highlights - rolf · pdf fileth e new anthology svenska romanser (115 swed- ... ai margini...
TRANSCRIPT
NO
RD
IC4/2013HIGHLIGHTS
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
Einojuhani Rautavaara
at 85
Mirjam Tally &
Jonas Valfridsson
N E W SN
OR
DIC
HIGHLIGHTS 4/2013
NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN
Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at
www.gehrmans.se/highlights
Cover photos: Einojuhani Rautavaara
(Photo: Heikki Tuuli), Mirjam Tally (Photo: Mattias
Ahlm), Jonas Valfridsson (Photo: Cato Lein)
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 2013
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 3
Swedish MPA Awards 2013
Th e Swedish Music Publishers’ special an-
niversary prize was handed out on 8 No-
vember to the Grand Old Man of Swed-
ish music Ingvar Lidholm for his lifetime
achievements within music. Sven-David Sandström received the Classical Music
Award of the Year in the orchestra/opera
category for his Requiem, in which he has
created “a work rich in sonorous and me-
lodic beauty”. We congratulate both prize
winners!
Kalevi Aho Composer in
Residence at Loisiarte
Kalevi Aho is to be Composer in Residence at
the Loisiarte festival in Austria on 27–30 March
2014. Th e festival for contemporary music and
literature will present choral and chamber mu-
sic by Aho, who will join the four-day event. At
the opening concert his string quintet Hommage
à Schubert will be paired with Schubert piano
trios. Th e Finnish focus at Lousiarte 2014 also
includes selected works by Olli Mustonen.
Tommie Haglund – Music of the Soul On 5 October Anders Gustafsson’s acclaimed documentary
“Tommie Haglund – Music of the Soul” was broadcast on
Swedish Television. Now it is possible to watch the fi lm on
Sempre Media’s homepage with subtitles in English (http://
sempremedia.se). Gustafsson has followed the multifaceted
Haglund for four years. He writes music, which is often lyr-
ic, and derives inspiration from among other things, nature,
primitive people, outer space and Fredrick Delius. It has been
said that a streak of spirituality permeates his tonal language.
Art song feverTh e new anthology Svenska romanser (115 Swed-
ish Art Songs) was released in connection with
a concert in November. Pianist Bengt Forsberg
presented songs from the book together with
singers Hillevi Martinpelto and Erik Roseni-us. In January an art song collection for English
speakers, Romanser – 24 Swedish Songs, is due
to be published. It includes phonetic (IPA) and
word-for-word English translations, a concise
guide to Swedish diction, and more information.
Lady Macbeth in Örebro
Johan Ullén’s Lady Macbeth was premiered
before an enthusiastic Örebro audience on 3
October by mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus
and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra/Gérhard
Korsten. Th e original version was composed on
commission from the Swedish Radio in 2009
and consists of three songs to texts by Shake-
speare for mezzo and piano. In the new 25-min-
ute orchestral version, Johan Ullén has added an
atmospheric prelude, a grand orchestral inter-
lude, as well as a short but “horribly triumphant”
epilogue to the songs, creating a dramatic scene.
Release of Kärkkäinen focus concertPilfi nk Records are releasing Alchemy
2006, the concert of works by Tommi Kärkkäinen, in digital format. It will be
available at all leading online distribution
points in December 2013 and later possi-
bly in DVD format. Performed at Musica
nova Helsinki in 2006, Alchemy 2006 was
a visually spectacular multimedia concert
of tape and chamber music.
Phot
o: E
lias S
jögr
en
Phot
o: G
hadi
Bou
stan
i
Award statuettes designed
by Bertil Vallien
Phot
o: P
er M
ölle
r
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 3
P R E M I E R E S
November 2013–March 2014
TOMMIE HAGLUNDString Trio - Sollievo (dopo la tempesta)
Trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinen
11.11. Stockholm, Sweden
OLLI KORTEKANGASAi margini della luce
Varpu Haavisto, solo viol
27.11. Tampere, Finland
Adventus, fantasy for organ, Five Christmas Song Arrangements
Tiina-Maija Koskela, soprano, Nicholas Söderlundh, bass-baritone,
Tuomas Tainio, percussion, Kari Vuola, organ
8.12. Naantali, Finland
JYRKI LINJAMADas fl ießende Licht der Gottheit
Susannah Haberfeld, mezzo-soprano, Ilmo Ranta, piano
12.12. Espoo, Finland
ALBERT SCHNELZERAnimal Songs
Helsingborg SO/Clemens Schuldt, sol. Susanna Andersson, soprano
12.1. Helsingborg, Sweden
SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMNumber Four
NorrlandsOperan SO/Rumon Gamba
16.1. Umeå, Sweden
St Matthew Passion
Staatskapelle Halle, Philharmonischer Chor Berlin, Uppsala
Academic Chamber Choir, Gustaf Sjökvist Chamber Choir/Stefan
Parkman
16.2. Berlin, Germany
TOBIAS BROSTRÖMOn Urban Ground
NorrlandsOperan SO/Rumon Gamba
18.1. Umeå, Sweden
MIRJAM TALLYLament
NorrlandsOperan SO/Rumon Gamba
23.1. Umeå, Sweden
From Darkness to Light
Norrlandopern SO, Sångkraft Chamber Choir/Risto Joost
28.2. Umeå, Sweden
ANDERS ELIASSONTrio d’archi – Ahnungen
Trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinen
10.2. Stockholm, Sweden
DANIEL BÖRTZSinfonia 12
Swedish Radio SO/Daniel Blendulf
15.2. Stockholm, Sweden
JONAS VALFRIDSSONA Sudden Recollection: Le Jardin des Plantes
Norrköping SO/Michael Francis
27.2. Norrköping, Sweden
MIKKO HEINIÖFive Preludes for Guitar
Patrik Kleemola
21.3. Milan, Italy (Giornate Festival)
New Rautavaara publicationsIn honour of his 85th birthday, Fennica
Gehrman has published fi ve works by Eino-juhani Rautavaara this autumn. Two of
these are for mixed choir: Ave Maria, gratia
plena and Four Romances from the opera Ras-
putin. Four Songs to Poems by Aleksis Kivi is
for male choir. Hymnus for trumpet and or-
gan, and Con spirito di Kuhmo for violin and
cello are now also available as sheet music.
Schnelzer newsTh e Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the
Stockholm Royal Philharmonic are commis-
sioning a 25-minute Concerto for Orchestra by
Albert Schnelzer for the 2014/2015 season.
Th e premiere is scheduled for 26 November,
2014 in Gothenburg. Th e BBC Symphony Or-
chestra has announced that Kirill Karabits will
conduct the world premiere of Schnelzer’s Tales
from Suburbia, at the Barbican Centre London
on 15 March, 2015. Subsequent to that, the
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra will give
the Swedish premiere in Stockholm.
Tapio Tuomela websiteComposer Tapio Tuomela has set up a website
in Finnish and English at http://tapiotuomela.
fi . In addition to a composer biography, reviews
and sound bites, the site in-
cludes samples of new scores
such as his saxophone con-
certo Swap and the Suite
française for wind ensemble.
Ruiz plays Martinsson
Th e Venezuelan double bass phenomenon Edicson Ruiz has taken
up Rolf Martinsson´s Double Bass Concerto in his repertoire. Th e
fi rst performance took place last autumn in Caracas with the Simon
Bolivar Orquesta, and in April Ruiz was a guest of the Gothenburg
Symphony Orchestra. In October he played the concerto with
the Youth Orchestra of Caracas in Tokyo. Ruiz tells that “the
piece caused an emotional tsunami in Japan. Th e audience went
crazy.” At the end of December Ruiz will give another four
performances in Alicante, Spain.
Kortekangas premieres
& recordingsOlli Kortekangas has three premieres in No-
vember-December. His latest work for solo
viol was performed by Varpu Haavisto on
27 November, while Adventus, a fantasy for
organ, and fi ve new Christmas Carol arrange-
ments can be heard in Naantali on 8 Decem-
ber. Varpu Haavisto has also been involved in
fi ve earlier works by Kortekangas for period
instruments, and there are plans for recording
them. Jan Lehtola is also making a CD of or-
gan music by Kortekangas.
Phot
o: M
ikae
l Ryd
enfe
ltPh
oto:
Jea
n-M
iche
l Gue
ugno
t
Phot
o: P
eter
Ada
mik
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 3
Rautavaara quotes A young person must collect traumas. Th ey are engines, sources of energy.
An artist should have a charismatic relationship with the audience. Th e worst thing he can do is to express and interpret himself.
If you’re very profoundly and thoroughly bohemian, you don’t really have time to make art. Th is is my experience, because being bohemi-an is awfully time-consuming. It’s a job in itself.
A young composer must learn everything – and not obey anything but the will of the work in progress.
Nothing in the world goes on forever. Th at is what’s so terrifi c.
Composing
a way of life for Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote his fi rst compositions while still at
school, sitting at the piano and experimenting with chords until
he learnt to induce a state reminiscent of trance. His career got
off to a brisk start when, in 1954, his A Requiem in Our Time
won a composition competition in the United States. It was performed now
and then on the radio, and heard by Jean Sibelius, who had by then sunk
into silence at Ainola. For his 90th birthday in 1955, a US foundation gave
Sibelius a grant named after conductor-composer Sergei Koussevitzky,
to be awarded to a young composer.
“It was an unusual birthday present, and the gratifying verdict fell on
me,” Rautavaara still recalls in amazement. “Th e trip to the United States
was to signify a decisive change in my development. I went and thanked
Sibelius for the grant, and on my return, for the chance of spending near-
ly two years at the Juilliard School of Music and the Tanglewood Music
Center.”
Breakthrough workRautavaara’s career as a professional composer began after the years spent
in the United States. His breakthrough came when the University of Oulu
commissioned him to compose something for its degree ceremony in 1972.
Th e result was a work that has since become a classic: the Cantus arcticus
concerto for birds and orchestra . Th e cries of the birds are taped.
Rautavaara was not immediately aware he had struck gold. Not until the
concerto was recorded did it begin to be played by foreign radio stations,
and enquiries soon poured in from all over the world. Th e Cantus arcticus
is still by far the most often-performed orchestral work by him: over the
past ten years it has been played 25–57 times a year at concerts across the
world, and that does not include broadcasts on the radio.
Th e 1970s were a trying time in Rautavaara’s private life. A new, more
tranquil period began when he married again in the mid-1980s. It was then
that he discovered the mode of expression that has continued right up to
the present.
“While I was composing my fi fth symphony, it occurred to me that a
symphony is more than just some kind of scheme or mould. It is a way of
thinking, one in which there is no rush to create musical drama. Th ere’s no
hurry to get things done quickly to make way for the next ones. I wanted to
compose long continua I could settle down in.”
Snowball eff ect From then onwards, things began to happen. Th e scores of Rautavaara’s
fi ve symphonies were published in the late 1980s and the Ondine record
company released them on two discs. A booklet and sampler disc of or-
chestral music by him was produced by his publisher. Under gentle pres-
sure from Ondine, the seventh symphony of 1994 was renamed Angel of
Light . Th is all set a snowball eff ect in motion. All over the world, people
eagerly began to await new orchestral works, concertos and operas by Eino-
juhani Rautavaara; they got wide press coverage and went out on hundreds
of radio stations. Rautavaara had become a symbol of international success
in contemporary music.
Th ough no precise public statistics are available, Einojuhani Rautavaara
is, with his 216 works, probably second only to Sibelius as the Finnish
composer whose works are most often performed. He still spends a few
hours a day composing. “I can’t manage more, but composing is a way of life
for me. I’ll go on doing it, I hope, until the end.”
Pekka Hako
This article is a shortened version of that published in Teostory.
Einojuhani Rautavaara is the epitome of Finnish
classical music and probably second only to Sibelius
as the Finnish composer whose works are most often
performed abroad. At 85, he nowadays still composes
for a few hours a day.
Phot
o: H
eikk
i Tuu
li
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 3
Could you describe your music shortly?
Mirjam Tally (MT): Th e most important el-
ement in my music is no doubt colour. I often
think visually, and associate tones with colours.
I also try to broaden my palette with diff erent
kinds of noise sound. Stylistically, I have been
infl uenced by both minimalism and modernism,
and mix elements of the two in my music.
Jonas Valfridsson (JV): What I strive for in my
music is above all beauty, which for me is some-
thing fl eeting and elusive. Th is is probably why
my music is often distinguished by the mystical
and fragile. Th roughout the years I have devel-
oped a rather characteristic sound, a lyrical treat-
ment of quite modern sonorities.
Where do you fi nd your inspiration?
MT: I often take long walks or go for bike rides.
On the island of Gotland, where I live, there are
good opportunities and beautiful natural scenery
for that. I am also an amateur photographer, and
look for the same thing in my musical creativity as
when I take pictures: colour, light and space.
JV: For me it comes quite randomly and unex-
pectedly. Suddenly one thought collides with
another and everything seems clear, the music is
just there. It is vital for me to have the discipline
to go on composing even when I am not inspired.
Inspiration is a bonus, but it is not always there.
Jonas, your works often have lengthy and poet-
ic titles. Do you derive inspiration from them?
JV: No, the title often comes later on during
my work on the piece. For me it is actually not
that important, but for the listener it can be ab-
solutely decisive for how he or she approaches
the work, for what is to be anticipated. For this
reason I often try to give the work a title that
stimulates the imagination and sticks out a bit.
You both made major breakthroughs with
your fi rst works for symphony orchestra.
MT: Indeed, my work Turbulence was per-
formed both at the ISCM World New Music
Days and at the Venice Biennale in 2008. It was
also awarded the Little Christ Johnson Prize.
It is probably the work in which I have gone
the farthest with my musical experimenting.
I worked more with sound qualities than with
pitches. Various kinds of factory and machine
sounds were important sources of inspiration.
Th ere is also an electric guitar here that puts its
characteristic stamp on the work.
JV: When I began writing In Killing Fields Sweet
Butterfl y Ascend the orchestral medium was
new to me, and I learned novelties at such a fast
pace that I had to revise and re-orchestrate a
number of times. In the end it turned out to be a
highly concentrated and poetical work, three short
movements that fl utter transitorily by. It won third
prize in the 2007 Toru Takemitsu Composition
Award. Th e reception in Tokyo was a powerful
experience. Th e title was charged with meaning
for the seniors in the audience, since it alluded
to the War. When it was announced that I “only”
came in third a murmur of disappointment went
through the auditorium; I’ll never forget that.
Th ree years later I won the Uppsala Composi-
tion Competition with Th e Only Th ing Th at You
Keep Changing Is Your Name.
Mirjam, your violin concerto Birds and Shad-
ows was performed by John Storgårds and the
Lapland Chamber Orchestra during the Nor-
dic Music Days in Helsinki this October. Can
you tell us something about this work?
MT: It’s a lyrical work with a melody in the cen-
tre that ties everything together. Around this I
have built a landscape with whisperings, noise
and rhythmical elements. Over and above their
playing, the musicians in the orchestra also get
to participate in the whispering.
On 27 October the Jönköping Sinfonietta
gave the fi rst performance of A Fragmented
Memory; My Overgrown Little Tree House.
Jonas, what was it like to compose for the or-
chestra of your old home town?
JV: I tried to pack this piece with experiences of
a more personal nature. I’m not usually so pri-
vate in my works, but here memories from my
childhood and places I have visited off er some
Mirjam Tally and Jonas Valfridsson are two new interesting
composer profi les on the Swedish contemporary music scene.
sort of ambient sound, hence the title. It became
my version of nature romanticism, an angle of
approach that has earlier been entirely alien to
me, but it contributed to a renewal and ended up
a very fi ne work.
What are you working on at the moment?
JV: My fi rst priority is a work for string orchestra
commissioned by the Stockholm New Chamber
Orchestra (SNYKO). Th en there are a number
of other projects in progress concurrently; but it
is this score that is lying on my desk just now.
MT: I have just fi nished a work, Vortex, for
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, which is to be
premiered during the Estonian Music Days in
April, 2014. It starts out with very vigorous and
rhythmical passages, which are a little unusual
for me. Th en I have begun sketches on a work
for fl ute, electro acoustics and chamber orchestra
for Monika Mattiesen and the Danish Athelas
Sinfonietta for early March of next year.
What else is coming up during 2014?
MT: Th e NorrlandsOpera Symphony Orchestra
is going to premiere two works of mine in the
beginning of next year. Lament is a companion
piece to Beethoven’s Ninth, in which I have used
the recitative in the cello part from the begin-
ning of movement IV. I repeat it in my work to
such an extent that it almost becomes a kind of
mantra, and mix in my typical elements: clus-
ters, bisbigliandos, overtone glissandi etc. Th en
I have also written a 50-minute work, Light and
Darkness for choir and orchestra, to poems by
the Sami poet Paulus Utsi.
JV: My new orchestral work, A Sudden Recol-
lection: Le Jardin des Plantes, will receive its pre-
miere performance by the Norrköping Sympho-
ny Orchestra on 27 February; I’m excited about
this. It will be a kind of distillate of my last two
orchestral works, and a sort of balance sheet of
the material I have worked with over an extend-
ed period.
Kristina Fryklöf
Mirjam Tally and Jonas Valfridsson
in the limelight
Phot
o: M
attia
s Ahl
m
Phot
o: C
ato
Lein
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 3
DANIEL BÖRTZSinfonia 12 (2010-2011) Dur: 40’3343-4441-15-hp-pf-str, solo baritone
(Text: Kjell Espmark Sw/Eng)
Börtz utilises a richly coloured palette
in his Twelfth Symphony, in four move-
ments, where he eff ectively alternates
between the large symphony orchestra
and more chamber music like sections. Motoric drive, suddenly fl our-
ishing dream sequences, gongs and glockenspiel sonorities are incor-
porated into the music. A baritone soloist appears in the slow second
movement, in which Börtz has set a poem by Kjell Espmark.
JÖRGEN DAFGÅRDSinfonia No. 1 (2003-2004)
Dur: 21’2222-2200-10-str
Dafgård’s chamber symphony begins
with a prelude, which strikes a creepy
and desolate mood that remains in the
background. A lyrical cantilena that starts out in the fi rst violins puts
its imprint on the Sinfonia’s second part, after which follows a Scherzo
with a virtuoso clarinet part in the leading role. The fi nale is divided
into a slow and a fast section, and reverts to material from both the
slow beginning and the rhythmically playful Scherzo.
ANDERS ELIASSONSymphony No. 4 (2005) Dur: 25’4333-6331-13-str
Eliasson’s fourth symphony seizes the
listener by the throat, at the same time
as it conveys a most singular beauty with
its tenderly entreating melodic melan-
choly. It is music charged with energy,
constantly moving forward with strong and steady force. But at the
very end comes a sudden opening to something else: the symphony
ebbs away in a short epilogue with a fl itting solo for fl ugelhorn.
HALVOR HAUGSymphony No. 4 (2001) Dur: 23’3333-4331-13-hp-str
Haug composed his Fourth Symphony in
the autumn of 2001, deeply aff ected by
the events of 9/11. The symphony, con-
ceived in one single movement, express-
es sadness, anxiety and powerlessness,
but Haug also wants the listener to perceive the feeling of hope that is
concealed in the music. The end is quite lovely when Haug lets the bells
sound over a soft carpet of strings. The symphony is dedicated to “all
innocent victims of terrorism around the world”.
PAAVO HEININEN
Symphony No. 5 (2003) Dur: 33’3333-4330-14-hp-cel-str
The fi fth symphony followed the fourth
after an interval of over 30 years. The very
opening already says what to expect: a
true orchestral horn of plenty. Heininen
describes the music as thematic-melodic,
with details festooning its textural simplicity. There are studies in har-
monic colour, Baroque-like allusions, and a violin in the background
evoking associations with Heininen’s Violin Concerto of 1999.
JUHA T. KOSKINENSymphony No. 1 (2006) Dur: 40’3333-4331-12-hp-cel-str
The middle movement is the heart and
dynamo of this refi ned three-movement
symphony – the sun around which the
other movements revolve as planets. As
work on it progressed, the materials travelled from one movement to
another, leaving tracks by the wayside and setting up “colonies”. The
symphony also acquired a musical narrative, or rather several, that
culminate in the fi nal bars of the last movement.
PASI LYYTIKÄINENSymphony (2006) Dur: 40’2222-4230-11-str
Lyytikäinen likens his fi rst symphony to
a journey: “My music is like a passing
winter landscape. There are changing
sound views, sometimes open fi elds and
sometimes icy rocks.” In the focus of at-
tention are not only stringed instruments but also French horns, which
have an important role in presenting new thematic motifs. The march
episodes in the second movement add Shostakovich-like irony to the
vigorous music.
PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENSymphony No. 8 (2006) Dur: 25’2222-4220-13-hp-pf+cel-str
The whole gamut of life is woven into
what was to be the last symphony by
Nordgren; the expression is dream-like
in places, as if reaching out into another
reality. The expectant mood of the fi rst
movement, Minore, and the clock-like tick of two notes (A-F) stimulate
associations with the relentless passing of time. The delicate, limpid
Intermezzo leads to a movement entitled Maggiore that is full of joie
de vivre and marked by a rollicking folk tune quotation.
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMSymphony No 3 – Kärlekens fyra
ansikten (Four Faces of Love,
2006) Dur: 35’2222-4230-12-hp-str, solo mezzo-soprano
Text: Ylva Eggehorn (Sw)
This symphony is built around four texts
by poet Ylva Eggehorn refl ecting on the vicissitudes of life, the extraor-
dinary in the ordinary. The tumultuous sound forces, violent eruptions
in the percussion and densely interwoven strings, form an expressive
soundscape around the sensitive, elegiac, ardent and melodious vocal
part.
HARRI VUORI
Symphony No. 2 (2007) Dur: 38’2222-2210-02-hp-pf-str
The chords in Vuori’s second symphony
are based on manipulated spectral har-
monies, and the result is astoundingly
bright “spatial” music. Vuori also speaks
of the reconciliation of opposing worlds. The translucent, glittering
harmony is off set by symphonic grandeur and spectacular orchestral
eff ects.
REPER TOIRE T IPS R E V I E W S
Topnotch Broström In Tobias Broström´s Samsara we are immersed in a
fl oating state, lyrically shimmering, rhythmically exu-
berant, where we never reach fi rm ground…The con-
cluding Cello Concerto off ers a darker, more dramatic
sound palette. The fi nale is quite in the manner of Si-
belius, with its glittering French horn part emerging
out of the energetic whirlpool of strings. Topnotch!
Dagens Nyheter 11.9.
Tobias Broström: Samsara, Cello Concerto
CD: Västerås Sinfonietta/Johannes Gustavsson, Hugo Ticciati, Johan
Bridger, Mats Rondin (dBCD154)
Angels and furiesThe most gorgeous piece of the evening was Kimmo
by recently deceased Anders Eliasson. Six percussion-
ists fi lled the auditorium with angels and furies. In the
slow middle movement the trumpet stood out like a
sorrowfully singing Orpheus, before the third move-
ment´s journey into the percussionists´ paradise
where the blissful trumpet was welcomed by three
pairs of cymbals. Sydsvenskan 28.10.
Anders Eliasson: Kimmo
Håkan Hardenberger, Bridger & Friends, 25.10.2013 Malmö, Sweden
Powerful Jubilate in HelsinkiIn the Swedish composer Benjamin Staern´s Jubilate
there is powerful energy and a lot of “go”, not unlike in
the music of Magnus Lindberg and Sebastian Fager-
lund. Staern writes diligently for orchestra at the same
time as he keeps a fi rm grip on the listener thanks to
his sense of dramaturgy. Hufvudstadsbladet 19.10.
Benjamin Staern: Jubilate
Finnish premiere: Helsinki PhO/Baldur Brönnimann, 18.10.2013 Nordic
Music Days Helsinki, Finland
Some 21st century symphonies
Phot
o: M
irjam
Tally
Benjamin Staern
in Helsinki
H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 3
Emotional power in
Haglund’s TrioThere is a heartrending beauty in Haglund’s vibrant
music that sometimes makes you feel the need to
hold onto something. But in the new string trio this
has evolved into the form of a healing process of
mourning… The emotional power was at least as
compelling. Dagens Nyheter 13.11.
Tommie Haglund: String Trio - Sollievo
(dopo la tempesta)
World premiere: Trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinen, 11.11.2013 Stockholm,
Sweden
Colourful fi lm music by HakolaHakola uses the symphony orchestra cleverly, col-
ourfully and dramatically…the music may also be
thought of as a fairly independent concert piece
inspired by a fi lm. Helsingin Sanomat 13.10.
A successful investment by the RSO culminating in
a way that is spectacular to say the least. The score
is fearlessly melodic, rich in timbres and where nec-
Puumala and SibeliusThe Sibelius melodramas with a modern work by Veli-Matti Puumala in between them made an unusual pro-
gramme in which compositions born of two diff erent worlds complemented one another. Puumala convinced
me already four years ago with his Memorial Fragment. Keskipohjanmaa 22.9.
Veli-Matti Puumala: Rime
World premiere: Ostrobothnian ChO/Tuomas Hannikainen, 20.9.2013 Kokkola, Finland
Ostrobothnian
Chamber
Orchestra
Phot
o: S
ami H
elen
ius
Focus on Lars KarlssonKarlsson knows how to handle a choir in an artful
and fi rmly polyphonic way… Jaguaren is a wild work
building up to a combustive and primitive witches’
dance. The surprise at the concert was the magnifi -
cent soloist Kristian Lindroos in the powerful, brood-
ingly ecstatic Pär Lagerkvist song cycle. The two
freshly refi ned chamber works, Arioso and Koralmeta-
morfoser, brought out Karlsson’s softly lyrical side.
Helsingin Sanomat 10.11.
Lars Karlsson: Åländsk symfoni, Tre motetter, Koral-
metamorfoser, Arioso, Seven Songs to Texts by Pär
Lagerkvist
Jubilate/Timo Nuoranne, Akademen/Kari Turunen, Wegelius Chamber
Strings/Arturo Alvardo, etc., 8.11.2013 Helsinki, Finland
Phot
o: M
aarit
Kyt
öhar
ju/M
usic
Fin
land
Lars Karlsson
Martin Fröst
Phot
o: M
ats B
äcke
r
Diversity and beautyThe world of sound seems to be as diversifi ed and
beautiful for Kortekangas as nature itself. The work ir-
radiates various delicate moments in diff erent shades.
The music proceeds naturally from classical to jazzy
and even to Negro-spiritual expression, yet without
being any patchwork quilt… Sowing the Seed is a
magnifi cent kaleidoscope of notes, words and tim-
bres. Aamulehti 15.9.
Olli Kortekangas: Seven Songs for Planet Earth
Finnish premiere: Tampere PO, Tampere Philharmonic Choir/Jani Sivén,
sol. Tuija Knihtilä, Aarne Pelkonen, 13.9.2013 Tampere, Finland
Pettersson x 2 in NorrköpingHere [Symphony No. 16] in the myriads of ideas and
impulses there are more often glimpses of jazz and
playfulness than of gloom and harshness, and a warm
melancholy at the end where Jörgen Pettersson´s fer-
vent tone is supported by soft strings… It [Symphony
No. 4] is swarming with exquisite details of orchestra-
tion, dexterity, and the technique behind the perfor-
mance is impressive. Folkbladet 6.11.
Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 16
Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg, 31.10.2013 Norrköping, Sweden
Swedish clarinet showFröst showed off in this work that was
specially written for him: from swelling
crescendi to magnifi cent glissandi and
vocal/playing passages. It put on display
his whole gamut of technical skill. But
mere virtuosity does not make a concert.
It was the masterly fusion of the solo in-
strument and the ensemble that made it
“Concert Fantastique”… with its at times
expressionistic, at times seemingly mod-
ern sounds it made the “Première Rapso-
die” for clarinet and orchestra by Claude
Debussy, with all its impressionistic tone
painting, seem almost colourless by com-
parison. Der Bund 12.10.
Rolf Martinsson: Concert Fantastique
Swiss premiere: Berne SO/Rumon Gamba, sol. Martin
Fröst, 10.10.2013 Berne, Switzerland
Work by Heiniö the highlight of a
choral discMikko Heiniö’s 18-minute Maria Suite is the highlight
of the disc… Heiniö, 65, is 20 years younger than Eino-
juhani Rautavaara but has much in common with his
older colleague, not least an interest in language…
The esoteric, dissonant harmonies and the slow tem-
pos evoke also associations with Rautavaara…
Åbo Underrättelser 23.10.
Mikko Heiniö: Maria Suite, for mixed choir
CD: Key Ensemble/Teemu Honkanen (Fuga 9351)
essary decorated in folk style, lyrically sensitive or
dramatically expressive – whatever the moment
demands. Hufvudstadsbladet 13.10.
Kimmo Hakola: Music for the silent fi lm
Tukkijoella
World premiere: Finnish RSO/Santtu-Matias Rouvali, 11.10.2013
Helsinki, Finland
A refi ned riot of
colour by MelartinA consummate work and
exceedingly delicate music.
And with what fi re
and glow was it
performed!
Hufvudstadsbladet
17.11.
Erkki Melartin: Traumgesicht
Finnish RSO/Hannu Lintu,
14.11.2013 Helsinki Finland Erkki Melartin
VOCAL
TINA ANDERSSONLove’s Philosophy
for eight-part mixed choir a cappella
Text: Percy B. Shelley (Eng)GE 12287
ULRIKA EMANUELSSONRösten ur mörkret sjunger
for mixed choir a cappella
Text: Göran Sonnevi (Swe)GE 12255
CHRISTIAN ENGQVISTIt Is so Peaceful here Now
for mixed choir or male choir a cappella
Text: the composer (Eng)GE 12199 (SATB)
GE 12293 (TTBB)
STAFFAN LINDBERG ARRVittskövlevisan
for mixed choir or male choir and piano
Text: Trad. (Swe)GE 12288 (SATB)
GE 12290 (TTBB)
Staff ansvisa från Orust
for mixed choir or male choir and piano
Text: Trad. (Swe)GE 12289 (SATB)
GE 12291 (TTBB)
LEEVI MADETOJAKootut yksinlaulut ja duetot 1-2
(Solo Songs and Duets 1-2) FG 9790-55009-000-2 & 55009-001-9
ORCHESTRA & CHAMBER
N E W P U B L I C AT I O N S
KALEVI AHOSymphony No. 15, Double Bass Concerto, Minea
Lahti SO/Osmo Vänskä, Jaakko Kuusisto, Dima Slobodeniouk,
sol. Eero Munter, double bassBIS-SACD-1866
MIKKO HEINIÖMaria Suite
Key Ensemble/Teemu HonkanenFuga 9351
ALLAN PETTERSSONSymphony No. 9
Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg
DVD included: Vox Humana, TV documentary (1973-78)BIS-2038
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA Notturno e Danza
Erkki Palola, violin & Teppo Koivisto, pianoPilfi nk JJVCD-124 (”Refl ections”)
ALBERT SCHNELZERApollonian Dances
Hugo Ticciati, violin, Henrik Måwe, pianoOrchid Classics ORC 100038 (“Sonic Philosophy: Colour and Aff ect”)
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARAFour Romances from the opera
Rasputin/ Neljä romanssia oopperasta
Rasputin
for mixed choir
Text: the composer (Eng/Fin)FG 9790-55011-148-6
Neljä laulua Aleksis Kiven runoihin
(Four Songs to Poems by Aleksis Kivi)
for male choir
Text: Aleksis Kivi (Fin)FG 979-0-55011-158-5
KARIN REHNQVISTVärldsklockan
for mixed choir and violoncello
Text: Harry Martinson (Swe)GE 12252
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMThe Half-fi nished Heaven
for six-part mixed choir a cappella
Text: Tomas Tranströmer (Eng)GE 12356
FREDRIK SIXTENMagnifi cat & Nunc dimittis
for mixed choir and organ
Text: Luke I and Luke II (Lat)GE 12304
EVERT TAUBE/ARR: ROBERT SUNDFragancia
for mixed choir or male choir and piano
Text: the composer (Swe)GE 12249 (SATB)
GE 12250 (TTBB)
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INSTRUMENTAL
ANDERS ELIASSONTrio d’archi – Ahnungen
for string trioGE 12262 (score and parts)
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARACon spirito di Kuhmo
for violin and celloFG 9790-55009-945-6
MIRJAM TALLYBirds and Shadows
Concertino for violin and string orchestraGE 12311 (score)
EDUARD TUBINComplete works volume XXII – Quartets
Piano Quartet in C sharp minor, String
Quartet, Elegy for two violins and two
violoncellosGE 12251 (scores and parts)
JOHAN ULLÉNLady Macbeth
for mezzo-soprano and chamber
orchestra
Text: William Shakespeare (Eng)12357 (study score)
TOMMI KÄRKKÄINENTener tenebrum 1 & 2
for guitarFG 9790-55011-159-2
It Is so Peaceful here NowLyrics and music
Version forMixed choir a cappella
Love’s Philosophy
Mixed choir a cappella
Staffan Lindberg
Vit t sköv lev i sanför manskör
VärldsklockanSATB, violoncell
The Half-finished HeavenText: Tomas Tranströmer
Mixed choir a cappella
N E W C D s
ARJA
SUORSARANNANMÄKIColour Keys
The Piano ABC, Book A
A new, inspiring tutor
for small piano players.FG 9790-55011-155-4