A Finnish Concerto review series...

[Benji]

...though I am tempted to widen the net just so I can talk about the Nielsen concertos sometime, but no, not now.

But yes, Finnish Concertos; turns out there's a lot of the buggers and, with the exception of the most famous of them, surely being Sibelius' for violin, they don't get an awful lot of coverage here. So, i'm going to start the ball rolling. All contributions/opinions welcome of course.

To begin, the inspiration for this thread and one of my major discoveries of the year so far:


Magnus Lindberg's Concerto for Clarinet.

I must say, this piece is a kick up the bum to anyone who has convinced themselves that music written in a contemporary language cannot be at all beautiful. Here we have a work full of modern sonorities and extended techniques, pushing the boundaries of every player and instrument. Of course, such writing can lead to some very intellectual, even interesting music but Lindberg, clearly a master of orchestration,  has created something far more engaging: a work of astonishingly sensuous and lyrical beauty, which, to me at least, has been most affecting. I find there is more than a touch of the oriental in this work; often it occurred to me that in Lindberg we perhaps have a Finnish equivalent of Takemitsu, and it certainly seems to me that Lindberg has an ear for impressionist harmonies/sonorities. That said, in this piece at least, Lindberg doesn't have the restraint of a Takemitsu and, indeed, we are treated (and it really is a treat) to a climax at the end of near-romantic proportions.

I can't praise this concerto highly enough: it really is a 21st Century classic and deserves to be peformed and live on forever.



Some highlights:

[0:00] A gripping start: emerging from the silence a series of clarinet figures, which strung together make up something of an indistinct melody, fragments of which will reappear throughout the work.

[1:00] Listen for the woodwind/string interjection which is surely a nod and a wink to Charles Ives!

[3:40] Fragments of the theme, this time on strings and percussion

[5:20] Jittering clarinet, reminiscent of Rautavaara in the bird song mode. Did we forget Lindberg is a Fin?!

[7:30+] By now, the piece has descended into a more predominantly minor mode (the slow movement), but there is no let up for the soloist, with what sounds to be highly demanding passages.

[9:30] Fragments of the theme return fleetingly on the clarinet

[11:30] Strings dominate as the clarinet figures at last finds its theme from the fragments we have heard before, together at last in a flowing melody, before ending on a high sustained, eardrum-piercing high note from our soloist. From here, the music descends into a period of wildness. At this point we have some really guttural sonorities coming from the clarinet, which I can only describe as being similar in sound to a didjeridu.

[19:10] Wow, listen to this high note from the soloist, for a moment it could be mistaken for violin harmonics! Now into a virtuosic cadenza, which really must be pushing the instrument to its limits.

[21:00] Return of the orchestra, with string-led passages, clarinet in gasping, almost John Adams-esque repetitions of fragments, building to a glorious and spine-tingling final climax with the clarinet singing the theme in its full guise.

In conclusion, a completely satisfying lyrical and dynamic new clarinet concerto for the 21st Century, written in very contemporary musical language but challenging any notion that classical music in the new century cannot be approachable, even lovable (i'm on my 6th hearing in 2 days now!)

[Benji]

Apologies to those who replied to this posting on the original incarnation of this thread: your replies can now be found on page 6 of the Scandinavian and Finnish Composers thread over on the composers board.

Off the top of my head, the concertos I have to review over the coming weeks are:

Rautavaara's for Violin, Cello, 3 for Piano, Organ, Harp, Clarinet, Double Bass (if I can locate my disc)
Sallinen, for Violin, Cello
Kaipainen for bassoon
Hakola, for clarinet
Aho, for tuba, contrabassoon, clarinet
Oh, and the Sibelius for Violin. 

And probably more that I forget.

I hope others will contribute reviews also, overlapping is welcome. It'd be nice to have some contrasting opinion.

[Guido]

Lindberg's cello concerto is similarly brilliant, and this is a brilliant recording:

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Magnus-Lindberg-Salonen/dp/B000066SKA/ref=sr_1_2/102-3810771-9378539?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1177773971&sr=8-2

Also I cannot recommend Sallinen's cello concerto highly enough (and the Nocturnal Dances of DonJuanQuixote is also brilliant)

[not edward]

Talking of Sallinen, has anyone tried this recording yet?



It looks really interesting to me at least, and contains some concertante works that would fit in this thread.

I've got the Sallinen horn, violin and cello concertos: will try to post something about them here soon (the short version: don't like the horn concerto, like the violin concerto, really like the cello concerto).

[Benji]

Lindberg's cello concerto is similarly brilliant, and this is a brilliant recording:

Also I cannot recommend Sallinen's cello concerto highly enough (and the Nocturnal Dances of DonJuanQuixote is also brilliant)

Cheers, Guido, that looks very interesting. I've put it on my wish list. Would you like to offer a short review of the work here?

Talking of Sallinen, has anyone tried this recording yet? It looks really interesting to me at least, and contains some concertante works that would fit in this thread.

I've not, but I could be persuaded to! I am looking forward to CPO getting around to a new recording of Sallinen's 6th, which happens to be my favourite (and you least favourite IIRC, Edward?!). Do you know if Sallinen has any other unrecorded concertos? I hope a Clarinet one would be forthcoming: we've had such a string of really great concertos for that instrument in the last few years (Lindberg, Aho, Rautavaara).

I've got the Sallinen horn, violin and cello concertos: will try to post something about them here soon (the short version: don't like the horn concerto, like the violin concerto, really like the cello concerto).

Oh yes, I never did get around to buying the disc with the horn concerto. I look forward to your comments!

[not edward]

I've not, but I could be persuaded to! I am looking forward to CPO getting around to a new recording of Sallinen's 6th, which happens to be my favourite (and you least favourite IIRC, Edward?!). Do you know if Sallinen has any other unrecorded concertos? I hope a Clarinet one would be forthcoming: we've had such a string of really great concertos for that instrument in the last few years (Lindberg, Aho, Rautavaara).

The 6th is one of the three Sallinen symphonies I don't particularly care for (2 & 7 being the others). If I find it the least appealing of the three it's probably because it lasts as long as the other two put together.

According to the Finnish Music Information Centre, there's a concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra which Sallinen just completed this year. The other unrecorded concertante works are a 2006 piece (Chamber Music VI for string quartet and string orchestra), and an early variation set for cello and small orchestra.

[Harry]

I made my list of Salinnen, most of it from CPO, and BIS.
If all is complete it will be a mega order again.
And still did not cover all.

[Guido]

The Lindberg is the more obscure of the two, and less conventional so I will share my thoughts here about it. The Sallinen is more famous and has been championed by Arto Noras since he premiered it - His recording is marvelous and easy to get hold of.

The Lindberg concerto starts with dreamy ruminating on natural harmonics in double stops echoed and distorted by the orchestra. The skittering unrest and simultaneous slow moving impressionistic chords are both present throughout the piece, in a manner somewhat similar to the Dutilleux concerto, or the recent Saariaho concerto. I complained recently about contemporary scores often relying too much on freakish effects to maintain interest, but this concerto provides a masterclass in how to employ such outlandish techniques effectively and idiomatically. Glissandos and trills between harmonics and normal notes are liberally scattered throughout the score, and the writing is exceedingly virtuosic, but what unfolds is an engaging dialogue between cello and orchestra, or even the cello and itself. The final sections of the concerto almost resolve into an ecstatic bluesy climax, but not quite - the concerto finishes as it started; the solo cello quietly playing its harmonics. The orchestral textures are often as often lush and sensual as they are disconcerting, but the disparate elements never give rise to a feeling of inconsistency or hotchpotch. What transpires is a truly emotional and grand work that is utterly convincing on every level. Its one of my favourite contemporary works. If I had to put it somewhere on the musical scale I would say that it was between Dutilleux's and Carter's and Penderecki's cello concertos, but its not a 'difficult' piece to listen to. The dissonance is often very beautiful.

The performance and recording on that above CD is faultless.

[DavidW]

Apologies to those who replied to this posting on the original incarnation of this thread: your replies can now be found on page 6 of the Scandinavian and Finnish Composers thread over on the composers board.

Off the top of my head, the concertos I have to review over the coming weeks are:

Rautavaara's for Violin, Cello, 3 for Piano, Organ, Harp, Clarinet, Double Bass (if I can locate my disc)
Sallinen, for Violin, Cello
Kaipainen for bassoon
Hakola, for clarinet
Aho, for tuba, contrabassoon, clarinet
Oh, and the Sibelius for Violin. 

And probably more that I forget.

I hope others will contribute reviews also, overlapping is welcome. It'd be nice to have some contrasting opinion.

I think I just found myself a new playlist.

[Benji]

I think I just found myself a new playlist.

Out of those I know, Lindberg comes top, jointly with Rautavaara's 1st Piano Concerto. That was an eye-opener for me - i'm going to blast it out now. There's a great disc of it on Naxos (with the totally awesome 3rd Symphony!) - have a listen on NML. Definitely a desert island disc for me that one.

I think it's a really beautifully grand work, and incredibly bold - the way Rautavaara weaves those hammered jarring 2nd chords into a melody is just spectacular. Along with the Copland and the Vaughan Williams, it's got to be one of the most spectacular little-known concertos for piano (ok when I say little-known I mostly mean that I seem to be the only one the forum who gives them any airtime  )

[DavidW]

Alright I'll give it a listen along with those other two PCs.

[The new erato]

Anybody know the Englund PC's on Ondine?

[Benji]

Anybody know the Englund PC's on Ondine?

Not yet - I hope to! Just these last two weeks i've been getting to know his Cello Concerto, which has some really fine moments. I'm not entirely sure I like it as a whole yet, but it is growing on me.

[DavidW]

Hey Ben I listened to that piano concerto.  It's good... but... my favorite piece on that album is Cantus Articus, oh man that's good stuff.

When I first heard Rautavaara I wrote him off as new agey but that was wrong, I like him now.

[Benji]

Hey Ben I listened to that piano concerto.  It's good... but... my favorite piece on that album is Cantus Articus, oh man that's good stuff.

When I first heard Rautavaara I wrote him off as new agey but that was wrong, I like him now.

That's so funny! I'd have said the Cantus Articus is the most new agey thing about that disc    But what I do I care, I think it's ace too.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

When I first heard Rautavaara I wrote him off as new agey but that was wrong, I like him now.

I still think he's New Age-y. But that's a good disc and I've held on to it.