Jouni Kaipainen (1956-2015) - Finnish finale

[Scion7]

Died yesterday following a long illness.
Aged 59 minus one day.

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(b Helsinki, 24 Nov 1956  d Tampere, 23 Nov 2015). Finnish composer.  At the age of 13 Kaipainen resolved to be a composer after a chance hearing of Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony. He studied composition at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Sallinen (1973–6) and Heininen (1976–80). During his studies in the 1970s he was an active member of the Ears Open Society which, founded by young composers and players, held performances of not only its members' music but also introduced that of modern composers from abroad. It was not a homogeneous group or school, and the music of its most conspicuous members – Hämeenniemi, Lindberg, Saariaho and Kaipainen himself – covered a wide range of styles.
His output includes all traditional types and forms of music, with the exception of purely electronic music. In his early work the influence of his teachers is evident: a richness of detail and sometimes a clearly post-serial musical language are both legacies from Heininen; a certain down-to-earth quality and a pluralist musicianship point back to Sallinen. Despite harmony anchored in free dodecaphony, melody is among the basic elements of Kaipainen's music.
His style has continually moved towards greater melodiousness and accessibility. His earliest works were lyrical, for example the piano piece Je chante la chaleur désespérée (1981) or Cinq poèmes de René Char (1980) for soprano and orchestra. His breakthrough came with Trois morceaux de l'aube (1981) for cello and piano, which won a UNESCO prize for composers under the age of 30. In the early 1980s he concentrated on solo works and chamber music (Quartetto III for strings, 1984). An exception was the First Symphony (1980–85), composed over five years. Since the mid-1980s he has written an abundance of vocal music, at first solo songs and, especially in the 1990s, choral works. The two-movement Second Symphony (1994) is more traditional in nature than most of his earlier works. It opens with a quotation from Sibelius, but otherwise approaches the orchestral sound of Lutosławski: significantly, it is also more classical in structure than its predecessor or most other contemporary Finnish symphonies.
In the 1990s Kaipainen composed a number of concertos. The series began with the clarinet concerto Carpe diem! (1990), which is light and playful in character. It was written in close consultation with the clarinettist Kari Kriikku, who has developed novel ways of playing and is particularly concerned with multiphonic technique. In a similar manner a musician provides inspiration in the Oboe Concerto (1994), a collaboration with the Swedish oboist Helén Jahren. Accende lumen sensibus (1996), a concerto for small orchestra, is a solid and concentrated work. A more highly coloured composition is the Vernal Concerto (1996) for saxophone quartet, the structure of which approaches the sinfonia concertante with the classical division of solo group and orchestral ripieno. Over a few months in 1997 Kaipainen composed a concerto each for the piano and for the viola. The former is a large-scale, robust work based directly on the cornerstone works of the Classical and Romantic piano concerto repertory, whereas the latter is an intimate, warm composition. In 1987 Kaipainen began work on Konstanzin ihme ('The Miracle of Constance'), an opera to a libretto by Juha Siltanen commissioned by Finnish National Opera. Arias from this work in progress have been performed separately.

Chamber Works                                                               Concerti
Quartetto I Op. 2 (1973)                                          Carpe diem! for Clarinet and Orchestra Op. 38 (1990)
Quartetto II Op. 5 (1974)                                         Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra Op. 46 (1994)
Aspetti Op. 6 (1974)                                                Vernal Concerto, for Saxophone Quartet  Op.53  (1996)
Ladders to Fire, Conc. for 2 pianos, Op. 14 (1979)       Piano Concerto Op. 55 (1997)
Trois morceaux de l'aube Op. 15 (1980–81)                Concerto for Viola and Orchestra Op. 56 (1997)
Far from Home Op. 17 (1981)                                   Nyo ze honmak kukyo to Op. 59b (1999)
Trio I Op. 21 (1983)                                                Concerto for Horn and Orchestra Op. 61 (2000)
Elegia Op. 22 (1983)                                                Concerto for Cello and Orchestra no.1 Op. 65 (2003)
Parcours Op. 23a (1983)                                          Concerto for Cello and Orchestra no.2  [unfinished]
Parcours Op. 23b (1983–89)                                     Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra Op. 66 (2003)
Titus' Elegy Op. 24b (1983)                                      Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra Op. 74 (2005)
Quartetto III Op. 25 (1984)                                      Chamber Concerto No. 1 Op. 73,
Piping Down the Valleys Wild Op. 26 (1984)                Violin concerto (2006)
Andamento Op. 28 (1986)                                        Concerto for Trombone "Life is..." Op.100 (2014)
Trio III Op. 29 (1986–87)
Remous Op. 37a (1990)                                                                     Orchestral
Remous Op. 37b (1990–97)                                       Apotheosis Op. 7 (1975), for chamber orchestra
Quartetto IV Op. 45 (1994)                                        Symphony No. 1 Op. 20 (1980–85)
Time flies Op. 48 (1994–95)                                       Symphony No. 2 Op. 44 (1994)
Sestetto (Sextet) Op. 57a (1997)                                Sisyfoksen uni (Sisyphus Dreams) Op. 47 (1994)
Sestetto (Sextet) Op. 57b (1997)                          Accende lumen sensibus, concerto for small orchestra Op.52 (1996)
Weigold-Walzer (1999)                                              Millennium Fanfare Op. 60 (1999)
Clarinet Quintet Op. 59a (2000)                                  North by North-East Op. 63 (2001)
String Quartet no. 5 Op. 70 (2004)                              Symphony No. 3 Op. 72 (2004)
Tombeau de Rabelais Op.32 (1987)                              Commedia, Symphony No. 4 Tampere Version Op. 93b
                                                                              Erik (...jag hör det ständigt...) Op. 78 (2006)
Opera                                                                   
Konstanzin ihme [The Miracle of Constance] Op.30/60, (1987)

Solo instrumental
Je chante la chaleur désespérée, op.16, pf, 1981;
Altaforte, op.18, tpt, live elec, tape, 1982;
Conte, op.27, pf, 1985;
Gena, op.31, accdn, 1987;
L'anello di Aurora, op.34, vn, 1988;
Tenebrae, op.39, gui, 1991

[Scion7]

I have only a few concertos by him. Much of this stuff I've never heard or run across (naturally) in the bins.

There is a notice on Gramophone online about his demise.

[foxandpeng]

Picking up the thread to put Kaipainen back on the map. Not sure whether anyone else in GMG Land has Kaipainen on their radar, but count me a fan 😉

[Alex Bozman]

Picking up the thread to put Kaipainen back on the map. Not sure whether anyone else in GMG Land has Kaipainen on their radar, but count me a fan 😉

Any pieces in particular?

When living in London, late 80s early 90s, went to a concert on the South Bank where Kaipainen and Sallinen pieces, think getting UK premieres, were played and both composers did a pre-concert talk. The Kaipainen was his Symphony no 1 and aside from the Trois morceaux, it was the first piece of his I'd heard. It was a striking piece, featuring electronic keyboard and with an unusual ending a shimmering figure on the violin. There were elements of the writing and orchestration reminiscent of Dutilleux. Just listened again and remain impressed.

I bought the Ondine CDs featuring the 2nd and 3rd symphonies each coupled with a concerto. None of the pieces made the same immediate impact as the first symphony, though I shall try to re-visit them.

[foxandpeng]

Any pieces in particular?

When living in London, late 80s early 90s, went to a concert on the South Bank where Kaipainen and Sallinen pieces, think getting UK premieres, were played and both composers did a pre-concert talk. The Kaipainen was his Symphony no 1 and aside from the Trois morceaux, it was the first piece of his I'd heard. It was a striking piece, featuring electronic keyboard and with an unusual ending a shimmering figure on the violin. There were elements of the writing and orchestration reminiscent of Dutilleux. Just listened again and remain impressed.

I bought the Ondine CDs featuring the 2nd and 3rd symphonies each coupled with a concerto. None of the pieces made the same immediate impact as the first symphony, though I shall try to re-visit them.

I've spent a lot of time with the symphonies and find them all worthwhile. The Bassoon and Oboe Concertos, too.

Nice to see someone else who appreciates Kaipainen!