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Newsletter from Gehrmans Musikförlag/Fennica Gehrman focusing on classical and contemporary music from Finland and Sweden.
Citation preview
NO
RD
IC2/2016HIGHLIGHTS
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 Lintinen & Larsson Gothe
N E W SN
OR
DIC
HIGHLIGHTS 2/2016
NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN
Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at
www.gehrmans.se/highlights
Cover photo: : Miranda Tini in African Prophetess at the
Larsson Gothe Festival/Jan Olav Wedin, Mats Larsson
Gothe/Mats Bäcker, Kirmo Lintinen/Maarit Kytöharju
(Music Finland)
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 2016
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 6
Rautavaara’s Mine in HungaryEinojuhani Rau-
tavaara’s opera Th e
Mine (Kaivos) is in
the repertoire of the
Hungarian State
Opera House in Oc-
tober-November; the
fi rst of the four per-
formances is sched-
uled for 23 October,
and there are also
plans for bringing the production to Finland.
Th e conductor is Tibor Bogányi and the solo-
ists include Tommi Hakala, Adrienn Miksch
and Sándor Balla. Th e opera is about the Hun-
garian uprising in 1956 and is one of the events
commemorating this. It tells how a community
revolts against dictatorship through the story
of workers trapped underground when a mine
collapses.
Harri Viitanen highlightedTh e spring 2016 issue of the French magazine
Orgues Nouvelles has highlighted the organ
music of Finnish composer-organist Harri Vii-
tanen. Th ere are two works by him – Images
d’oiseau and Voyager – on the accompanying
CD, and an article by Carolyn Shuster Fourni-
er extols his music for its universal visions and
mystique, calling him a spiritual son of Olivier
Messiaen. Viitanen has given many performanc-
es in France, at such illustrious churches as No-
tre Dame and La Sainte-Trinité de Paris, where
he gave a recital of his own works in May 2015.
Extended agreement Gehrmans has entered into an extended collab-
oration with Jacob Mühlrad. Th e agreement,
which initially applied to his choral music, now
also includes orchestral and chamber music, as
well as his border-crossing cooperation with
Swedish Grammy Award winning rap artist Sil-vana Imam. When Mühlrad receives his mas-
ter’s degree from the composition programme
at the Royal College of Music in June there are
already many commissions waiting: a violin con-
certo, a couple of large-scale choral works and a
number of chamber music pieces.
Schnelzer at Weekend Festival
Albert Schnelzer will
be next year´s Weekend
Festival Composer at the
Stockholm Concert Hall.
Scheduled for 6-9 April,
the festival will feature
some 15 of his orchestral
and chamber works, in-
cluding the premiere of a
new 20-minute orchestral
piece dedicated to the Royal Stockholm Philhar-
monic under the direction of Evan Rogister. Ja-
cob Koranyi will be soloist in the cello concerto
Crazy Diamond, and the Gävle Symphony Or-
chestra will make a guest performance, together
with Francois Leleux, in the oboe concerto Th e
Enchanter.
Kalevi Aho in demandTh e series of Kalevi Aho concerto premieres
continues in Antwerp on 21 October 2016 with
the performance by the DeFilharmonie of the
Double Concerto for English Horn and Harp it has
commissioned from him. Th e soloists will be An-
neleen Lenaerts, harp, and Dimitri Mestdag, cor
anglais. Aho’s 2nd Violin Concerto will receive its
premiere in Kotka on 30 November by the Kymi
Sinfonietta. Th e soloist is Elina Vähälä.
Aho’s Symphony No. 14 ‘Rituals’ will receive
fi ve performances in August. It is on the tour
programme for the Lappeenranta City Orches-
tra in Finland and Lithuania on August 10-19
(there will be four performances in all) and the
Chamber Orchestra of Lapland will play it at the
Luos to Classic Festival on 14 August.
A new music festival dedicated to Kalevi Aho
will be launched in Forssa, Finland on July 1-2. It
will focus on his chamber music, including piano
works performed by Sonja Fräki.
Päivi Nikkanen-Kalt and Harri Viitanen in
front of the Église de la Sainte-Trinité de Paris.
Th e Lapland Chamber Orchestra conduct-
ed by John Storgårds is to premiere Lars
Karlsson’s Clarinet Concerto with Christoff er
Sundqvist as the soloist in Rovaniemi on 28
September. BIS will be recording the concer-
to alongside with Karlsson’s Seven Songs for
Baritone and Orchestra of poems by Pär La-
gerkvist (with soloist Gabriel Suovanen).
Solo works by Kai Nieminen are to be pre-
miered this summer in Finland, the UK and
Romania. A concert dedicated solely to his
music is to be held in Jyväskylä on 9 August;
Erkki Palola and Tuomas Mali will play
chamber music. Pilfi nk Records has released
a CD including works by Kai Nieminen per-
formed by Tommi Hyytinen, horn (see: New
CDs).
Karlsson and Nieminen
Jacob Mühlrad
Phot
o: B
eatr
ice
Lund
borg
Phot
o: H
ans L
indé
n
Phot
o: S
aara
Vuo
rjoki
Phot
o: D
avid
Kar
lsso
n
Phot
o: O
ndin
e Re
cord
s
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 6
P R E M I E R E S Summer 2016
Kimmo Hakola commissionsTh e Gulbenkian Foundation and the Europe-
an Concert Hall Organisation have commis-
sioned Kimmo Hakola to compose a piece for
clarinet and piano for their concert season. Th e
premiere in London on 19 October by Horácio
Ferreira, clarinet, and David Bekker, piano
will be followed by a further 16 performances
across Europe in autumn 2016 and spring 2017.
A new string quartet by Hakola (his fourth) is
also forthcoming. Written for the Meta4 Quartet,
it will be premiered at the Kimito Island Music
Festival in July. Hakola’s fi rst quartet made his
breakthrough on winning the Unesco Rostrum
competition in 1991.
KIMMO HAKOLAMonument
Annikka Konttori-Gustafsson, piano19.5. Helsinki, Finland
String Quartet No. 4
Meta412.7. Kemiö, Finland (Kimito Island Music Festival)
KAI NIEMINENShades... around Stonehenge Ruins
Marco Ramelli, guitar15.6. St. Andrews, UK
The Smile of Flamboyant Wings
Tuomas Mali, piano26.6. Campina, Romania
Northern Spells
Marko Rutanen, guitar3.7. Jämsä, Finland
MIKKO HEINIÖWhen the Boys…/ Kun pojat…
James D. Hicks, organ21.6. Turku, Finland
Three Morning Songs
Sampo Haapaniemi, baritone, Ville Matvejeff , piano12.8. Turku, Finland (Turku Music Festival)
Jag vill gå mellan rågen
Key Ensemble/Teemu Honkanen14.8. Turku, Finland (Turku Music Festival)
BENJAMIN STAERNDrop Waves
David Huang, piano 29.6. Båstad, Sweden (Båstad Chamber Music Festival)
Air – Spiral – Light
Camilla Hoitenga, fl ute, Karin Dornbusch, clarinet, Magdalena Meitzner, percussion, David Huang, piano, Nadia Wijzenbeek, violin, Ylvali Zilliacus, viola, Marie Macleod, cello, cond. Christian Karlsen, sol. Jacob Kellermann, guitar1.7. Båstad, Sweden (Båstad Chamber Music Festival)
JACOB MÜHLRADPoint of No Return for solo cello
Antonio Hallongren29.6. New York, USA
OLLI KORTEKANGASValon aika (Time of Light)
Juha Kotilainen, baritone, Janne Malinen, guitar30.6. Heinävesi, Finland
JYRKI LINJAMASonata da chiesa III
Petteri Pitko, harpsichord15.7. Hiittinen, Finland (Kimito Island Music Festival)
KALEVI AHOPassacaglia
Marko Ylönen, cello, Timo Korhonen, guitar13.8. Luosto, Finland (Luosto Classic)
SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMFöreställningen/The Performance – Chamber Opera
Ensemble from the Royal Swedish Orchestra/Mattias Böhm, Love Derwinger, piano, Jeanette Köhn, soprano, Katija Dragojevic & Miriam Treichl, mezzo-soprano28.8. Stockholm, Sweden (Baltic Sea Festival)
LARS KARLSSON Clarinet Concerto
Lapland CO/John Storgårds, sol. Christoff er Sundqvist28.9. Rovaniemi, Finland
MARIE SAMUELSSONEros Eff ect and Solidarity – Love Trilogy No. 3
Nordic CO/Sarah Ioannides8.10. Sundsvall, Sweden
Broström’s Sputnik at the PromsHåkan Hardenberger will take Tobias Broström´s
Sputnik on tour with the Academy of St. Martin in
the Fields in July and August. Th ere will be perfor-
mances in Germany and Norway, and the tour will
end with a concert at the BBC Proms, for which Bro-
ström has also made an arrangement of Brahms´s
Hungarian Dance No. 6 for trumpet, banjo, accordi-
on, piano and strings.
Haglund Festival in HalmstadTommie Haglund will be honoured with a two-
day festival in St. Nicolai Church, in his home-
town Halmstad on 30 September-1 October. Th e
artistic leader is conductor Joachim Gustafsson,
who will present a programme featuring orches-
tral, choral and chamber music works. Partici-
pants include the Göteborg Opera Orchestra,
the St. Nicolai Choir, the Merentin Quartet, et al.
You will fi nd the complete programme at: www.
gehrmans.se/en/calendar.
Heiniö’s Evening on stage and CDTh e choral work Ilta (Evening) by Mikko Hei-
niö can now be heard on the new disc released by
the Key Ensemble. Lasting 53 minutes, it is in fi ve
movements, each in a diff erent language and joined
together by clarinet and cello intermezzos. Th e crit-
ically-acclaimed premiere in September 2015 was
a co-production with the ERI Dance Th eatre to a
choreography by Tiina Lindfors. ERI and the Key
Ensemble conducted by Teemu Honkanen are now
bringing Evening to Helsinki for the fi rst time; the
eagerly-awaited performance will be held in the Almi
Hall of the Finnish National Opera on 8 October.
Staern in focus Th e Båstad Chamber Music Festival’s focus on Ben-
jamin Staern (27 June-2 July) will include the world
premiere of Air – Spiral – Light for guitar and small
ensemble with Jacob Kellermann as soloist. It will
also see the premiere of the piano piece Drop Waves
composed for David Huang. Conducted by Daniel
Raiskin, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra will play
Godai – Th e Five Elements at the Nordic Music Days
in Reykjavik in October. And just before Christmas,
Staern´s family opera Th e Snow Queen (Snödrottnin-
gen), based on H.C. Andersen´s fairy tale, will have
its premiere at the Malmö Opera.
Sandström’s new Piano ConcertoIn March of 2017 the Gothenburg Symphony Or-
chestra will premiere Sven-David Sandström´s
Five Pieces for Piano and Orchestra. Th e work has
been fi nanced by the Anders Wall Foundation and is
dedicated to pianist Peter Friis Johansson who says,
“the piano concerto is a stroke of genius. Th e music is
very personal, full of brilliant ideas, interesting tim-
bres and vivid themes. Th is will be an epic journey
for me and undoubtedly for the audience as well.”
Englund works published Fennica Gehrman is signing an agreement with the
Einar Englund estate for works by him that have not
yet been published. It covers 17 items for orchestra,
among them Th e Great Wall of China, Symphonies
3, 5 and 7, concertos, chamber and vocal music. Th e
birth of Englund 100 years ago is being celebrated
this year with numerous concerts and performances.
Fennica Gehrman recently published new, clean-cop-
ied orchestral material of his Symphony No. 4.
Håkan
Hardenberger
Phot
o: M
arco
Bor
ggre
ve
Peter Friis-Johansson and
Sven-David Sandström
Phot
o: E
mel
ie K
roon
p2
p
p
a
pH I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 6
Mats Larsson Gothe – a musical seekerMats Larsson Gothe doesn´t excuse himself any longer. He writes the music that he wants to write and doesn´t hesitate to bring out the beautiful.
Mats Larsson Gothe is without a
doubt one of Sweden´s most high-
ly acclaimed composers just now.
His opera Blanche and Marie, af-
ter P.O. Enquist´s novel about Marie Curie and
her assistant and friend Blanche Wittman, was a
great success at its premiere during the Capital of
Culture year in Umeå 2014, and was nominated in
the category World Premiere at the International
Opera Awards. His extensive output also includes
orchestral works, solo concertos, chamber music, as
well as songs.
In his opinion, to be a composer is to be contin-
ually seeking, a seeking that never ends. As far as
Mats Larsson Gothe is concerned, this has meant
diff erent artistic directions and diff erent periods
with a variety of aesthetic achievements. But he has
always returned to his point of departure: himself
and his own conscience.
To move the listenerOver the last few years it has become ever more im-
portant for Mats Larsson Gothe that the music he
creates moves the listener on an emotional level. In
the spring of 2016 he was given a comprehensive
portrait with music for both small and large ensem-
bles during the Composer Weekend at the Stock-
holm Concert Hall – fi ve concerts in four days. Th e
premiere of the Th ird Symphony “…de Blanche et
Marie… “ attracted great interest, a continuation of
his opera Blanche and Marie.
Already during the rehearsals of the opera and
when he saw the performances himself, it gradually
dawned on him that he should let this music live on
in some other form.
– Th e fact is that this new symphony is based
in its entirety on material from Blanche and Marie;
at the same time it is important to emphasise that
it is a new work. You neither have to have seen nor
heard the opera to enter into the vast sound world
of the new symphony, he says.
He describes the music as a journey through a
changeable musical landscape, where he puts to-
gether the parts from Blanche and Marie that he
likes best.
– Th e long lines in the music have come to be
essential, he says. For he is keen on keeping the
listeners in his grip and not losing them on the
way. Nor does he make any abrupt changes or play
hide-and–seek with the audience. Th e only thing
that matters is to move the listeners emotionally
and, if possible, to say something about what it is
like to be human.
Poet & ProphetessMats Larsson Gothe´s major breakthrough came
with the opera Poet & Prophetess (2006-07). Th is
was a commission from the Norrland Opera in
collaboration with the Cape Town Opera in South
Africa. In the libretto by Michael Williams both
Swedish and South African eighteenth-century
history are linked up through two historical per-
sons, the Swedish poet Bengt Lidner and the
South African prophetess Jula. Th ey never met in
real life, but in the opera they meet aboard a ship
on the way to Cape Town. She is to be sold as a
slave, he has been sent off by his stepfather who
hoped that the romantic poet would fi nally be-
come a real man by the hard drudgery on the ship.
And just as the opera Blanche and Marie lives on in
the Th ird Symphony, Poet & Prophetess has been
transformed into Th e African Prophetess, a concert
version of the opera that was premiered at the Nor-
rland Opera on 7 April 2016 and performed at the
Stockholm Concert Hall the following evening.
In the summer of 2015 Mats Larsson Gothe
celebrated his 50th birthday and he has been work-
ing as a composer full time for twenty years. For
the Weekend Festival in Stockholm he picked out
the works that he felt most satisfi ed with, but also
music that has meant a lot to him personally, such
as the Trumpet Concerto (1996), which he wrote
during a period when he was more oriented toward
modernism than he is today.
Music came to him at an early age from the Free
Church. His father was a pastor in the Swedish
Missionary Society, where music was important,
and when Mats started to play in the brass band, a
new world opened up to him. He even began to lis-
ten to music by Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and later
during his secondary school years he also found his
way to Lutoslawski, Stockhausen, Boulez, et al. –
composers who profoundly infl uenced his music at
the beginning of his career.
But the composer who has probably meant the
most for Mats Larsson Gothe is Anders Eliasson
(1947-2013), who was also one of his best friends.
– As soon as I had fi nished a piece I went home
to him to play it and get his opinion. He could be
very frank, but we had great respect for one anoth-
er, says Mats.
Epilogos for cello and piano (2008-09) bears the
subtitle “Hommage à Anders Eliasson”. It was the
fi rst piece that Mats had composed after Poet &
Prophetess and it was therefore given the title Ep-
ilogos, channelling at the same time the fatigue he
had experienced after his work on the opera. Th e
music is explosive and pendulates between fervent
intensity, dramatic attacks and frenetic energy.
The Phantom CarriageJust now Mats Larsson Gothe is working almost
exclusively on one extensive and somewhat diff er-
ent task – to write new music to Victor Sjöström´s
classic silent fi lm Körkarlen/Th e Phantom Carriage
from 1920, a commission from the Gothenburg
Symphony Orchestra. Th e music will have its pre-
miere in February of next year in connection with
the Gothenburg Film Festival’s 40th anniversary.
It will be performed live to the fi lm, which will be
projected onto a gigantic screen in the Gothenburg
Concert Hall.
Mats Larsson Gothe compares this creative pro-
cess to writing an opera, but without singers. Th e
singers are replaced by the various actors in the
cast on the fi lm screen, and he follows them just as
painstakingly as if it were a real opera he was work-
ing on. Th e composition of the music is scheduled
to be fi nished by October of this year, and he has
already begun to develop various leitmotivs for the
diff erent characters in the fi lm.
– It is of course a fantastic fi lm, very powerful.
I have had more fun doing this than anything else
I have done up to now, says Mats Larsson Gothe,
who has several exciting projects coming up after
Th e Phantom Carriage, symphonic as well as mu-
sical-dramatic.
Göran Persson
Phot
o: M
ats B
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ppcon sord. H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 6
There’s a lot of talk these days about crossover and breaking
down fences, but Kirmo Lintinen (b. 1967) – a man with a
fi nger in many musical pies – skims across borders with such
elegance that the thought of crossover barely occurs. For here
is a composer who seamlessly adjusts the ambience and stylistic profi le of
his works, and in doing so creates hybrids with a balanced blend of con-
tents and each with its own crisp, characterful identity.
His sources of inspiration are not diffi cult to spot. Many of them date
from around the 1920s: Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc and the other
members of Les Six. French Baroque and jazz. Historical forms from ron-
do to cavatina fl ow from his pen, as do Afro-American genres. Stravinskyan
kleptomania goes hand in hand with ever gentlemanly musical decorum.
Lintinen graduated from the Sibelius Academy Jazz Department some
two decades ago, but the bulk of his composition studies were with Eero Hämeenniemi in the classical sector. Th e UMO Jazz Orchestra has kept
him busy for nearly thirty years, as pianist, as the conductor of countless
concerts, and for a couple of terms as Artistic Director. Among the items in
his lengthy CV are a jazz concert he arranged and conducted for soprano
Karita Mattila and the artistic planning of several festivals.
Concertos for a variety of instrumentsKirmo Lintinen has an extensive catalogue ranging from opera to chamber
music, fi lm scores and songs for children. In recent years he has added con-
certos for a variety of instruments: 12 in all. Piano Concerto No. 1 (2008)
is a splendid example of his elegant blend of styles. Th e fl owing opening
melody continues in a piano texture reminiscent of Scriabin. Th e skilful
orchestration includes such novel combinations as a tuba, glockenspiel and
piano all playing in unison. Th e abundant use of ornaments could be a relic
of the French Baroque, while the endless one-fi nger melody of the Not-
turno movement pays homage to both Bill Evans and Ravel. Th e quirky,
chipper Scherzo urbano could be described as musical parkour, halting and
leaping onto platforms, fences and walls. Whether the music is soft or loud,
slow or fast, there is always room for a neatly immersed beat in the or-
chestra or solo piano.
Th ere is also a tailored, chic elegance in the Clarinet Concerto (2013) that
slips on as smoothly as a chamois-leather glove. Joining the velvety solo
clarinet, each in turn, are a plodding bass in the nature of a passacaglia,
lush fi fths on the cellos, unusually rich melodic support from the timpa-
ni, a French horn and violin canon, and woodwind arabesques. Sensual,
civilised and conscious of tradition. Even the slow passages proceed with
assurance, while the fast ones positively binge on rhythm. Th e wildly zig-
zagging clarinet plays a game of tag with itself in the leaps of its cadenza.
In the one-movement Tuba Concerto (2014), the soft-lined solo is borne
along by an orchestra of varying timbre and texture that, as it waxes and
wanes, adds to the continuous melodic weave. Th e music is seasoned all
along the way by a rich battery of percussion instruments. Th e Accordion
Concerto (2015) cannot be labelled as jazz, but as an arch endlessly churn-
ing out ideas, it calls to mind a great Keith Jarrett solo.
Humour and hybrids in chamber musicTh e close on 50 chamber works by Lintinen are for their part proof of
his diverse mastery and musicianly approach. Quattro capricci (2004) for
saxophone quartet ends with a movement titled Keaton. Humour, games
and play masked as serious are true Lintinen, as they are in the preceding
Canon movement, where two pairs of saxophones acting as mirror images
chase each other, one a quarter of a bar behind the other.
Th e quintet Marcheairrag (2005), a march, aria and ragtime hybrid, is
both frugal yet extravagant. Parody, empathy, nostalgia and joy are here
inseparable.
Canonische Begegnungen (2006) for oboe, clarinet and piano takes strict
part writing of German type as its starting point, but from the piano’s
opening signal onwards the canons keep straying onto wayward paths.
Here, as in his other works, Lintinen writes music of detailed precision,
full of imagination, free from stereotypical ideas and highly expressive; and
never more so than in the works for his own instrument, the piano.
Jukka Isopuro
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Fences no obstacle for music’s gentleman
Despite his long history as a prominent fi gure in jazz circles, most of Kirmo Lintinen’s compositions have been in the Classical tradition. His music is full of imagination, free from stereotypical ideas and highly expressive.
Phot
o: M
aarit
Kyt
öhar
ju (M
usic
Fin
land
)
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 6
TOMMIE HAGLUNDDi sogni tessuto (2013) Dur: 18´ organ solo
Tommie Haglund describes this work as a journey between various states of mind, where the main destination
is consolation. The music goes from the tranquil and medita-tive to really big, dark and roaring emotional outbursts. But Haglund also lets the light shine through in the form of im-mensely beautiful melody lines that instil a glimmer of hope.
PAAVO HEININENAiolos (2014) Dur: 80´Concerto for Organ and Symphonic Band:
3373-433(+bar)1
Heininen’s monumental Aiolos, rich in fantasy, is in nine movements each
with its own distinct sound and character. Orchestra and or-gan weave together as one huge, throbbing wind instrument to produce a fascinating mystery and drama: 1½ hours just fl y past listening to this miracle.
MIKKO HEINIÖConcerto for Organ and Orchestra (2012-13) Dur: 25´organ+2222-2200-10-str
At times the organ dances to the beat of an old Italian Saltarello, while at others
it engages in sustained, intense dialogue with the orchestra. The result is an impressive, sublime work steeped in colour. At the heart of the concerto is the Summer Hymn familiar to all Finns, its theme sumptuously and variedly treated before building up to a mighty climax.
GUNNAR IDENSTAMCathedral Music (1995-96) Dur: 76´ organ solo
This suite consists of 17 pieces where virtuosity, form, structure and sonori-
ties from the French tradition of cathedral music are combined with the harmony and energy in the symphonically oriented rock music. There is also inspiration from Swedish folk music and Gregorian chant. Organ virtuoso Gunnar Idenstam off ers us a soundscape fi lled with mysticism, playfulness, brilliance and euphoric delight. The pieces can also be performed sep-arately.
NILS LINDBERGDalecarlian Pictures (2013) Dur: 10´ organ+2222-2200-01-str
Lindberg´s Dalecarlian Pictures was composed for the inauguration of the
new “Organ Acusticum” in Piteå, the largest organ in Scandina-via. The work is based on two folk tunes from Dalarna, a Horn Tune from Gagnef framed by a Marching Tune from Leksand. Lindberg displays once again his skill in combining Swedish folk tradition with a classical tone language.
JYRKI LINJAMALiturgical Concerto for Organ and Strings (2005) Dur: 25´organ+strings: 6-6-4-4-2
This concerto can be performed either in concert or as part of divine worship.
In the opening movement the strings create a lyrical setting
REPER TOIRE T IPS Concert pieces for organ R E V I E W S
and the organ gradually becomes the focus of attention. The middle movement is based on Linjama’s own, jubilant cho-ral transcription of the medieval Christmas carol Puer natus in Bethlehem, and shining through the last movement is a Gregorian chant.
ROLF MARTINSSONChords and Bells (2008) Dur: 10´ organ solo
In this piece chords and harmonies become symbols for bells. The chords
are presented in the quiet fi rst part of the work, after which the sound of fragile bells appears, using colorful registrations and short, rhythmic touches. Towards the end of the piece the bells emerge with full force, furioso in forte fortissimo.
PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENConcerto for Organ and Cham-ber Orchestra (2007) Dur: 26´organ+3perc-hp-str
This is a work of deep hues and dynam-ic variation against a serene orchestral
soundscape. The undercurrent in Nordgren’s music is dark and the melodies are often melancholy and falling, but there is always a way to the light. Nordgren composed the concerto only a year before he died, and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra premiered it with Jan Lehtola as the soloist in 2009.
FREDRIK SIXTENVariations for Organ (2008) Dur: 14´organ solo
11 variations on the Swedish folk song Visa från Åhl (Song from Åhl) intended
for the myriad colours possible on a large symphonic instru-ment. Each of the eleven variations possesses a distinct iden-tity. The contrasting movements include a section for double pedals, a scherzo, varying contrapuntal techniques, tender adagios, and a fugue, all of which are concluded by a toccata. Commissioned and premiered by James D. Hicks.
BENJAMIN STAERNFluxus (2008) Dur: 10´ organ solo
The Latin word fl uxus means fl ow. In Staern´s work it is about diff erent harmonic and rhythmical fl ows, which
toward the end of the work are united in a dancing and vir-tuosic fi nale. Fluxus was written for Hans Fagius, who has played the work more than 30 times in venues throughout Europe and in Japan.
HARRI VIITANENFirmamentum (1985-88) Dur: 45´organ+2222-2220-03-str
The Firmamentum concerto is, says Viitanen – a keen astrologist – like a
Mass in space. His aim was to convert the distances between constellations into relationships between notes. The organ rises out of the initial silence, after which diff erent moods and elements, such as synthetic scales, a chorale and variations, and meditative episodes follow one another and in doing so create astonishing timbral eff ects that reach out to another reality.
Larsson Gothe FestivalHere there are dazzlingly beautiful transitions between pi-
ano and celesta, supporting brass parts and a fervent solo
violin in conversation with a cello. Now and then Stravin-
sky casts a shadow over rhythmically intense passages. But
above all it is his model Anders Eliasson who reappears in
the contrast between expressive outbursts and reconciling
calm. It is intertwined in a refi ned manner to form a unity.
Dagens Nyheter 8.4.
Mats Larsson Gothe: ”…de Blanche et Marie…”
– Symphony No. 3
The performance of African Prophetess was magnifi cent
and explosive… Rhythmical and dramatic, with an apt
staging of the choir and the soloists, this opera may very
well be Larsson Gothe’s best work up till now. For once the
audience´s standing ovations were not at all excessive…
Mats Larsson Gothe is a composer whose music is very
accessible; all remaining prejudices about new art music
being diffi cult come to nought. Aftonbladet 8.4.
Mats Larsson Gothe: African Prophetess
Composer Weekend Festival: Royal Stockholm PO/Benjamin Shwartz, Cape
Town Opera Company, Norrland Opera SO/Rumon Gamba, 7-10.4.2016
Stockholm, Sweden
Eliasson’s amazing sound worldEliasson’s sound world is depicted in well-balanced
water colours… It is the most powerful in its quiet mo-
ments, when a strange beauty, unusual for contem-
porary music, makes its appearance – perhaps most
beautiful in Anna Larsson’s contralto parts.
Dagens Nyheter 14.3.
Anders Eliasson: Dante Anarca
Royal Stockholm PO, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir/Sakari Oramo, sol. Ingela
Brimberg, Anna Larsson, Michael Weinius, Gabriel Suovanen, 10.3.2016
Stockholm, Sweden
It moves in the late Eliasson’s typical landscape in a
state of pure stringency, a restless chromaticism and
here also an almost folk-musical touch and accentua-
tion… The soloist pair wandered together through vi-
olent outbursts, over calmer refl ections to the fi nale’s
fi ddling and urgent soloist lines.
Dalarnas Tidning 10.4.
Anders Eliasson: Concerto per violin ed orchestra da
camera
Dala Sinfonietta/Daniel Blendulf, sol. Fredrik Paulsson, violin, Ellen
Nisbeth, viola, 9.4.2016 Falun, Sweden
Cape Town Opera Choir in African Prophetess
Phot
o: Ja
n-Ol
av W
edin
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 6
Majestic Heininen concertoThe Aiolos Organ Concerto by Paavo Heininen, last-
ing some half-an-hour in performance, is a mightily
majestic work, but its copious material is credibly and
captivatingly constructed. The wind band and organ
often intertwine and the instruments imitate one an-
other in such a way as to detract from the organ’s solo
dominance. The performance by Jan Lehtola was sim-
ply brilliant. Aamulehti15.4.
Paavo Heininen: Aiolos, Concerto for Organ and
Symphonic Band
Guards Band/Petri Komulainen, sol. Jan Lehtola, 14.4. 2016 Tampere,
Finland
Virtuosic fi reworksWe got half an hour of shifting moods, fi rm
handling of form and material well suited
to the solo instrument… The most mem-
orable of the work’s fi ve interlinked move-
ments was the second, dominated by glo-
riously languorous musical arches on the
woodwinds. In the third movement Mäen-
pää switched to hard sticks and set off a
virtuosic display of rhythmic fi reworks.
Turun Sanomat 24.4.
Kalevi Aho: Concerto for Timpani and
Orchestra
World premiere: Turku PO /Erkki Lasonpalo,
sol. Ari-Pekka Mäenpää, 22.4.2016 Turku, Finland
Breathtaking musical visionsKalevi Aho provided proof of his musical wisdom in his Saxo-
phone Concerto… The concerto revealed his masterly command
of instrumentation and the psychologically correct timing of
events. Breathtakingly beautiful musical visions unfolded during
the performance. In the orchestral part there were ingenious, at-
tention-catching details in, among others, the harp and above all
the percussions.
Satakunnan kansa 12.3.
A grand concerto that banished any preconceived ideas. The work
variedly presented the instrument’s expressive potential, and Esa
Pietilä’s gritty but strictly professional grasp brought a breath of
the world of jazz that fi t the work perfectly. An enjoyable premiere.
Etelä-Saimaa 19.3.Kalevi Aho: Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra
Double premiere: Pori Sinfonietta/Jan Söderblom, Lappeenranta City Orchestra/
Tibor Bogányi, sol. Esa Pietilä 10.3.&17.3., Pori/Lappeenranta, Finland
Congenial SamuelssonIt has more to do with sonorities and atmosphere
than with melodic and harmonic drive forward –
congenial, since the poems depict states of mind,
not narratives. Katija Dragojevic sings with a fl oating
voice about consuming love, at the same time as the
orchestra churns out a fascinating acoustic ambience.
Dagens Nyheter 14.3.
Marie Samuelsson: Aphrodite – Fragments by
Sappho
World premiere: Swedish Radio SO/Daniel Blendulf, sol. Katija Dragoje-
vic, mezzo-soprano, 11.3.2016 Stockholm, Sweden
High point of the evening…The one leaving a mesmerizing impression was the
mystical “Eternal Echo”…it evolves with haunting so-
los, vocalise and echo eff ects, as if emanating from an
isolated group attempting to make human contact…
This work skillfully blends distinct art forms in hybrid
fashion, suggesting a provocative vein for other art-
ists to develop. www.artssf.com 16.5.
Olli Kortekangas: Ikikaiku (Eternal Echo)
Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir/Robert Geary, 14.5.2016
San Francisco, USA
Staern’s most beautiful compositionHe picks up colours and moods and mixes them into
an almost impressionistic shimmer. Over against this
he places the French horn´s solo part, almost luxuri-
ous in its melodic abundance… I would call “Pont de
la mer” Benjamin Staern’s most beautiful composition
thus far. Skånska Dagbladet 2.5.
Benjamin Staern: Pont de la mer
World premiere: Malmö SO/Marc Soustrot, sol. Einar Öhman, French
horn, 30.4.2016 Malmö, Sweden
Subtle melancholyA work that strikes a balance between unadulterated
yearning for beauty and moderate anti-sentimentali-
ty. A subtle melancholy mood is heard right through
the seven movements, and the contrast between the
solo violin´s nakedness and the orchestra´s thunder-
ing power is utilised to the hilt… But the strongest
impression is made by Ticciati, who gets everything
to vibrate with tension. Dagens Nyheter 22.2.
Sven-David Sandström: Seven Pieces for Violin and
Orchestra
World premiere: O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Wind
Ensemble/Kasper de Roo, sol. Hugo Ticciati, violin, 20.2.2016 Stockholm,
Sweden
Wennäkoski’s Amor Omnia SuiteWennäkoski’s work has an amazing eff ect. The music
is refi ned, delicate and sustained. It is as if the musi-
cians were addressing the listener all the time, both
literally and in rhetorical gestures. Hufvudstadsbladet 17.4.
Lotta Wennäkoski: Amor Omnia Suite
World premiere: Tampere PO/Ville Matvejeff , 15.4.2016 Tampere,
Finland
Elegant MeriläinenUsko Meriläinen’s Visions and Whispers (1985) made
a splendid concert come-back. The elegant, sensitive
music of Meriläinen, fl owing along with a natural
breeziness, has become yet more refi ned with the
passing of time. The rich orchestral writing and the
sovereign solo playing by Mikael Helasvuo were com-
pletely at one. Aamulehti 16.4.
Usko Meriläinen: Visions and Whispers
Tampere PO/Ville Matvejeff , sol. Mikael Helasvuo, fl ute, 15.4.2016
Tampere, Finland
Sandström casts lightThe string quartet Brooklyn Rider from New York spins
lovely violin threads through this peacefully billowing
and often lamenting work… You don´t have to be a
believer to fi nd peace when Sandström, if only for 100
minutes, casts light on the way out of the darkness.
Dagens Nyheter 29.3.
Sven-David Sandström’s new work for Easter is incred-
ibly beautiful music, and it is performed by an abso-
lutely world-class chamber choir…
Berlingske 23.3.
Sven David Sandström: Passion of St. John
Danish and Swedish premiere: Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir, Brooklyn
Rider, Jens-Björn Larsen, tuba, sol. Daniel Carlsson, counter tenor, Lars
Möller, baritone, 22.3. 2016 Copenhagen, Denmark, 23.3.2016, Lund,
Sweden
Phot
o: O
le C
hrist
ians
en
Mogens Dahl
Chamber Choir
Katija
Dragojevic
Phot
o: M
attia
s Ahl
m
Lotta
Wennäkoski
Phot
o: M
aarit
Kyt
öhar
ju
Kalevi Aho
Phot
o: R
omai
n Et
ienn
e
ORCHESTRAL & INSTRUMENTAL
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ANDERS ELIASSONDisegno No. 2Beth Levin, pianoNavona Records NV6016 (Personae)
MIKKO HEINIÖIlta (Evening)Key Ensemble/Teemu Honkanen, Erkki Lahesmaa, cello, Henna Jämsä, clarinetFuga 9409
MATS LARSSON GOTHESymphony No. 2, Apotheosisof the Dance, Autumn DiaryVästerås Sinfonietta, Helsingborg SO/Fredrik BurstedtdB Productions dBCD172
INGVAR LIDHOLMFantasia sopra laudiDan Styff e, double bassSimax PSC1342 (Octophonia)
KAI NIEMINENElegy, Hymnos II, Ancient Songs...Tommi Hyytinen, horn, Päivi Severede, harp, Tuomas Turriago/Emil Holmström piano, Pasi Eerikäinen, violinPilfi nk Records JJVCD 162 (Tired Light - 21st century music for horn)
SELIM PALMGRENPiano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3Pori Sinfonietta/Jan Söderblom, sol. Henri SigfridssonAlba Records ABCD 385 (The River)
ALLAN PETTERSSONBarefoot SongsOla Sandström, vocals, Mikael Karlsson, electric guitar, Anja Strautmanis, cello,Johan Renman, vibraphoneTröstlösa TRCD005 (Mest ibland tistlar)
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA Four songs from the opera Rasputin for mixed choir and orchestra, Rubáiyát, Balada, Into the Heart of Light (Canto V)Helsinki PO, Helsinki Music Centre Choir/John Storgårds, sol. Gerald Finley, bass-baritone, Mika Pohjonen, tenorOndine ODE 1274-2
JEAN SIBELIUSNorden – Songs by Jean SibeliusPia Freund, soprano, Tommi Hakala, baritone, Kristian Attila, pianoAlba Records ABCD 384
MATHIAS ALGOTSSONBe Not Afraidfor mixed choir a cappellaText: From the oratorium Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn (Eng)GE 12930
Var inte rädd för mörkret/Oh, Do Not Fear the Darknessfor mixed choir a cappellaText: Erik Blomberg/transl. Linda Schenck (Sw/Eng)GE 12931
ANNAKARIN KLOCKARSpeechesfor mixed choir a cappellaText: The Rights of Woman (Olympe de Gouges), The Surrender Speech (Hinmuuttu-valatlat/Chief Joseph), The Best Friend (G. Graham Vest) (Eng)Winner of Allmäna Sången & Anders Wall Composition Award 2016GE 12947
JYRKI LINJAMALieder der ElisabethFour songs for mezzo-soprano, viola and pianoScore (incl. parts) FG 9790-55011-282-7
JACOB MÜHLRADShevahfor mixed choir a cappellaText: Genesis 1:1 (Hebrew)GE 12821
KJELL PERDERLove is Allfor mixed choir a cappellaText: 1 Cor. 13 (Eng)GE 12885
KARIN REHNQVISTWhen I Close My Eyes, I Dream of Peacefor mixed choir a cappellaText: Anonym Croatian boy (in 12 languages)GE 12918 (full version)GE 12919 (short version)
TAPIO TUOMELARondofor mixed choir Text: Kalevala (Fin)FG 9790-55011-284-1
Rondino for SSAA choirText: after Kanteletar (Fin) FG 9790-55011-285-8
ARJA SUORSARANNANMÄKIColour Keys – The Piano ABC, Book B This colourful, inspiring and modern piano method is a result of long pedagogical work and research at the Sibelius Academy. It is suitable for even the youngest players and can be used in both private and group lessons.FG 9790-55011-166-0
HERMAN RECHBERGERBalkania Rhythms in songs and dances from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, The Republic of Macedonia, Romania and SerbiaA major reference compendium for everyone interested in world music and the Balkan especially. The book includes notation examples, pictures, rhythmic patterns and descriptions of traditional instruments. FG 9790-55011-281-0
MATS LARSSON GOTHEThe Apotheosis of the Dancefor orchestraGE 12932 (score), GE 12934 (study score)
INGVAR LIDHOLMNausikaa ensam/Nausikaa AloneScene for soprano, choir and orchestraGE 12836 (score), GE 12839 (study score)
NILS LINDBERGDalabilder/Dalecarlian Picturesfor organ and orchestraGE 12860 (score), GE 12862 (study score)
JUHANI NUORVALAConcertino for Clarinet & Soundtrackfor Clarinet in A or Basset Clarinet in A (+ CD) FG 9790-55011-283-4
The Apotheosis of the Dance
for orchestra
S C O R E
Mats Larsson Gothe
DalabilderDalecarlian Pictures
for orchestra
S C O R E
Nils Lindberg
GÉZA SZILVAYScales and arpeggios for children 3 (Asteikkoja ja murtosointuja lapsille 3)FG 9790-55011-268-1
Anna-Karin Klockar
SPEECHESfor mixed choir
The Rights of Woman
Surrender Speech
The Best Friend
Winner of Allmänna Sången & Anders Wall Composition Award 2016