Scandinavian and Finnish composers.

[Lilas Pastia]

OK, boss 

[Benji]

Mog, I ordered a disc in the composer series on Finlandia with some of his works, amongst it a symphony, but JPC told me its out of stock.
I heard his Cello concerto, and was truly amazed at so much novelty.
Since then I try to get some recordings together of his work, and this cd you have posted will be a good start.
Any impressions of this recording?

After only a single spin I can tell you it's not the deepest work you'll ever hear, but it is certainly very accessible, has plenty of good ideas and did manage to hold my attention throughout. I need some more time with it though.

I will keep an eye out for his Cello concerto - that's one already that's not on my list!

[Harry]

Our esteemed forum member Robert send me a long list with interesting Scandinavian composers, and my list is growing bigger and bigger.
Have some big issues with Rautavaara/Madetoja/Merikanto/Bergman/Englund, o, well I could go on forever.
The list for these composers only, is long, very long.
So suggestions for preferred recordings are most welcome.

[SonicMan46]

Our esteemed forum member Robert send me a long list with interesting Scandinavian composers, and my list is growing bigger and bigger.
Have some big issues with Rautavaara/Madetoja/Merikanto/Bergman/Englund, o, well I could go on forever.
The list for these composers only, is long, very long.
So suggestions for preferred recordings are most welcome.

For those interested in lists, go back to my reply (#59) on pg. 3 - click on each of the countries, which will link to a list of 50-70+ composers for each country - that should keep anyone busy, including Harry -    Dave

[Harry]

For those interested in lists, go back to my reply (#59) on pg. 3 - click on each of the countries, which will link to a list of 50-70+ composers for each country - that should keep anyone busy, including Harry -    Dave

Well I did, and that's why my list is so long, that you have done too, my illustrious friend!

[SonicMan46]

Einar Englund (1916-1999) Orchestral Works - includes symphonies & piano concerto; of course, this is 20th century music - great comments from Amazon (CLICK on the image); I enjoyed these woks, and would certainly appreciate other recommendations from this composer - thanks.   

[SonicMan46]

Well, just getting into listening to the Gade Symphonies w/ Hogwood, but for those who may want some more concrete comments, CLICK on the images below from Classics Today - all of these volumes received 9/9 to 10/10 ratings - I've listened to only one of the volumes, so far:

     

Harry et al - finally, I've listened to 3 of the 4 Gades CDs shown above (do not have the 1 & 5 Symphony disc) - again, click on any image for comments from David Hurwitz - these are all highly rated (9/9 to 10/10) - the three CDs that I do own are quite enjoyable; although a Danish composer, he early came under the influence of Schumann & Mendelssohn - his Symphonies are basically 'early Romantic' - I find them enjoyable although not revelatory (nothing wrong w/ that impression) - Hogwood directs well, the orchestra plays superbly, and the sonics are great.  These works are certainly worth exploring as an important part of early Danish symphonic composing from the 19th century - 

[Harry]

Einar Englund (1916-1999) Orchestral Works - includes symphonies & piano concerto; of course, this is 20th century music - great comments from Amazon (CLICK on the image); I enjoyed these woks, and would certainly appreciate other recommendations from this composer - thanks.   

Dave, he is on my list too, and I try to find out what is the best way around him.
Have th same Naxos cd as you, so will work from there too!
I am in for recommendations too folks.

[Harry]

Harry et al - finally, I've listened to 3 of the 4 Gades CDs shown above (do not have the 1 & 5 Symphony disc) - again, click on any image for comments from David Hurwitz - these are all highly rated (9/9 to 10/10) - the three CDs that I do own are quite enjoyable; although a Danish composer, he early came under the influence of Schumann & Mendelssohn - his Symphonies are basically 'early Romantic' - I find them enjoyable although not revelatory (nothing wrong w/ that impression) - Hogwood directs well, the orchestra plays superbly, and the sonics are great.  These works are certainly worth exploring as an important part of early Danish symphonic composing from the 19th century - 

Thanks Dave, will think this over if the price is worth the music!

[Choo Choo]

Lovers of Danish music should be aware that MDT in the UK have a sale on Danacord titles currently.  Lots of good stuff.  Link here.

Me, I'm looking at the 3 x 2CD volumes of Herman Koppel, Composer and Pianist.  Imagine - Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano & Wind Instruments with Koppel at the keyboard and Jensen conducting?  Or Bartok PC#1 with Malko conducting?

And then - for just 15 of our quaint British pounds - there's this:

     

If ever there was a no-brainer purchase, this must be it.  JPC is asking 43 Euro for this currently.  I've ordered mine.

(Note these are not the same recordings as on Dutton.)

[Greta]

Dragging this thread from obscurity, as I was on a Finnish composer kick tonight. If you count Sibelius, which you must, it kind of amazes me what percentage Finnish composers occupy in my listening.

Hakola's Clarinet Concerto was the reason I was really eager to hear the program last night.  One hearing impressed me tremendously.  But as it turned out, I'm not sure that anything else we heard quite measured up to the clarinet piece.  Oh well, it happens!

So I finally heard this, and I'm well, blown away! Wow, how do you describe it? Kari Kriikku is a god, first of all. I love the bit with the the very precise and unique bird chirps, in the midst of all the chaos going on. Hakola stretches the clarinet about as far as you can take it, using every awesome woodwind trick in the book, altissimo, insane portamentos, growls (where we sing and play at the same time  ), wild runs, you have to be a monster to pull that one off.

A lot of Eastern influence, some jazz, and a totally unexpected gorgeous, haunting moment at the end of "Hidden Songs". Great party atmosphere, I guess the Finnish RSO was instructed to create the "crowd noise"?  And are they ever spectacular here. They dispatch with these orchestral tour de forces by their countrymen in brilliant fashion.

The 1st mvmt, Introduzione, hooked me right off though. I love the kinetic, perpetual machinistic writing, which has striking similarities to Lindberg and Salonen's works written in the same time period (early 2000s). There's all exactly the same age too. There must have been something in the water that year. Their orchestration skills are just phenomenal.

While on concertos, I revisited Salonen's Mania (cello concerto) and  Lindberg's Concerto for Orchestra. The former, played by the awesome Anssi Karttunen (Avanti! again), is fleet and impressionistic, featuring agile and beautiful cello writing, spinning gradually alone into a frantic whirl that catches more and more orchestral sections as it goes. Nimble woodwinds, brass punctuations, and constant rhythmic shifts, build to a frantic peak, and after an eerie false respite, suddenly the cello takes off in a last fit of anger dashing the ensemble to a clever end.

The latter, exhibits this same nervous energy, but with more space around the music. I like how Lindberg spotlights different sections of the orchestra and soloists, giving all a workout. Very unsettled music, with lots of string tone clusters, sparkling percussive and wind effects punctuated by massive brass statements. Certainly impressive, if not as melodic as his counterparts. Impressionistic spaces alternate with frantic outbursts that culminate and build to a huge ruckus. It's a rainbow of colors, though few signposts along the way. His writing for the soloists is exceptional  Introspective flute and piano solos, and a very fun fiddle solo standout. Extended woodwind soli also feature prominently. The ending is great, with punchy brass chorales almost from a sci-fi movie and a frantic orchestra, which finally resolve to a triumphant and peaceful end. Both pieces I really like though not necessarily top picks for either.

And yes, it is great to find a recent work that can withstand repeated listening and that even rewards it. And especially great to hear Lindberg that I love, as I absolutely hated Kraft; i'm so glad I gave him another chance.

My favorite Lindberg is on the Philharmonia disc with the two rocks on the front, his humorous and creative Cello Concerto, and Parada, and parts of the other two pieces. I must hear that Clarinet Concerto.

I actually hated Kraft too, I have tried several times when armed with aspirin, but it's just a no-go for me. There is an extremely funny, and extremely horrible story about that one from its "Related Rocks" Philharmonia performance in 2001. There are players and percussion instruments and everything but the kitchen sink scattered about Royal Festival Hall, and the huge Tam-Tam placed out in the audience collapsed a few minutes in - onto a few members of the audience who were nearly knocked out, one carted out with a bleeding head wound. Salonen who was conducting, was oblivious to this as I don't think the instrument was even in his line of sight, and the piece was too dang loud anyway, to even hear that a catastrophe had happened. Oops. 

TBH, I find some of Lindberg rather hard to take, his writing is brilliant no doubt, but can be awfully thorny and sometimes makes a lot of big noise on little melody.

[Harry]

Thank you dear Greta, that you revived this thread!
Most grateful I am, I am sure!

[Marple]

I like the music of danish Poul Ruders. Have anybody heard his Solar Trilogy?

[The new erato]

Anybody here know the Symphony by Finn Mortensen? Used to be available on an Aurora disc in a 60-ies performance by the OFO. Probaly the best symphonic work written by a Norwegian...close competition from the symphonic works (no symphony though) by Ludwig Irgens Jensen.

[Thom]

I really like to draw some attention for Aulis Sallinen, Finnish composer. There is unmistakenbly some influence of the great Janne Sibelius in his music (can't go much wrong there) but I think he is an interesting composer in his own right.

This one is a nice introduction I think:



BIS CD-41 (P)1987

And this one is worth mentioning also:



Sorry for the small image. This is what is on this cd:

Composer: Sallinen
Director: Kamu
Ochestra: Finnish Chamber Orchestra
Label: Naxos
Cat. Number 8.553747

Complete works for String Orchestra:
- Some Aspects of Peltoniemi Hintrik's Funeral March
- Chamber Music I -
Sunrise Serenade -
Chamber Music II -
Chamber Music III

[Harry]

I absolutely agree with you my friend.
Sallinen is for me a very good follow up.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I just saw this thread - I want to add my voice to those who like Rued Langgaard!

I have the Danacord discs of his symphonies. Apart from those - the Järvi recording of 4,5 and 6, and the Rozhdestvensky of 'Music of the Spheres' (the orchestral songs on that disc are really lovely).

I love his organ masterpiece 'Messis' but the opera 'Antikrist' is not a work I've taken to (but this can change). At the height of my fascination with Langgaard I even read Viinholt Nielsen's biography of Langgaard in Danish (which the University of Groningen has a copy of, and which I borrowed through the Royal Library in The Hague).

There is a Danish/English site about Langgaard, where you can find much information and musical fragments (www.langgaard.dk)

I wouldn't want to be without his music!

Jez

[bhodges]

So I finally heard this, and I'm well, blown away! Wow, how do you describe it? Kari Kriikku is a god, first of all. I love the bit with the the very precise and unique bird chirps, in the midst of all the chaos going on. Hakola stretches the clarinet about as far as you can take it, using every awesome woodwind trick in the book, altissimo, insane portamentos, growls (where we sing and play at the same time  ), wild runs, you have to be a monster to pull that one off.

A lot of Eastern influence, some jazz, and a totally unexpected gorgeous, haunting moment at the end of "Hidden Songs". Great party atmosphere, I guess the Finnish RSO was instructed to create the "crowd noise"?  And are they ever spectacular here. They dispatch with these orchestral tour de forces by their countrymen in brilliant fashion.

The 1st mvmt, Introduzione, hooked me right off though. I love the kinetic, perpetual machinistic writing, which has striking similarities to Lindberg and Salonen's works written in the same time period (early 2000s). There's all exactly the same age too. There must have been something in the water that year. Their orchestration skills are just phenomenal.

Totally agree about Kari Kriikku, and I'm now investigating other recordings by him.  I need to hear the piece again, since I've only heard it a few times, and would like to see the program notes, too.  But yes, I liked all the wild components of the piece you identified! 

--Bruce

[uffeviking]

Jezetha: Great to meet another Langgaard fan! My nickname might give you a hint, there aren't many Danish composers I don't like, but Rued is on top of the list - if only I could come to grips with his Antikrist. If you have figured it all out, please do let me in on it. - Our fellow poster Springrite will be happy too! -

My favorite Langgaard is his Sfærernes Musik and just for fun and entertainment his Insektarium part of his piano collection. 

[uffeviking]

Danish Operas! Peter Heise composed this one and I love it:

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=5230&name_role1=1&bcorder=1&comp_id=200314

Great tale of Danish history and sung splendidly by Poul Elming in the main role. Of course Harry would not have it in his collection because it is an opera!