610 06 00
Fax +46 8 610 06 27
www.gehrmans.se • [email protected]
News: news.gehrmans.se • Hire: [email protected]
Web shop: www.gehrmans.se
Sales (GE publications): [email protected]
Fennica Gehrman Oy Ab
PO Box 158, FI-00121 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 10 3871 220 • Fax +358 10 3871 221
www.fennicagehrman.fi • [email protected]
Hire: [email protected]
Web shop: www.fennicagehrman.fi
Sales (FG publications): [email protected] (dealers)
Nordisk mässa
Blandad kör,violoncell