NO

RD

IC2/2018HIGHLIGHTS

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

Focus on

Kimmo Hakola &

Rolf Martinsson

N E W SN

OR

DIC

HIGHLIGHTS 2/2018

NEWSLE T TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN

Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at

www.gehrmans.se/highlights

Cover photos: Rolf Martinsson (Louise Martinsson),

Kimmo Hakola (Kaapo Hakola)

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 2018

H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8

Rautavaara’s

All-Night Vigil Th e Helsinki Cham-

ber Choir will be sing-

ing Einojuhani Rau-tavaara’s All-Night Vigil

several times this sum-

mer: at the Musiq’3 festival in Brussels on 29–

30 June, the Organ and Aria festival in Finland

on 5 July, the Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki on

16 August and Järvenpää Church on 21 August.

Th e soloists are Niall Chorell, tenor and Tuuk-ka Haapaniemi, bass. Th e choir is also making a

new recording of the work. Rautavaara’s popular

concert version of the Orthodox Vigil has found

its way into the repertoire of professional choirs

the world over.

Aho concerto boom continuesKalevi Aho keeps

getting orders for

concertos. He has

fi nished a Triple

Concerto for Vio-

lin, Cello and Pia-

no to be premiered

by the Storioni Trio and the An-

twerp SO in May

2019, and is at present compos-

ing a Concerto for

Guitar and Cham-

ber Orchestra also

for a premiere in May 2019 by Ismo Eskelinen and the Lap-

land Chamber Orchestra. Also planned for

next year is a Concerto for Bass Clarinet for Mikko Raasakka. One for two bassoons and

orchestra has further been commissioned on

the initiative of bassoonist Bram van Sambeek.

Aho’s Sieidi, for percussion, has become one

of the most performed Finnish concertos. It has

already been played nearly 50 times across the

world, with soloists Colin Currie, Martin Gru-binger and Alexej Gerassimez.

Albert Schnelzer NewsA lot is going on for Albert Schnelzer right

now. BIS Records has just released the portrait

CD Tales from Suburbia , 13 July will see the

premiere of his opera Norrmalmstorgsdramat

(Th e Stockholm Syndrome) at Vattnäs Konsertla-

da, and during the 2018/2019 season he will be

composer-in-residence with the Västerås Sinfo-

nietta. Commissioned by the Swedish RSO, his

Piano Concerto No. 1 composed for American

pianist Conrad Tao, will have its premiere on 14

March 2019. On 11 April Ilya Gringolts will be

soloist with the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in

the fi rst performance of Schnelzer´s Violin Con-

certo No. 2 – Nocturnal Songs. Th e concerto is

jointly commissioned by the Swedish Chamber

Orchestra and Jönköping Sinfonietta.

Albert Schnelzer

Phot

o: M

ats L

undq

vist

Eero Sipilä centenaryA hundred years have this year passed since the

birth of Eero Sipilä (1918-1972), and music

by him can be heard at a concert of his works

in Helsinki on 28 October. Sipilä was an active

composer, teacher, organist and choir leader

whose core output consisted of choral, organ

and chamber music. Works by him are available

at the Fennica Gehr man web shop.

Hilma af Klint – chamber operaBenjamin Staern is writing a chamber opera for two singers, piano trio and electronics about the

artist Hilma af Klint (1862-1944), a pioneer in

abstract painting who did not became known un-

til long after her death, after an exhibition in Los

Angeles in 1986. Th e opera will have its premiere at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in the spring of

2019, but already now, in July, a short trailer can

be heard during the Halmstad Opera and Vocal Festival, as well as at the Guggenheim Museum in

New York in connection with the Hilma af Klint

Exhibition in October. Th e project was initiated

by the singers Mette and Fredrik af Klint, and the

libretto is being written in English by Mira Bartov.

Gabriella GullinGabriella Gullin is in the limelight as one of the

composers being presented by the Mikaeli Cham-

ber Choir and Anders Eby in the fi lm project

#swedishchoralmusic with her piece Tyst är det

rum to a text by Pär Lagerkvist. She has had

several choral works published by Gehrmans as

well as her Elegic Rhapsody for oboe and string or-

chestra. Two chamber pieces are now being added

to the catalogue, Les Ombres dans l´eau for viola

and piano and Sonata for Flute and Piano.

Tommie Haglund FestivalsTwo big festivals will be devoted to Tommie Haglund’s music during the 2018/2019 sea-

son. Haglund´s home town, Halmstad, is

organizing a festival on 18-21 October with

the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, vio-

linist Ilya Kaler, cellist Jacob Kullberg et al.

Th e conductor and artistic leader is Joachim Gustafsson. Haglund will also be festival

composer with the Royal Stockholm Phil-

harmonic at the Stockholm Concert Hall

Composer Weekend on 28-31 March 2019.

Soloists include soprano Miah Persson,

violinist Ilya Gringolts and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan. During the two festivals we

can listen to the violin concerto Hymns to the

Night, the cello concerto Flaminis Aura, the

string orchestral piece Serenata per Diotima,

and La Rosa Profunda for soprano and or-

chestra. Moreover, Tommie Haglund´s Sym-

phony No. 1 will have its premiere during the

festival in Stockholm, which will be rounded

off with a chamber music concert.

Phot

o: E

linor

Edv

all

Kalevi Aho

Phot

o: R

omai

n Et

ienn

e

H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8

P R E M I E R E SMay–August 2018

PAAVO HEININENSonata for Violin and Piano Op. 134/2 and 3Ilosoitto for solo violinKaija Saarikettu, violin, Juhani Lagerspetz, piano4.5. Helsinki, Finland

Sonata for Piccolo and Piano Op. 116Hanna Kinnunen, piccolo, Emil Holmström, pianoSonata for Contrabassoon and Piano Op. 138Arvid Larsson, contrabassoon, Jouko Laivuori, pianoSonata for Bassoon and Piano Op. 122Jaakko Luoma, bassoon, Ilmo Ranta, pianoSonata for English Horn and Piano Op. 137Paula Malmivaara, English horn, Jouko Laivuori, piano5.5. Helsinki, Finland

FREDRIK HÖGBERGBaboon ConcertoGothenburg SO/Tung-Chieh Chuang, sol. Sebastian Stevensson, bassoon9.5. Gothenburg, Sweden

KARIN REHNQVIST Songs from the NorthSacred and Profane Chamber Chorus/Rebecca Petra Naomi Seeman11.5. Berkeley, USA

MIKKO HEINIÖSymphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concertante for Percussion and Orchestra)

Turku PO/Anja Bihlmaier18.5. Turku, Finland

SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMSångens hus/The House of Song for choir and orchestraFalun Conservatory of Music/Dalasinfoniettan/Paul Mägi2.6. Falun, Sweden

KALEVI AHOBerliner BagatellePhilharmonisches Bläserquintett Berlin

Solo X for hornAnnu Salminen29.6. Musica Kalevi Aho Festival, Forssa, Finland

Piano Sonata No. 2Sonja Fräki1.8. Mänttä Music Festival, Finland

Solo XIII for tromboneRocco RescignoAugust 2018 Risuonanze Festival, Italy

ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY/ARR: ROLF MARTINSSONSechs Walzergesänge MythenEnsembleOrchestral/Graziella Contratto, sol. Lisa Larsson, soprano30.6. Festival Musiksommer am Zürichsee, Switzerland

ESA PIETILÄThe Wind Wants 5parts Wind Quintet7.7. Helsinki Chamber Music Festival, Finland

ALBERT SCHNELZERNorrmalmstorgsdramat – att dö på sin post (The Stockholm Syndrome) OperaVattnäs Chamber Orchestra/Fredrik Burstedt, sol. Anna Larsson, alto, Göran Eliasson, baritone, Anders Larsson, baritone, Tobias Westman, tenor, Agnes Auer, soprano13.7. Vattnäs, Sweden

TUOMAS TURRIAGOSonata for alto Saxophone and PianoJoonatan Rautiola, saxophone, Cyrille Lehn, piano 20.7. Université de Saxophone 2018, Gap, France

Jansen plays

EliassonJanine Jansen will

once again perform

Anders Eliasson’s

violin concerto

Einsame Fahrt from

2010. Th ere will be

two performances

with the Gothen-

burg Symphony on

29 and 30 November and another two with the Ton-

halle-Orchester Zürich on 15 and 16 December, all

under the baton of Daniel Blendulf.

Phot

o: H

aral

d Ho

ff man

n

Agreement with Tuomas TurriagoFennica Gehrman has signed a publishing agreement

with Tuomas Turriago that includes Per Aspera for

chamber ensemble and the Concerto for Chamber

Ensemble premiered in Tampere early in 2018

(See: Reviews). Th e agreement also covers some in-

strumental works. Turriago has an ambitious project

aiming to compose a sonata for every instrument.

Th e most recent ones are for alto saxophone, to be

premiered at the Gap international saxophone festi-

val in July and for fl ute, to be heard for the fi rst time

in Helsinki in November. Read more about Turriago

and his music on the Fennica Gehrman website.

Focus on Harri ViitanenMusic by Harri Viitanen can be heard at a concert

on 26 August in the Helsinki Organ Summer series.

Th e programme will include Die Amsel in a version for solo fl ute played by Jenny Metsälä, Paratiisilinnun

rukous for harp, Images d’oiseau for organ, and the Ca-

thedral Fantasy and Ecumenical Bells for organ, positive organ and instrument ensemble premiered on 6 De-

cember 2017 as part of the Finland 100 celebrations.

Lotta Wennäkoski’s Flounce:

15 performances Lotta Wennäkoski’s Flounce was a BBC com-

mission for the last night of the Proms in September

2017. It has since been heard in Helsinki, Tampere

and Gothenburg, and is down for no fewer than 12

more performances. In the autumn season, Hannu Lintu will conduct it with the Finnish RSO at the

Turku Festival and give it its US premiere with the

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Flounce is also fi xed

for the opening concert of the Royal Scottish Na-

tional Orchestra’s season, with Th omas Søndergård

conducting, and for concerts by the Swedish Radio

Symphony and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Th e

Helsinki Philharmonic under Susanna Mälkki will

be taking it to the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Amster-

dam Concertgebouw and elsewhere during its Euro-

pean tour in April 2019.

Steampunk BlizzardGehrmans is pub-

lishing Daniel Nelson’s 7-minute

hit piece Steam-

punk Blizzard. It

was written on

commission from

Orchestre Nation-

al d´ile de France and the conductor

Enrique Mazzola, who premiered it in Philharmonie

de Paris last year.

Th e work has

subsequently been

performed by the

Swedish RSO, and the Gävle Symphony will play it in September. Santtu-Matias Rouvali has conducted

the piece with the Tampere Philharmonic and will per-

form it with the Gothenburg Symphony in October, and with the Oslo Philharmonic in December. In Feb-

ruary/March 2019 Rouvali and the Gothenburg Sym-

phony will take the work on their tour to Germany and

Austria.

Minifi ddlers

go to ChinaTh e Central Con-

servatory of Music

in Beijing has signed

an agreement with

Minifi ddlers on the

launching of the Co-

lourstrings teaching

method in China. Minifi ddlers is a

distance education

solution in violin

studies developed

by Caprice Oy. Th e

partnership became operative at the end

of April and included workshops given by Géza Szil-vay in Beijing and Huangqiao. More information is available at www.minifi ddlers.org.

Phot

o: Ja

ri Es

kola

Géza

Szilvay

Tuomas Turriago

Phot

o: N

ea Il

mev

alta

Janine

Jansen

Daniel Nelson

Phot

o: E

lla N

elso

n

H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8

Phot

o: L

ouise

Mar

tinss

on

1You are often present at the perfor-mances of your works – with Ich denke Dein… most recently in Melbourne

and Mallorca, and you have told of the always very positive response on the part of audienc-es, irrespective of where it is performed. Has there been any especially memorable concert occasion?Th e Dutch premiere in the Concertgebouw,

sold-out concerts and standing ovations, a mem-

ory for life. Or the Italians’ resounding shouts

of bravo in Milan, the premiere with the Ton-

halle-Orchester Zürich or the Finnish premiere

with John Storgårds and the Helsinki Philhar-

monic Orchestra. Th e work is dedicated to Lars-

son, who has given brilliant interpretations at all these concerts. What more thanks could one

wish for than to get over 20 top performances?!

Th e Finnish reviews delighted me: ”…that some-

one dares to write so unashamedly enjoyable, sinful-

ly sexy music as the Swedish composer Rolf Mar-

tinsson and luckily he does not only dare to but he

also can do it…

2What do you think there is in your mu-sic that appeals to audiences?Shimmering timbres and tonal passag-

es. But a soloist is required who can make the

music come alive! Larsson with her personal charm on stage and musical communication

conveys the text in a way that deeply moves

the listener and apparently also the critics.“When the shockingly good soprano Lisa Larsson

performed Martinsson´s brand new song cycle Ich

denke Dein… the listener felt as if he was being

led into an enchanted garden, where an angel had

fallen from heaven…”

Seven questions for Rolf Martinsson

3Larsson sings a number of your song cy-cles, including Garden of Devotion and Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dick-

inson . Altogether, she has given around 100 performances of your works. Will your unique collaboration be documented?Everything that I have composed for Larsson will

be documented on CD by BIS and Challenge

Records, together with the Royal Stockholm

Philharmonic/Andrew Manze, the Malmö

Symphony Orchestra (MSO)/Paul Mägi and

the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra/Gordan Nikolic. It’s a dream coming true.

4One of your most frequently performed works is the trumpet concerto Bridge

from 1998, which Håkan Hard-enberger has performed about 60 times the world over. A tour is coming up in September with the renowned Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Andris Nelsons. Will you be in the audience?Absolutely! And this will also be a lifelong mem-

ory. Two brilliant musicians who bring some-

thing fresh to every new interpretation. Th e

collaboration with Hardenberger began in 1999

and has been of vital importance for my career.

And now the Norwegian trumpet player Ole Edvard Antonsen also has Bridge in his reper-

toire. A newly found friend and a wonderful mu-

sician with fantastic lyrical qualities. He has per-formed Bridge in Berlin, Aalborg and Katowice.

5Another work that has travelled around the world is the Double Bass Concerto with Edicson Ruiz with performances in Eu-

rope, Asia, Australia and South America, just lately by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. You went along on the European tour with the Youth Or-chestra of Caracas. Could you tell us about that?It was a moving experience with those fan-

tastic youngsters who make music with such

strong conviction. Th e concerto had its French premiere at Cité de la musique in Paris and its

Hungarian in the beautiful Grand Hall of the

Liszt Academy in Budapest. I met José Antonio Abreau, founder of El Sistema in Venezuela.

After the concert, photos were taken of myself

and the musicians, one by one, with iPhones.

6Your latest orchestral work is the concert opener Shimmering Islands, which was recently premiered by the Kristiansand

Symphony Orchestra. Here you enter into a new style. How is that?I go my own way as a composer and immerse

myself creatively in modern as well as traditional

styles, as in my latest vocal works. Now it was time

to seek new sonorities in Shimmering Islands.

7 What are you working on at the mo-ment? A semistaged work for Lisa Larsson with

MSO as main commissioner and Norrlands-

operan as co-commissioner. Th e ”libretto” by

Swedish director Elisabet Ljungar – derived

from William Blake’s ”Songs of Innocence and

of Experience” – is covering dramatic phases in

the life of a woman, her ”survival” thereof and

how she towards the end of her life fi nally man-

ages to make peace with life and herself…a beau-

tiful and emotionally dramatic libretto which

I’m very inspired to paint in music.Th e Tonhalle Orchester Zürich has invit-

ed Larsson for a collaboration in connection

with the orchestra’s 150th anniversary this au-

tumn. She has created Traumreise based on

songs of Franz Berwald (who died in 1868)

and which forms a musical journey through

Sweden-France-Germany. Larsson asked me to orchestrate the songs. Th e Tonhalle Orches-

ter Zürich will perform the world premiere in

November and the Helsingborg Symphony Or-chestra the Swedish premiere.

Larsson has also asked med to orchestrate

some songs by Alexander Zemlinsky, which

she will record on CD this summer.

Starting in 2019 I will compose a full-length opera, Amy, commissioned by the Royal Swed-

ish Opera in Stockholm. I am also hoping

to get a commission for a Symphony No. 1.

Kristina Fryklöf

I meet with Rolf Martinsson in connection with the Stockholm premiere of his song cycle Ich denke Dein… with the soprano Lisa Larsson, the Royal Stock-holm Philharmonic and Gustavo Gimeno. Th ree years have elapsed since the premiere in Tonhalle Zürich, and Larsson has performed the songs more than 20 times in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Finland, Iceland, Swe-den and Australia.

H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8

The Finnish RSO is to premiere

your fi rst symphony in December

2018. How would you describe its

composition process?

Th e symphony has been a diffi cult genre for me. I

put off composing my fi rst symphony and calling

a work a symphony until very recently. I’ve got a

few works I thought I would call a symphony, but

I wanted to wait for my aesthetics of the genre to

mature. Th is phobia may well have been overdone,

but the door is now open and symphonic thinking

will in future occupy a central role in my work.

Writing concertos has been like a red line run-

ning through your career.I have written my concertos for musicians whose

art has deeply spoken to me. It’s been a case of

mutual enthusiasm, I think. I wrote my Clarinet

Concerto, for example, for Kari Kriikku, my

Violin Concerto for violinist-conductor John Storgårds, and my recent Double Concerto for Vio-

lin and Viola for Minna Pensola and Antti Tikka-nen. Th e soloist, his or her charisma and mastery,

is always the source of inspiration for my concer-

tos. Th is explains their diff erent modes of expres-

sion. I can also relate to the way my soloists make

music; I get a strong sense of our being kindred

spirits that has then brought us closer together.

Your works often have some surprising ele-

ments. It might be a Mongolian folk melody, or

Klezmer fi reworks – but always cleverly inte-

grated with the work as a whole. Do you delib-

erately aim at surprise and excitement?

When I was younger, surprise was maybe a sort

of additional dramaturgical dimension for raising

the music as an experience to a new unpredicta-

ble level. All in all, I’ve tried to create music the

behaviour of which is not obvious from the fi rst

moment. Th ings like controlling the perception

of time and guiding the listener’s observations.

Some might say there are game-theory structures

in my composing. Perhaps, but I’m also interested

in perceptual psychology. I nevertheless want to

stress that music is freedom: the perceptions and

experiences of every listener are “right”.

Where do you fi nd the ideas and inspiration for

your music?

I draw inspiration from everything imaginable. I

view the world through the eyes of an endlessly

curious child. I examine and study things, phe-

nomena, and allow these adventures plenty of

time. Sometimes I call an expert in the fi eld I’m

studying to ask why a problem that’s been puz-

zling me hasn’t been solved in the way I thought.

Th ese discussions have been the salt of my life.

Which of your works would you particularly

single out?

My opuses number about 100 at the moment. Th e

public and music gatekeepers have chosen some as

their favourites and these are played a lot. It’s of-

ten the way that new gems are discovered hidden

among a composer’s works only after his or her

death. Th at’s just the metabolism of musical life. I

don’t want to guide this process. All my works are

dear to me. It’s most important for the composer

and the publisher to put the composer’s works in

some sort of order while he’s still alive, so that fu-

ture generations can fi nd all the necessary informa-

tion about them – and for the material of works to

be fi nalised. On the other hand, I don’t know of a

single composer who’s had such good fortune.

Looking back over your career as a composer,

what advice would you give your young self?

Th ere are certainly things I could have done dif-

ferently. I’m a perfectionist, and I went through

a period of very severe self-criticism when I was

young; looking back, those years were very ex-

hausting, but important to later stages in life. I

knew so early in life that I wanted to be a com-

poser that I never seriously considered doing any-

thing else. Th is explains why I’ve withstood many

diffi cult things in the job.

It’s no good trying to be a composer for ex-

tra-musical reasons. You can model yourself

on trends and your teacher’s music when you’re

training, but if you don’t later discover a genuine

language of your own, your artistic work may

cease to have any sense and future.

I’ve been lucky in that my music was under-

stood and my career supported early on. I also got

a publisher when I was only just staring out: that,

too, meant a lot for my professional autonomy.

What sorts of things do you value in life?

Physical and mental wellbeing are of the utmost

importance to me if I am to survive in everyday

life, manage my time and the sometimes hectic

pace of life, and I actively work to achieve them.

Phot

o: K

aapo

Hak

ola

Warm relations with the people dear to me also

give me strength. I try to look at myself from time

to time, and to learn from my mistakes. And I’m

a listener: many of my friends appreciate the fact

that I will if necessary give them my full attention.

I don’t really comment or advise; it means focus-

ing as equals on the things that really matter.

What is your relationship to chamber music?

Chamber music is an important genre for me. I’ve

fi rst tested many new musical, technical and sty-

listic ideas in chamber music. My four string quar-

tets are, you could say, aesthetic manifestos. My

teacher, Einojuhani Rautavaara, used to claim

that string quartets are a composer’s philosophy.

I notice that in the Piano Quintet I’m working on

right now, the blending and separating of piano

and strings simply conjures up orchestral ideas.

What are your plans for the future? Will we be

hearing any of your works when you celebrate

your 60th birthday later this year?

In the past few years I’ve devoted a rather large pro-

portion of my time to committee and other admin-

istrative work – I’ve become a sort of professional

sitter-on-boards. It’s been an important phase in

my life, and I’ve been able to put into practice and

develop fi elds of expertise in a way I would never

have had a chance to do if I’d just been an artist.

As a composer, I’ll be concentrating on sympho-

nies – now that I’ve made a start on this genre and

feel I’m suffi ciently mature to be a symphonist.

And I’ve long been planning to do an opera mak-

ing greater use of my visual and textual knowhow

as an all-round work of art.

Scheduled to be premiered towards the end of

the year are both the symphony and another or-

chestral work, and I’ve got a focus concert coming

up at which I’ll be playing the piano part in the

premiere of my Piano Quintet and conducting a

new piece for ensemble.

Henna Salmela

An interview with HakolaKimmo Hakola views the world through the eyes of an endlessly curious child. He speaks here of how he shook off his symphony phobia, of the me-tabolism of musical life, of his plans for compositions, and of the advice he would give his young self.

H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8

DANIEL BÖRTZA Portrait (1993) Dur: 14´ for guitar and chamber ensemble: fl -cl-perc-pf-string trioA subtle and original concerto, written in one movement that is

divided into a number of contrasting episodes: Energico, Romanza, Furioso, Tumultoso, Romanza and Misterioso. Börtz lets the lyrical moods dominate, but there are some violent attacks here, especially from the percussion (xy-lophone, marimba and tom-toms) and the piano, which contrast with what is beautiful and melodious in the guitar part.

KIMMO HAKOLAGuitar Concerto (2008) Dur: 35’ 2222-2220-12-hp-strThis sister work to Hakola’s pop-ular Clarinet Concerto draws on the Sephardic Jewish tradition.

Woven into the second movement is the enchanting melody of the ancient Adio Querida. The third has a cin-ematographic feel. Babbling voices comment on what has been heard and spur the soloist on to more and more experiments. From time to time the air is fi lled with jubi-lant Balkan-tinged sounds adapted to diff erent fl amenco moods.

ERLAND VON KOCHConcerto for Guitar (1982) Dur 22´ 1111-0000-strA three-movement guitar con-certo in Swedish folk tone. The second movement is based on

the well-known Swedish ”Emigrant Song”, the melody of which appears in various shapes, keys and variations throughout the movement. The concerto is concluded in a dancing style with a theme inspired by the polska.

TOMMI KÄRKKÄINENTener Tempestas (2008) Dur: 16’for silent guitar, eff ects and orchestra: 2222-2000-01-str Together with the orchestra, the digitally amplifi ed and

coloured guitar in this concerto produces some exciting combinations and worlds of timbre. The concerto was a commission from Janne Malinen and is probably the fi rst to be written for this instrument without a sound box. The sound can, alternatively, be channelled to loudspeakers.

KIRMO LINTINENGuitar Concerto (2011) Dur: 25’1111-1000-0-strLintinen’s concerto bubbles on with an unresisting power. The elegant whirls of a waltz lead

to a dreamy middle movement that, according to the composer, includes perhaps some of the most beautiful music he has ever composed. The fi nale takes its quasi folk material to the brink. A piano reduction prepared by the composer is also available.

KAI NIEMINEN“If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller” (2009) Dur: 25’Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra: 1211-1100-01-strThe title refers to the book by Italo Calvino that inspired the

concerto’s mysterious atmosphere. The fi rst movement is a homage to Villa-Lobos, as refl ected in the cadenza. The second shows Nieminen’s love of folk music and the third is a kind of lullaby. The music also has a nostalgic feel and assumes a refl ective and lyrical nature.

REPER TOIRE T IPS R E V I E W S

HERMAN RECHBERGERGolpe de Corazón / Heartbeat Concerto (1992) Dur: 17’1111-0000-02-strRechberger has a reputation for being a pioneer in Finnish gui-

tar music – the guitar is his own instrument and he has composed several works for it. His ‘Heartbeat Concerto’ includes minimalistic features. It is softly Neoromantic, making use of diff erent stylistic influences, with long, melodic lines that are rewarding for the soloist.

BENJAMIN STAERNAir-Spiral-Light (2014-16) Dur: 25’for solo guitar, seven instrumen-talists and electronicsStaern brings out the whole potential of the guitar and

displays everything from high-energy outbursts to sen-sitive, searching fl ageolets. In addition, the soloist plays with shot glasses on the strings. The work starts out with the sounds from musical glasses which together with the guitar create an almost unearthly atmosphere. There are also some lively sections here that really swing, with vibraphone, African djembe drums and a bullroarer. The work won the Music Publishers´ Prize 2017.

Arpalinea (2007) Dur: 15´ for solo guitarThe starting point for Arpalinea was J. S. Bach´s Chaconne in D minor, but a sojourn in Italy provided further inspira-tion for the music. The piece opens with arpeggios, and gradually takes on a more rhythmic character with Span-ish infl uences and taps on the guitar body. The second movement is freer in pulse and more intimate, with fl a-geolets. The concluding fi nale is full of energy, the tones gush forth in a torrential fl ow, and the work is rounded off with slapped strings and super-rapid tremolos that rise higher and higher.

HARRI VUORICthulhu’s Dreams (2016) Dur: 23’ Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra: 1111-2000-03-hp-strMusic that captures the mood of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythol-

ogy. A certain sense of mystery and rich, brilliant colours are typical of Vuori. The guitar leads, initiates and acti-vates the orchestra, but in between there are also some sharp contrasts. The second movement aff ords, as if in a fractured mirror, a refl ection of Debussy’s Clair de lune.

LOTTA WENNÄKOSKISusurrus (2016) Dur: 15’for guitar and orchestra: 2222-2200-perc-strWennäkoski’s recent concerto is a fund of action and playful moments. The soloist strums,

twangs and scrapes the strings while members of the orchestra get their share of the fun. The work is not, however, lacking in lyrical melody. Described as fresh, easy-going and at the same time slightly melancholy, it is a little universe in fi fteen minutes.

DAG WIRÉN Little Serenade (1964) Dur: 10´ for solo guitarThis is a Swedish guitar classic and a repertoire work that Wirén wrote for his daughter. It con-

sists of six short movements and begins and ends with a Marcia reminiscent of Wirén´s popular Serenade for Strings. Other movements include a Prelude, an energetic Solo, a virtuoso and lively Intermezzo and a meditative Duo Lente.

Nordic works for guitar

Moments of great beauty Kortekangas’s music serves the drama well and includes moments of

great beauty… The chorus had a major role which it performed im-

pressively, especially in the church scene as they sang a cappella about

the sorrows of war. Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducted the Tampere

Philharmonic Orchestra and ensured that Kortekangas’s score was per-

formed with the passion and precision it deserved. Opera Magazine June 2018

Olli Kortekangas: Veljeni vartija (My Brother’s Keeper) Opera

World premiere: Tampere Opera, Tampere PO/Santtu-Matias Rouvali, sol. Tuuli Takala, Ville

Rusanen, Tuomas Katajala etc., 16.2. 2018 Tampere, Finland

Phenomenal StaernThe programme opened with the epoch-making work Jubilate… This stirred

the audience´s senses to alertness and brought out the power and expres-

siveness in the orchestra… Staern´s phenomenal ability to orchestrate was

manifest in this exemplary performance of the work, in which Oramo´s en-

thusiastic conducting entered into every detail with such natural technical

self-assurance that it felt as if it were a piece from the standard repertoire…

El Mundo 6.5.

Benjamin Staern: Jubilate

Spanish premiere: Royal Stockholm PO/Sakari Oramo, 3.5.2018 Madrid, Spain

Pettersson in a new lightWhen they [Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg] have now come to the Fifth

(1962) and the Seventh (1967), we can only wonder how they managed

to get this incomparable music to expand purely spacially, without losing

any of its intensity. Moreover, I am more and more taken by how they bring

about a new kind of fi ltered light in Pettersson´s music that links him sound-

wise to a Nordic tradition – and it really sings. Dagens Nyheter 23.3.

Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos 5 & 7

CD: Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg (BIS-SACD-2240)

Benjamin Staern

Phot

o: S

tefa

n So

lyom

Phot

o: P

etri

Nuut

inen

H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8

A feast of percussionHis Symphony No. 3 is a milestone in the career of

Heiniö, now celebrating his 70th birthday, and a fi ne

summation of his artistic ambitions. Once again he

tests generic limits: the symphony is also a concerto

with percussions, piano, celesta and harp playing the

leading role… The young German conductor Anja

Bihlmaier extracts from the orchestra a rich sound

and intoxicating percussion rhythms. …A percussion

cadenza led the last movement, Run, to a familiar,

characteristic Heiniö canter, the inventiveness of its

orchestration persisting right up to the brilliant fi nal

thumps.

Turun Sanomat 20.5.

Mikko Heiniö: Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concer-

tante for Percussion and Orchestra)

World premiere: Turku PO/Anja Bihlmaier, 18.5. Turku, Finland

Grubinger delights in Aho

concertoAho’s work is a sort of world music in which the soloist

roams between the instruments…It comes alive in the

quality of the performance, distinctive impulsiveness

and rhythms, but also selected moments of calm.

Dresdner neueste Nachrichten 29.4.

Kalevi Aho: Sieidi (Concerto for Percussion and

Orchestra)

Dresdner Philharmonie/ Michael Sanderling, sol. Martin Grubinger,

15.4.2018

Captivating PuumalaPuumala’s Angular Objects in Liquid Time was truly

angular, edgy, rough and complex, but also captivat-

ingly intensive. Rondo 5-2018

Veli-Matti Puumala: Angular Objects in Liquid Time

World premiere: Defunensemble, 12.4.2018 Tampere, Finland

Focus on HeininenHeininen writes inventively for both violin and pi-

ano, but his piano writing is especially refi ned, full

of glittering fi gures and fi ne sounds.

Hufvudstadsbladet 6.5.

Carefully weighed-up musical art lent impetus

by modernism and brimming with detail, and re-

quiring full immersion. If the listener is prepared

to work, i.e. to be present and curious, the reward

is incomparable musical fl ashes of insight.

Helsingin Sanomat 6.5.

Paavo Heininen: 80th birthday concert (See:

Premieres)

Kaija Saarikettu, violin, Juhani Lagerspetz, piano, 4.5.2018

Helsinki, Finland

A sunny concerto by TurriagoTurriago’s sunny concerto awakens programmatic

thoughts, which is not surprising in the case of his

music…Basically minimalistic, his music nevertheless

turns briskly in new directions and is easily accessible,

melodic, rhythmically clear, and well-controlled. Once

he has had his say, Turriago closes the score at pre-

cisely the right moment. Aamulehti 27.2.

Tuomas Turriago: Concerto for Chamber Ensemble

World premiere: TampereRaw/Tuomas Turriago, 25.2.2018 Tampere,

Finland

Seriously enjoyable musicDag Wirén’s music is an experience to be recommend-

ed to anyone… his 1937 Serenade for Strings is seri-

ously enjoyable music – unpretentious, immaculate-

ly scored and not a note too long… What a superb

beginning this piece [Symphony No. 3] has, its wind

writing lifted from late Sibelius, though the brassy,

percussive writing is highly individual… Where has

this music been hiding? Rumon Gamba secures en-

thusiastic, colourful playing from the Iceland Sym-

phony Orchestra… Wirén’s 1953 Divertimento has a

weight and seriousness which belies its title, whereas

a youthful Sinfonietta is frothy fun from start to fi nish.

Theartsdesk.com 31.3.

An eminently recommendable disc.

Gramophone March 2018

Dag Wirén: Symphony No. 3, Sinfonietta, Serenade

for Strings, Divertimento

CD: Iceland SO/Rumon Gamba (Chandos CHSA5194)

Hypnotic AphroditeIt is an orchestrally striking work. Mezzo-soprano Kati-

ja Dragojevic sings a calm and balanced invocation of

the goddess of love: ”Aphrodite, be now my sister in

battle”. But under the surface the music is bubbling

with gnawing restlessness and carnal passion… for

the most part it is hypnotic.

Göteborgsposten 6.5.

Marie Samuelsson: Aphrodite – Fragments by

Sappho – Love Trilogy No. 1

Gothenburg SO/Mei-Ann Chen, sol. Katija Dragojevic, mezzo-soprano,

4.5.2018 Gothenburg, Sweden

Riveting choral musicThis is one of the most riveting choral discs I’ve ever

come across! Based mainly on folk music and other

traditional sources but dressed in modern outfi t and

with sometimes disrespectful accessories, the music

is challenging, entertaining, often great fun and all

the time inspirational.

MusicWeb International April 2018

Choral works by Erland von Koch, Bengt Ollén, Jan

Sandström, Sven-David Sandström, etc.

CD: 441 Hz Chamber Choir/Anna Wilczewska (DUX 1405 ‘Song of the

North’)

Acclaim for Karlsson’s BIS releaseLars Karlsson’s fi rm, aesthetic grasp on his new disc is

easy to admire… Hufvudstadsbladet 31.1.

Karlsson is a natural

composer of vocal

music with a knack for

writing easily fl owing

melodies. Suovanen’s

sumptuous baritone

is simply perfect for

the declamatory ex-

pression in the Seven

Songs…a fi ne work, a

fi ne performance. Melodiousness is also a salient fea-

ture of the Clarinet Concerto.

www.yle.fi 20.2.

Lars Karlsson: Seven Songs, Clarinet Concerto

CD: Lapland CO/John Storgårds, sol. Christoff er Sundqvist, clarinet,

Gabriel Suovanen, baritone (BIS-2286)

Mühlrad’s KataComposer stripling Jacob Mühlrad advanced toward

further clarity with ”Kata for Two Cellos and Percus-

sion”… It starts out with seasick and distorted strings

and gongs. Then dreamcatcher-like music seeks the

inner balance of martial art and goes to attack with

riffi ng cello tones… the sonorities are exquisite.

Dagens Nyheter 17.4.

Jacob Mühlrad: Kata

World premiere: Astrid Lindell, cello, Marie Macleod, cello, Mika

Takehara, percussion, 16.4.2018 Stockholm, Sweden

Marie

Samuelsson

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o: Jo

sef D

oukk

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Jacob Mühlrad

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lisab

eth

Ohls

on W

allin

Phot

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rku

PO/S

eilo

Rist

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Mikko HeiniöPaavo Heininen

Phot

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Fin

land

/Saa

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ki

N E W P U B L I C AT I O N S

DANIEL BÖRTZTre operakörer (Three Opera Choruses)for mixed choir1. Backanternas kör from the BacchaeText: Euripides (Sw)2. Aphrodite from MedeaText: Euripides (Sw)3. Käre, det är dags att gå in from Magnus GabrielText: Iwar Bergkwist (Sw)GE 13293

LARS KARLSSONSom en vågfor mixed choirText: Pär Lagerkvist (Swe)FG 979-0-55011-417-3

Mina källor for mixed choirText: Karl-Erik Bergman (Swe)FG 979-0-55011-418-0

ROLF MARTINSSONClavis paradisifor soloists and mixed choirText: from Analecta hymnica (Latin)GE 13180

JAN SANDSTRÖMVuojnha bieggafor mixed choirText: Johan Märak (Sami)GE 13381

J. S. BACH/MATS BERGSTRÖM

ARRSei solo, Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001-1006transcribed for guitarGE 13291

MATS LARSSON GOTHEIn modo lidicofor string quartetGE 13258 (score and parts), GE 13259 (study score)

LARS KARLSSONSonata da camerafor double bass and piano FG 979-0-55011-416-6

Koralmetamorfoser/Chorale-metamorphosesfor fl ute, viola and harpFG 979-0-55011-419-7 (score and parts)

KIRMO LINTINENConcerto for Guitar FG 979-0-55011-413-5 (piano reduction with solo part)

OSKAR MERIKANTO/

ED. JAN LEHTOLA Collected works for organ (URTEXT)This critical edition presents for the fi rst time Merikanto’s complete works for organ: the earliest extensive concert pieces written in Finland.FG 979-0-55011-409-8

KAI NIEMINENHymnos IIfor solo hornFG 979-0-55011-425-8

Ariosofor solo horn FG 979-0-55011-426-5

Elegy (for Philip Milton Roth)for horn and harp FG 979-0-55011-427-2

Ancient Songs … (Dreaming of Queen of Sheba)for horn and piano FG 979-0-55011-428-9

THOMAS NIKLASSON Småländsk suitefor organGE 13370

HANNU POHJANNOROimages, hommagesfor quintet : fl , cl, vl, vcl, pfThis work was awarded with the second prize at the VIII International Henri Dutilleux Composition Contest in 2017. FG 979-0-55011-415-9 (score for one musician)

JEAN SIBELIUS/

ARR. ESA YLÖNENAndante festivoArrangement for organFG 979-0-55011-420-3

MARTIN SKAFTETwelve Preludes, Book 2for pianoGE 13246

ORCHESTRALCHAMBER & INSTRUMENTAL

CHORAL

N E W C D s

GÖSTA NYSTROEMSinfonia Concertantefor cello and orchestraGE 13395 (score), GE13396 (study score)

ALLAN PETTERSSONSymphonic MovementGE 11980 (score), GE13399 (study score)

MARIE SAMUELSSONAphrodite – Fragments by Sappho (Love Trilogy No. 1)for mezzo-soprano and orchestraGE 12476 (score), GE 12685 (study score)

JAN SANDSTRÖM/

ORCH: JOHAN DENKEFrån evighet till evighetfor soloists, mixed choir and orchestraGE 12708 (score), GE 12710 (vocal score with organ)

BENJAMIN STAERNHistorien om en prinsessa/The Princess’ Talefor actors, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, percussion, violin and double bassText: Mi Tyler (Sw/Eng)GE 13229 (score), GE 13231 (study score)

KALEVI AHOConcerto for Timpani and Orchestra, Concerto No.1 for Piano and OrchestraTurku PO/Erkki Lasonpalo, Eva Ollikainen, sol. Ari-Pekka Mäenpää, timpani, Sonja Fräki, pianoBIS-SACD 2306

KALEVI AHOSolo I (Tumultos), In Memoriam Pehr Henrik Nordgren

PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENSonata for violin solo Op. 104

EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARAVariétudeRenate Eggebrecht, violinTroubadisc TRO-Cd 01452

HUGO ALFVÉNSymphony No. 1Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Lukasz BorowiczCPO 555 043-2

ERLAND VON KOCHI-i-o-hi-ho

BENGT OLLÉNTrilo, I denna ljuva sommartid

JAN SANDSTRÖMBiegga luohte

SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMFour Songs of Love441 Hz Chamber Choir/Anna WilczewskaDUX 1405 (“Song of the North”)

ROLF MARTINSSONOpen Mind, Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson, A. S. in Memoriam, Concerto for OrchestraRoyal Stockholm PO/Andrew Manze/Sakari Oramo, sol. Lisa Larsson, sopranoBIS-SACD-2133 (“Presentiment”)

ALLAN PETTERSSONSymphonies Nos 5 & 7Norrköping SO/Christian LindbergBIS-SACD-2240

ALBERT SCHNELZERTales from Suburbia, Cello Concerto – Crazy Diamond, Brain Damage – Concerto for OrchestraGothenburg SO/Benjamin ShwartzBIS-SACD-2313

BENJAMIN STAERNOpposing DanceHaga Duo (Sareidah Hildebrand, fl ute, Joakim Lundström, guitar)Haga Musikproduktion (”Colours of Sweden”)

DAG WIRÉNSymphony No. 3, Serenade för Strings, Divertimento, Sinfonietta,Iceland SO/Rumon GambaChandos CHSA5194

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, SwedenTel. +46 8 610 06 00 • Fax +46 8 610 06 27www.gehrmans.se • info@gehrmans.seHire: hire@gehrmans.seWeb shop: www.gehrmans.seSales: sales@gehrmans.se

Fennica Gehrman Oy Ab

PO Box 158, FI-00121 Helsinki, FinlandTel. +358 10 3871 220 • Fax +358 10 3871 221www.fennicagehrman.fi • info@fennicagehrman.fi Hire: hire@fennicagehrman.fi Web shop: www.fennicagehrman.fi Sales: kvtilaus@kirjavalitys.fi (dealers)

BOOKS & TUTORSSAMI JUNTUNENGettin’ into Groove - Rytmi-musiikin etydejä (Etudes for piano) A delightful tutor and repertoire com-pendium, exploring the Afroamerican popular music genre. This version of the book is in Finnish. FG 979-0-55011-396-1

GÉZA SZILVAYColourstrings Violin ABC: Hand-book for Teachers and ParentsA new, completely revised English version off ering expert advice and support to teaching with the Colourstrings® method.FG 979-0-55011-249-0

ARJA SUORSARANNANMÄKIColour Keys – the Piano ABC: Opettajan opas B-kirjaan (Teacher’s Guide for Book B in Finnish).FG 979-055011-414-2

J

O

foGs

GSfGG

ASG(

Tre operakörer

För mezzosopran och blandad kör a cappella

HTfcvTG(

T

Sinfonia concertante

S C O R E

Gösta Nystroem

for violoncello and orchestra

TrOfo1thTe2Te3inTeG

Allan Pettersson

SYMFONISK SATSSymphonic Movement

(1973)

Score

(1973)

för alt/mezzosopran och orkester

S C O R E

Marie Samuelsson

AfroditeFragment av Sapfo

Kärlekstrilogi – nr 1

P A R T I T U R

för solister, blandad kör och orkester

Från evighet till evighet

Jan Sandströmorkestrering: Johan Denke

Historien om en prinsessaThe Princess’ Tale

S C O R E

Benjamin StaernMi Tyler

en pendang till ”Historien om en soldat”

a companion piece to “The Soldier’s Tale”

In modo lidico(Ein Heiliger Dankgesang)

for string quartet

S C O R E

Mats Larsson Gothe

CfcThG

JVfT(G

SMÅLÄNDSK SUITEMelodier ur Matthias Silvius Svenonis notbok

Arr: Thomas Niklasson

130

Tolv preludier, bok 2

Twelve Preludes, Book 2

for piano

Martin Skafte

inspired by

Claude Debussy’s Préludes: deuxième livre