nordic highlights 2 2012
DESCRIPTION
In this issue articles about Benjamin Staern and Kalevi Aho.TRANSCRIPT
NO
RD
IC2/2012HIGHLIGHTS
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
Seven questions for Benjamin Staern
Focus on Kalevi Aho’s concertos
N E W S
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 2
NO
RD
IC
HIGHLIGHTS 2/2012
NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN
Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at
www.gehrmans.se/highlights
Cover photo: Helena Juntunen in Jüri Reinvere’s opera
Purge (Stefan Bremer/Finnish National Opera)
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 2012
Colourstrings training in LondonA course for instrumental teachers will be held
in London on 29 July–3 August 2012. Th e string
course will form the fi rst part of the three-phase
education program to become a certifi ed Col-
ourstrings teacher, and following this there will
be an advanced “Phase 2 course”. Read more at
www.colourstrings.co.uk
Dan Styff e
Phot
o: L
ouise
Mar
tinss
onSamuelsson collaborationTh e Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra have jointly com-
missioned a 20-minute orchestral work by Marie Samuelsson. Th e premiere is scheduled for 2014.
Gehrmans has increased the collaboration with
Samuelsson which now also covers her chamber mu-
sic repertoire. Th e following works have been added:
Ö (Island) for violin solo, I vargens öga (In the Eye
of the Wolf ) for saxophone and CD, Improvisation
– Composition for two saxophones, Alive for violin
solo, Skuggspel (Shadow Play) for oboe and percus-
sion, and Elvahundratjugo grader (Elevenhundred and
twenty degrees) for cello and CD.
Phot
o: M
ats B
äcke
r
US premiere for Sixten’s Requiem8 June will see the US premiere of Fredrik Six-ten’s Requiem. Scored for soprano, bass-baritone,
mixed choir and chamber orchestra, the work
will be performed by the Sonos Chamber Or-
chestra, choir and soloists, under Erich Ochsner
in S:t Peter’s Church New York.
Toivo Kuula Singing
Competition Summer 2013 will mark the 130th anniver-
sary of the birth of Toivo Kuula. Th e jubilee
celebrations will begin already in 2012 with
a national Toivo Kuula Singing Competition
in Alavus, the town where he was born, on
11–18 August, the aim being to highlight
and fi nd new interpreters of his music.
A Dream Play in WeimarDeutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle
Weimar, under the direction of Stefan Solyom,
will put on Ingvar Lidholm’s opera A Dream
Play in the 2013 season, with the premiere on
20 April. Th e opera, which is based on August Strindberg’s famous theatre play, had its world
premiere at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in
1992, and has later been performed with great
success in Bern, Magdeburg and Santa Fe.
New chamber music
on YouTube Some new chamber works by Kai Nieminen
can be heard on YouTube: Refl ecting Landscapes
premiered by the Trio La Rue in November, and
Nocturnal Mindscapes (Lily-Marlene Puusepp,
harp, Malla Vivolin, alto fl ute, Linda Hed-lund, violin, Jussi Aalto, viola and Seeli Toivio,
cello). Tommi Kärkkäinen’s Duo for silent gui-
tar and harp is also on YouTube, performed by
Janne Malinen and Puusepp. Th ere are links at
www.fennicagehrman.fi /highlightsPhot
o: A
nder
s Elia
sson
Double bass concertos
on CDDouble bass player Dan Styff e’s recording of
Fredrik Högberg’s concerto Hitting the First
Bass (2008) will be released on the Simax la-
bel at a concert featuring the Tromsø Cham-
ber Orchestra on 1 June. Simax will also re-
lease Rolf Martinsson’s Double Bass Concerto
(2011) with Styff e and the Oslo Philharmonic
under Jukka-Pekka Saraste, in connection
with the convention BASS 2012, in Copenha-
gen this August.
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 2
BBC Philharmonic at Luosto and other festival highlightsTh e BBC Philharmonic, the main guest at the Luosto Classic festival, has
been entrusted with the Finnish premiere of Kalevi Aho’s percussion
concerto Sieidi on 12 August. Th e open-air concert will be conducted by
John Storgårds and the soloist is Colin Currie. Also on the programme
will be Aho’s mighty Luosto Symphony. Lieksa Brass Week in July has
also scheduled in some Aho: his Horn Concerto, played by the Jyväskylä
Sinfonietta with Annu Salminen as the soloist.
Veli-Matti Puumala’s Mure commissioned by the Ensemble Intercon-
temporain can be heard in its fi rst Finnish performance at Avanti!’s Sum-
mer Sounds festival on 29 June.
Ilkka Kuusisto’s chamber opera Gabriel, tule takaisin! (Gabriel, come
back!) is on the programme for Opera Archipelago in fi ve performances
at Parainen on 3–11 August. His opera Miss Julie will receive its Aus-
trian premiere at the Feldkirch Festival, which has Finland and Nor-
way in focus. Th e program contains also works by Kimmo Hakola and Einojuhani Rautavaara.
Chamber music by Mikko Heiniö can be heard at a concert during the
Turku Music Festival to be given in Heiniö’s own home on 11 August by
members of the Turku Ensemble.
Kimmo Hakola in the newsTh e Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra has
commissioned Kimmo Hakola to write a
song cycle – his own interpretation of the
12 South Ostrobothnian Folk Songs by Toivo Kuula. It is designed for a forthcoming CD,
to be coupled with Hakola’s Aleksis Kivi
Songs. Th e soloist will be Jorma Hynninen.
Another big event for Hakola this sum-
mer is the world premiere of his opera La
Fenice at the Savonlinna Opera Festival on 6
July. Th is opera buff a is a tragicomic tale of
the fi re at the Venice Opera House. In Octo-
ber, Hakola will be the focus composer at a
festival of contemporary music in Oulu.
Phot
o: Ti
mo
Sepp
äläi
nen
Broström’s LucernarisIn the upcoming season Håkan Hardenberger
will perform Tobias Broström’s trumpet con-
certo Lucernaris with four diff erent orchestras:
the Kristiansand SO/Johannes Gustavsson,
the BBC Philharmonic/John Storgårds, the
Helsingborg SO/Andrew Manze and the Oulu
SO/Johannes Gustavsson. Under the baton of
Ari Rasilainen the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen
gave the Swiss premiere in May. It was also the
fi rst performance by another trumpet player, the
Australian Gregory Flynn.
New works by MartinssonRolf Martinsson is presently working on a so-
prano saxophone concerto for soloist Anders Paulsson entitled Golden Harmony, which will
be premiered by the Norrland Opera Symphony
Orchestra on 6 September. Th e title gives associ-
ations to interplay, melodiousness, harmony and
mutual understanding. Th ere will be a great deal
of slow, beautiful, jazzy music, but also music re-
lated to the soft-fast as a contrast. Two shorter
concert-opening pieces for spring 2013 await
after the concerto; a commission for the inau-
guration of the new concert hall in Reutlingen
(Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen/
Ola Rudner), which will be followed by a piece
for the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra enti-
tled Tour de Force.
Paavo HeininenBrass Quintet “Vaskikaari”
Tampere Philharmonic Brass, cond. Tuomas Turriago
21.3. Tampere, Finland
Wind Quintet “Sykerre”
Arktinen Hysteria, 21.4. Tampere Biennale, Finland
Olli KortekangasOff ertorium, for gamba solo
Varpu Haavisto, 7.4. Hetta Music Festival, Finland
Jüri ReinvereNorilsk, The Daff odils
Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä & Kuopio SO, cond. Atso Almila
25.4. Jyväskylä, Finland
Albert SchnelzerViolin Concerto – Coupled Airs
Orchestra of the Swan, cond. David Curtis, sol. Hugo Ticciati
10.5. London, UK
Sven-David SandströmDansa (Dance)
Lena Willemark, soprano and violin, Cecilia Zilliacus, violin
14.5. Stockholm, Sweden
Anders EliassonKarolinas sömn (Carolina’s Slumber)
Opera in one act
Royal Swedish Opera, Lena Hoel, soprano
4.6. Stockholm, Sweden
Einojuhani RautavaaraCantus arcticus, version for piano and tape
Laura Mikkola, 14.6. Iitti Music Festival, Finland
Rolf MartinssonGolden Harmony – Soprano Saxophone Concerto No. 1
Norrland Opera SO, cond. Christoph Altstaedt, sol. Anders Paulsson
6.9. Umeå, Sweden
Veli-Matti PuumalaA new work for orchestra
Finnish RSO, cond. Hannu Lintu, 7.9. Helsinki, Finland
P R E M I E R E SDancing to NuorvalaA dance work called Morpho was performed in May to the music of String Quartet No. 2 by Juhani Nuorvala. Th e musicians were students at the Turku Music Academy and the dancers in the chore-
ography by Tuomo Railo were future professionals now training at the Turku Conservatory. Th ere
were four performances in all at Turku’s Sigyn Hall in May. Nuorvala also produced some electronic
music for the performance.
Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestracoupled with Symphony No.14 ‘Rituals’ etcAnna Kreetta Gribajcevic, viola / Chamber Orchestra of Lapland / John Storgårds (BIS-CD-1686) Concertos for Tuba and for ContrabassoonØystein Baadsvik, tuba / Norrköping SO / Mats RondinLewis Lipnick, contrabassoon / Bergen PO / Andrew Litton (BIS-CD-1574) Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra (Piano Concerto No.2) coupled with Symphony No. 13 “Sinfonisia luonnekuvia”Antti Siirala, piano / Lahti SO / Osmo Vänskä (BIS-CD-1316) In the BIS catalogue can also be found recordings of Aho’s Concertos for Flute, Clarinet, Violin and Cello, as well as other orchestral works and chamber music For further information, please visit www.bis.se
released on
Concertos by Kalevi Aho
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 2
Benjamin Staern has a couple eventful years with commissions, premieres
and awards behind him and now, in his early 30s, he has defi nitely
established himself as one of the most sought-after Swedish composers.
1. Since 2010 you have been Composer-in-Residence with the New European Ensemble based in Th e Hague. What has this collabora-tion meant to you?
A great deal! When the leader of the ensemble, Christian Karlsen, took the initiative I did not hesitate for a second. Th e ensemble consists of fantastically talented young musicians from all over Europe. Th ey play with integrity, devotion and love, and perform contemporary music with the same energy and power as music from the standard repertoire. Collaboration with them means that I can develop my musicality in a way that I never thought possible and attain to a spir-itual virtuosity.
2. Th e fi rst work that you wrote for the en-semble was a song cycle set to texts by No-bel Prize laureate Tomas Tranströmer. Next year at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, they will include the songs in a program with a Schoenberg theme. What connection do the Tranströmer Songs have with Arnold Schoenberg?
Th e song cycle revolves around a certain work, Schoenberg’s Serenade, which is scored, like my work, for clarinet, bass clarinet, mandolin, guitar, violin, viola and cello, as well as for a low voice (in this case a contralto). Th e sound world has its origin in Niccoló Paganini’s Sinfonia concertante, which gives the work an Italian ambience. And the texts, which are taken from Tranströmer’s Th e Sorrow Gondola, contain everything from tenderness, sorrow, pain and lyrical states till dramatic outbursts.
3. Last autumn you were awarded the Swed-ish Music Publishers’ Prize for your chamber symphony Bells and Waves , which you also wrote for the ensemble. Can you say a few words about the work?
It is about my childhood memories, playing with bells and my passion for water. My point of de-parture for the work was the physical phenom-enon “standing wave”, which is formed by two wave motions that move in opposite directions. As always when composing it was a journey, in which I could not imagine the fi nal outcome until getting to hear the music that I had in my head over a long period of time, performed in re-ality. It is always a daring venture!
4. Waves recur again and again in your music. A year ago your concert opener Wave Move-ments had its world premiere in Koblenz, Germany, a work that was commissioned by conductor Daniel Raiskin and the Rheinische Philharmonie. Do waves have a special mean-ing for you?
Apparently, ha-ha. From a purely musical view-point the waves in this work are above all me-lodic elements in a signifi cant focus that either control the harmony or go their own way as a contrapuntal contrast. Th en I have build up an aura around this.
5. Your latest orchestral work, the clarinet con-certo Worried Souls , which was premiered by Karin Dornbusch and the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in February, aroused strong emotions in the audience. What was it in the music, do you think, that aff ected people so powerfully?
Now, after some time for refl ection, I believe that the audience was deeply moved by both the mel-ancholy and the brighter sections, the sudden fl ashes of wit, the gestures and the great variety of the music. My father, the conductor Gunnar Staern, passed away just as I begun working on the piece, and this aff ected my composing. Th e work took another direction; in some places it became more heart-rending and expressive than
before. After the performance in Linköping an older couple came up to me during the intermis-sion and said, “It was wonderful! But next time the work is performed tell the people in advance to bring their handkerchiefs!”
6. Stefan Solyom, who conducted the pre-miere, and who has also conducted a number of your earlier works, speaks of a very interest-ing and positive development in your compos-ing, more meditative and lyrical. Do you feel that you have found your “style” now?
For every composer there is a secret garden to which no one else has access, and this is where I belong. I believe that since my debut in 2001 with Th e Th reat of War, and later with works such as Jubilate, I have tended toward a more ascetic tone of expression. What has most often been said about my style is that there are a lot of gestures, sudden fl ashes of wit, abrupt changes and dynamic and kinetic energy. Th at is still there but nowadays I have tried to tone down these means of expression in favour of a more tranquil, secret and searching state.
7. Th ere are many orchestras and musicians who want to commission works from you. Can you tell us about what you are presently work-ing on?
Right now I am at work on a Concerto for Or-chestra for the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, which is scheduled to be premiered in spring 2013. It will be followed by a new song cycle set to texts by Karin Boye for contralto Anna Lars-son and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. Th en I just found out about a new commission for the New European Ensemble, a large-scale work including video projections and electron-ics, which will be premiered at the Norrlands-Opera during Umeå’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2014.
But now I must go on writing before my inspi-ration for the day runs dry!
More information on www.benjaminstaern.se
Kristina Fryklöf
Seven questions for Benjamin Staern
Phot
o: To
bias
Bro
stöm
Kalevi Aho is not only Finland´s most
prominent living composer of sympho-
nies, but also Finland´s most produc-
tive composer of solo concertos with currently
nineteen works on his opus list. Actually there
are even more, as the borderlines between the
diff erent genres sometimes are blurred. Th is is
the case with Symphony No. 3 for violin and or-
chestra , No. 8 for organ and orchestra, No. 9 for
trombone and orchestra and No. 11 for per-
cussion and orchestra. Th e Th ird Chamber Sym-
phony is an alto saxophone concerto in disguise.
Aho started out on his career as a symphon-
ist in 1969, and twelve years later composed his
fi rst solo concerto for his own instrument, the
violin. It is one of the peaks of the Finnish violin
literature after Sibelius. Here, as with Sibelius,
the stunning technical demands never become
ends-in-themselves but proceed logically from
the existing musical and dramaturgical context.
Th e postmodern, pluralistic aesthetics that Aho
had then adopted were also manifest in the high-
ly expressive Cello Concerto and in the massive
First Piano Concerto from 1989.
Relaxed ideal of beautyDuring the 90s Aho concentrated primarily on
opera, symphonies, chamber music as well as in-
strumental solo pieces, and his concerto produc-
tion was not resumed until the beginning of the
new millennium with the elegiac and cantabile
Tuba Concerto. It was also at this time that the
absolutely unique idea of composing a series of
concertos for every instrument in the symphony
orchestra was born.
Kalevi Aho has up to now written nineteen solo concertos
and more are on the way.
In 2002 followed one of the key works in
Aho´s production, the lyrical and melodious
Flute Concerto, written for Sharon Bezaly.
It is his most frequently performed concerto and
one of the fi rst in an afterwards growing number
of easily accessible and spontaneously communi-
cating works in which the complexity yields to a
more relaxed emotional tone with a surprisingly
shameless ideal of beauty in focus.
Every individual concerto represents a unique
emotional and stylistic world. It is no coinci-
dence that the Second Piano Concerto in which
the symphony orchestra is replaced by the string
orchestra, constitutes the greatest possible con-
trast in its neo-classicism with considerably
sharper contours. After a Concerto for Two Cel-
los and Orchestra, exemplarily concentrated in
expression as well as form, follows an exciting
expedition that explores the lowest registers.
Th e multifaceted Bassoon Concerto brilliantly
enriches the genre, while the Contrabassoon Con-
certo is the second ever for the instrument. Th e
Double Bass Concerto is the second Finnish work
in the genre after Einojuhani Rautavaara´s
and fruitfully explores the instrument´s playing
techniques.
New aesthetic dimensionIn 2005 Aho completed his Clarinet Concerto.
Once again he had the advantage of col-
laborating with one of the world´s most talented
artists in the fi eld, Martin Fröst. Th e solo part,
extremely technically demanding, is convincingly
integrated into the emotionally and dramatically
constructive and contrastive whole. After the
mostly sombre and expressive Viola Concerto,
written for the Lapland Chamber Orchestra as
a link in Aho´s – to say the least – original pro-
ject of composing an entire concert programme
for orchestra, we come to the second key work,
the Oboe Concerto. Here Aho takes the decisive
step into a new aesthetic dimension by means of
an exceptionally personal way of integrating eth-
nic and oriental elements. Aho´s rhythm, in the
manner of percussion and coloured by ostinato,
has already appeared in his musical vocabulary
and now the Arabian darbuka and the West Af-
rican djembe are incorporated into his musical
tool box. Th e oboe often utilizes quarter tones
and spices the work with melismas of an Arabian
fragrance.
Th e same means of expression also recur in
the Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orches-
tra, written for the Raschèr Quartet, subtitled
Bells (the suggestive bell sounds have their origin
in the ringing of the bells at the funeral of his
friend and colleague Pehr Henrik Nordgren),
as well as in the absurdly demanding Trombone
Concerto premiered in 2012.
However, the skilfully applied ethnic infl u-
ences in Aho´s music never feel like pasted-on
eff ects but rather like a naturally integrated part
of the musical mosaic. Th is is true in the high-
est degree for the irresistibly swinging Percussion
Concerto “Sieidi” (Lappish for holy sacrifi cial
rock), written for Colin Currie, in which Aho
clearly stresses the fact that the percussion are
primarily rhythm instruments and only in the
second place melody and timbre instruments.
Two other recent Aho concertos, very diff er-
ent from one another, include the Concerto for
French Horn and Chamber Orchestra in which
the soloist´s movements in space are utilised,
and the Concerto for Trumpet and Symphonic
Wind Orchestra which evinces fresh infl uences
from jazz. A new concerto for theremin is to
be premiered in October 2012 – yet another
valuable addition to the series of concertos for
unusual instruments. Over the years Kalevi Aho
has created his own musical universe, in which
extrovert virtuosity and profound introspection
are eff ortlessly combined within the framework
of an expressive and extraordinarily elastic syn-
thesis.
Today, of the orchestral instruments, only the
harp lacks its own concerto. Before that concer-
tos for violin and soprano saxophone are waiting
in line, and BIS Records continues loyally to save
Aho´s music for posterity.
Mats Liljeroos
Concertos for all orchestral instruments
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 2
TOMMIE HAGLUNDIl regno degli spiriti (Land of Souls) (2001) 23’We can listen to sounds never heard before,
integrated into the well known, when Tommie
Haglund lets chords proceed according to a
logic that at fi rst amazes us but afterwards seems quite natural.
This is nocturnal music with all that that implies. Commissioned by
the Medici Quartet for their 30th anniversary and premiered at the
Cambridge Music Festival in 2001.
FREDRIK HÖGBERGMore is More (2006) 10’An energetic and lively work the title of which
is a play on the concept “less is more”, but just
the opposite. There are a great many tones
and a whole lot of energy contained in this
quartet. It is also a homage to Maurice (More is) Ravel whose only
string quartet has been a major source of inspiration for Högberg
throughout the years. Commissioned by the Weber Quartet.
JUHA T. KOSKINENString Quartet No. 1 (2005) 15’A work premiered at the Takefu International
Music Festival in Japan in 2005, when Toshio
Hosokawa gave Koskinen a chance to write it
for the Diotima Quartet. The main rhythmical
material comes from a poem by the 13th century Italian poet Iaco-
pone da Todi. There are also two musical fl ashbacks from Koskinen’s
opera Madame de Sade. The intensity and charge of the quartet are
relieved in the Oceanico Epilogue built on hypnotic triplets.
KIMMO KUITUNENLeino meets StrQ (2000/2008) 12’This three-movement quartet could be de-
scribed as vocal music for strings. It is based on
Kuitunen’s Erotessa for choir. The original text
by the Finnish poet Eino Leino can be projected
onto a screen in the background, as was done at the performance
by the Zagros quartet. The work represents homogeneous dodeca-
phony in the spirit of the second cantata by Anton Webern. It also
has lyricism and vigorous rhythmic elements.
PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENString Quartet No. 11 (2008) 21‘Nordgren’s last quartet is introspective and
devout in tone. Its distinctive soundscape is the
result of the abnormal tuning, which returns to
normal in the lively Rondo and is “as if a light
were shining from a very confi ned space”. The Lamentoso interlude
is an excruciatingly beautiful meditation on a chorale theme, and
the short closing Pietoso epilogue is like a fl ash of another real-
ity. Commissioned by the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and pre-
miered by the Tempera Quartet.
R E P E R T O I R E T I P S
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMSeven Pieces for String Quartet (String Quartet No 4) (2009) 16’Seven short pieces of varying character where
the listener can never feel really sure of what
comes next. Sandström is continually full of
surprises. Commissioned by the Weber Quartet.
ALBERT SCHNELZERString Quartet No 2 – Emperor Akbar (2009) 12’ Inspired by a novel by Salman Rushdie in which
Emperor Akbar is one of the main characters.
He has a very complex personality, and this is
also refl ected in the music. The string quartet starts out literally
with the emperor decapitating a young rebel. After that, rhythmi-
cal and violent passages alternate with more contemplative scenes.
A commission from the Nordland Music Festival for the Brodsky
Quartet.
FREDRIK SIXTENChaconne (2007) 6’With the fi rst eight bars the basic harmonic
structure of the whole work is laid out. There is
a kind of pulse, but where the variations fl uctu-
ate between the passionate, the melancholy,
the sublime and the fervent. The conclusion is surprising but yet so
still. Commissioned by the Forza Quartet.
HARRI VUORIString Quartet No. 2 (2005) 20’In typical Vuori style, the quartet represents
delicate, readily-accessible modernism with
microtones, spectral timbres and glittering
glissandos that create a dream-like atmos-
phere. The heart of this three-movement quartet is the middle
Pastorale; its cantus fi rmus is a song by Otto Kotilainen. The last
movement has a big cello cadenza. Premiered by the Avanti! Quar-
tet in London.
VICTORIA YAGLINGString Quartet No. 2 (2001) 18’Yagling was herself a cellist, and this work
demonstrates her vast knowledge of string
instruments’ potential. The quartet opens with
a melancholy Adagio and continues with a viv-
id and lyrical Moderato con moto. The Scherzo is a highly effi cient
virtuoso movement charged with drama and temperament, and in
the fi nale the violin melodies soar in Russian mood, striking straight
to the depths of the heart.
21st century string quartets
Aho’s concertos in LondonBig and bold, Aho’s Sieidi arrived with some thunder-
ous drumming…Its music is a ride on the big dipper
of extreme contrasts – macho punch-ups with bellig-
erent rhythms (a soundtrack for the next Bond fi lm?),
long melodies that fl oat over a barren landscape and
simple passages for solo drums like shamanistic ritual.
…There is an energy about his concerto that holds
the attention. It is a lively, virtuoso piece and Currie
made the most of it.
Financial Times 21.4.
The skill with which the soloist’s material is ampli-
fi ed and transformed through the orchestra adds to
a sense of wonder that grows steadily over nearly 40
minutes.
The Guardian 19.4.
Kalevi Aho: Sieidi (Concerto for Solo Percussion
and Orchestra)
World premiere: London PO, cond. Osmo Vänskä, sol Colin Currie,
18.4. 2012 London, UK
The music calls on the soloist occasionally to sing
while playing – not as alien an eff ect as you might
think – and creates a subtle balance between fast and
slow, tension and relaxation within a longer contin-
uum: very Sibelian, not least in the fi rst movement’s
alone-in-nature cadenza. The most distinctive ideas
come in the second movement, a scherzo, in which
the soloist shimmies his way through an increasingly
heated, jazz-infused drum-dance.
Financial Times 13.5.
Kalevi Aho: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra
UK premiere: BBC SO, cond. Alexander Vedernikov, sol Jörgen van Rijen,
10.5. 2012 London, UK
Heart-rending; beautifulSuovanen could savour dramatic swells, powerfully
resonant high notes and delicate pianissimos com-
pletely at will, and the result was simply delicious.
Lapin Kansa 28.4.
Lars Karlsson: Sju sånger till text av Pär Lagerkvist
(Seven Songs to texts of Pär Lagerkvist)
World premiere: Lapland ChO, cond. John Storgårds,
sol. Gabriel Suovanen, baritone, 26.4.2012 Rovaniemi, Finland
Colin Currie
Phot
o: M
arco
Bor
ggre
ve
R E V I E W S
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 2
Arresting and expressionisticDaniel Börtz’s compelling Songs and Dances provides
an impressive display of Hardenberger’s wide range:
the arresting and dramatic opening, Energico, takes
the soloist to stratospheric heights, only to plummet
in the following Lento misterioso, where low notes
are coloured with glissandi and fl utter-tongue eff ects.
With Hardenberger as its champion, this expressionis-
tic concerto deserves to enter the concert repertoire.
Classical-Music.com 13.5.
Daniel Börtz: Trumpet Concerto – Songs and Dances
CD: Malmö SO, cond. Gilbert Varga, sol. Håkan Hardenberger
(BIS-CD-1021)
Sofi Oksanen’s novel Purge contains all the right
elements for the big stage: love, jealousy, betrayal,
violence, memory, regret…Jüri Reinvere makes no
attempt to set the book to music; his Purge is much
more a musical refl ection on Oksanen’s characters.
By putting us inside a mind that shuts off in self-
defence at the onset of brutality, Jüri Reinvere tells
us more than any amount of thrusting orchestral
violence ever could.
Financial Times 23.4.
Purge probably belongs among the most impor-
tant operas ever premiered at the Finnish National
Opera.
Hufvudstadsbladet 22.4.
A Purge worthy of homage…Reinvere contrasts
the sensitive and subtle with brutality…The chorus,
which makes an impressive contribution during
Purge – a tour de force of music theatre
Heiniö’s work most fascinating…The climax proved to be the premiere of Mikko
Heiniö’s new Piano Concerto…Most of all I was fas-
cinated by the exquisite orchestration, the use of
big-band sound and the dramatic arch, especially in
the fi rst movement of the concerto. The piano part is
virtuosic and spins along, and was performed in sov-
ereign manner by Kirmo Lintinen. Towards the end is
a humorous allusion to the Ride of the Valkyries.
Hufvudstadsbladet 23.4.
Mikko Heiniö: Nonno (Piano Concerto No. 9)
World premiere: UMO Jazz Orchestra, cond. Kari Heinilä,
sol. Kirmo Lintinen, 21.4. 2012 Tampere, Finland
Acclaim for new Rautavaara discJohn Storgårds and the Helsinki PO give exemplary
support in the big-boned textures of both concertos
but also shine on their own in Modifi cata. This is an
immensely noteworthy issue, not as a potential epi-
taph for Rautavaara the concerto-composer but for
the quality of the music.
Gramophone April 2012
Einojuhani Rautavaara: Modifi cata, Incantations,
Towards the Horizon
CD: Helsinki PO, cond. John Storgårds, sol. Colin Currie, percussion,
Truls Mørk, cello (Ondine ODE 1178-2)
Coupled Airs Schnelzer based this violin concerto around the rip-
pling octatonic scale to give the piece a fl uid feel.
Hugo’s engaging performance is true to the nautical
theme of the arrangement and he comfortably carries
the attention of the driving melody.
Time and Leisure 14.5.
Albert Schnelzer: Coupled Airs
World premiere: Orchestra of the Swan, cond. David Curtis, sol. Hugo Tic-
ciati, violin, 10.5.2012 London, UK
Well composed FantasiaMarie Samuelsson’s new Fantasia in a Circle is her
second work for the ensemble [peärls before swïne
experience]. It is soft, calm without a pulse, we get a
glimpse of an organ point and at the same time there
are bright fi gurations. It is terse, well composed and
above all personal.
Nutida Musik 1 2012
Marie Samuelsson: Fantasia in a Circle
World premiere: peärls before swïne experience,
18.10.2012 Stockholm, Sweden
Clarinet in suggestive surroundings “Worried Souls” was soft and imaginative…The so-called
scrap-percussion gave contours to Staern’s suggestive
sonorities and played along. Clarinet and orchestra con-
versed and inspired one another.
Corren 18.2.
This piece is brimming over with ideas… Staern moves
lithely through the colours, allows himself excursions
into jazz and sarcasm reminiscent of the Austrian H.K.
Gruber’s tone language, only to in the next moment fl ing
himself into an expressive seriousness that calls to mind
the modernism of the 1970s.
Dagens Nyheter 18.2.
Benjamin Staern: Clarinet Concerto – Worried Souls
World premiere: Norrköping SO, cond. Stefan Solyom,
sol. Karin Dornbusch, clarinet, 16.2.2012 Norrköping, Sweden
Ingenious BroströmBroström uses the full capacity of the orchestra.
Sometimes he spreads out thick layers of paint with
his brushes, sometimes he uses the most delicate
hues. I was completely captivated by his ingenuity,
not least by the eff ective ending with the gently click-
ing sound from the 13 kalimbas.
Helsingborgs Dagblad 17.2.
Tobias Broström: La danse
World premiere: Helsingborgs SO, cond. Andrew Manze,
16.2.2012 Helsingborg, Sweden
Martinsson’s much longed-for
PassionIncredibly eff ective and suggestive.
Västerbottenkuriren 3.4.
Both melodious and irresistibly enchanting.
Sydsvenska Dagbladet 3.4.
There were distinct features of the baroque in the
phrasing and harmony at times…a mighty conclud-
ing chord in the major shed a bright, positive light
over this much longed-for work.
Uppsala Nya Tidning 2.4
Rolf Martinsson: St. Luke Passion
World premieres: Canzonetta and Uppsala Cathedral Singers, Petri Sån-
gare, Umeå Oratorio Choir, soloists and musicians,
31.3–1.4.2012 Uppsala, Malmö and Umeå, Sweden
Daniel Börtz
Phot
o: G
eorg
Odd
ner
the evening with
shushing, fl utter-
ing consonants,
places a row of
burning candles
along the front of
the stage and bows in homage. And so do I.
Svenska Dagbladet 26.4.
Purge is a tour de force of music theatre. Reinvere has,
as composer and librettist, heightened and bright-
ened Sofi Oksanen’s novel as poetic theatre in a land-
scape of sound.
Aamulehti 20.4.
Jüri Reinvere: Purge, opera in two acts
World premiere: Finnish National Opera, cond. Paul Mägi, sol. Johanna
Rusanen-Kartano, Helena Juntunen etc, 20.4. 2012 Helsinki, Finland
Jüri Reinvere
Phot
o: To
ni H
ärkö
nen
Karin Dornbusch
N E W P U B L I C A T I O N S
KALEVI AHOChamber Symphonies 1-3
Tapiola Sinfonietta, cond. Jean-Jacques Kantorow & Stefan
Asbury, sol. John-Edward KellyBIS-SACD-1126
Chamber works (Quintet for Clarinet and String
Quartet, Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Sonata for Two
Accordions)
Osmo Vänskä, clarinet, Veli & Susanna Kujala, accordion etc.BIS-CD-1886
FINNISH TRUMPET SONATAS (Harri Wessman, Lasse Eerola, Arttu Sipilä, Tuomas
Turriago)
Jouko Harjanne, trumpet, Tuomas Turriago, pianoPilfi nk Records JJVCD-104
LARSERIK LARSSONFörklädd gud/A God Disguised
Royal Stockholm PhO, Gustaf Sjökvist Chamber Choir, cond.
Gustaf Sjökvist, sol. Hillevi Martinpelto, soprano, Karl-
Magnus Fredriksson, baritone, Björn Granath, narratorSwedish Royal Court CD
LARSERIK LARSSON, HILDING ROSENBERGA Winter’s Tale, Orpheus in Town
Norrköping SO, cond. Alexander HanssonNaxos CD 8.572339 (Nordic Classical Favourites 2)
USKO MERILÄINENTimeline/Aikaviiva
Tampere PO, cond. Hannu LintuAlba ABCD 342 (”notkeatonline”)
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMFive Pieces for String Trio
Trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinenPhono Suecia PSCD 189
CHORAL
FREDRIK SIXTEN Three Haiku Poems
for SATB a cappella
Text: Japanese 18th century: Kanna,
Kurako, Kin´ei (Jap), GE 12111
LINDA ALEXANDERSSON Three Songs from the
Dominican Breviary
Hommage a Arvo Pärt
for SATB a cappella (Lat), GE 12075
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖM Långsam musik (Slow Music)
for six part mixed choir a cappella
Text: Tomas Tranströmer (Nobel Prize
Laureate 2011) (Swe)
First performed at the Nobel Prize lecture
on literature, GE 12066
KARIN REHNQVISTDer Herr ist mein Hirte/
Herren är min herde
for female choir SSAA a cappellaGE 11901 (German version)
GE 11835 (Swedish version)
PERHENNING OLSSON Marionetterna
(The Marionetts)
for male choir TTBB a cappella
Text: Bo Bergman (Swe), GE 12037
ROBERT SUND Juninatt (June Night)
for male choir TTBB a cappella
Text: Anders Österling (Swe), GE 12112
SCORES
CHAMBER/INSTRUMENTAL
LARSERIK LARSSON Preludium & Postludium
for organ
Recently discovered work by the famous
Swedish composer Ge 12114
BO NILSSONDéjà connu – déjà entendu
for wind quintetNMS 10341 (set of parts)
MARIE SAMUELSSONFantasia in a Circle
for fl ute violin, cello and pianoGE 12050 (score and parts)
Somebody is Learning
how to Fly
for clarinet soloGE 12052
FREDRIK SIXTEN Passacaglia
for organGE 12115
BENJAMIN STAERNFive Episodes
for violin and guitarGE 11945
JOHAN ULLÉNThe Deadly Sins
for piano trioGE 12090 (study score)
GE 11955 (score and parts)
JÖRGEN DAFGÅRDSinfonia No 1 GE 11085
FREDRIK HÖGBERGHitting the First Base
Concerto for Double Bass and StringsGE 11174
INGVAR LIDHOLMPoesis
for orchestraGE 12044 (conductor’s score)
GE 12046 (study score)
Mutanza
for orchestraGE 12043 (conductor’s score)
GE 12045 (study score)
GÖSTA NYSTROEMSinfonia EspressivaGE 12067
Concerto for Double Bass and Strings
P A R T I T U R / S C O R E
Der Herr ist mein HirteSSAA a cappella
The Deadly Sinsseven tangos for piano trio
Johan Ullén
ManskörManskör
MarionetternaFör TTBB
Per-Henning Olsson
INGVAR LIDHOLM POESIS PER ORCHESTRA PARTITUR / SCORE
Somebody is Learning How to Fly
F O R S O L O C L A R I N E T I N B
Marie Samuelsson
Three Haiku Poems
Blandad kör/Mixed choir a cappella
Lars-Erik Larsson
Preludium &Postludium
FÖR ORGEL
ERKKI MELARTINPäivänpaisteessa/A Place in the Sun
A collection of piano gems by Melartin
(Book & CD)FG 979-0-55011-104-2
LÁSZLO ROSSA JAANA LAASONEN Huilukamari 1-4 (Flute Chamber)
Chamber music for young fl utists based on
original versions for violin duos by Lászlo Rossa
and Géza Szilvay. Book I is intended for groups of
players of diff erent standards, II includes duos, II is
a selection of trios and IV is a book of quartets.FG 979-0-55011-089-2 (I), 55011-090-8 (II), 55011-091-5
(III), 55011-092-2 (IV)
CSABA SZILVAYCello ABC, Book B
Second part of the popular
Colourstrings cello schoolFG 979-0-55009-478-9
ALBUMS & TUTORS
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