Scandinavian and Finnish composers.

Started by Harry, April 13, 2007, 05:33:51 AM

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Harry

Lets make a thread about Scandinavian composers.
I start with a few 20th century composers that I listen to now, and impress me mightily.

Rautavaara/Madetoja/Merikanto/Kokkonen/Bergman/Klami/Englund and so on.
Would love lots of input, to increase my knowledge and collection of the composers mentioned, and recommended.
Thanks

Hector

Er, aren't some of these Finnish?

Harry

Quote from: Hector on April 13, 2007, 05:38:36 AM
Er, aren't some of these Finnish?

You are right, corrected that!
Thank you!

71 dB

My favorite Finnish composer is Englund. I also liked Eero Hämeenniemi's 4th symphony when I heard it on TV (premier performance).
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

Harry

Quote from: 71 dB on April 13, 2007, 05:50:05 AM
My favorite Finnish composer is Englund. I also liked Eero Hämeenniemi's 4th symphony when I heard it on TV (premier performance).

I try to get some music together from Englund, since I seem to like his music.
In what style is EH composing my friend?

71 dB

Quote from: Harry on April 13, 2007, 06:03:52 AM
I try to get some music together from Englund, since I seem to like his music.
In what style is EH composing my friend?

I don't have much Englund so far but I am planning to buy his chamber music on BIS. Purely financial problem as you know.

Eero Hämeenniemi uses traditional style combined with new things. I understood he has studied Chinese music too. So his style is very rich and formally free. I have heard only his newest symphony but I liked it alot.
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

AB68

The Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin, one of my favourite contemporary composers. Worth checking out if you are not already familiar with his works.

Harry

Quote from: AB68 on April 13, 2007, 07:55:50 AM
The Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin, one of my favourite contemporary composers. Worth checking out if you are not already familiar with his works.

The meaning of this thread is that if you introduce a composer, you give a bit more info to go on.
So if you please my friend! :)

AB68

Quote from: Harry on April 13, 2007, 08:15:46 AM
The meaning of this thread is that if you introduce a composer, you give a bit more info to go on.
So if you please my friend! :)

I suggest you take a look at his website. Very useful to get to know his music.
http://www.rolfwallin.org/

There are also some sound clips.

Harry

Quote from: AB68 on April 13, 2007, 08:29:06 AM
I suggest you take a look at his website. Very useful to get to know his music.
http://www.rolfwallin.org/

There are also some sound clips.

Thank you very much, much delighted with this link. :)

uffeviking

Great idea of yours, Harry, to rummage around in the archive and discover the many threads about Scandinavian, Finnish, et al, composers. We had a multitude of lengthy, interesting, informative and challenging discussions about this group of extraordinary composers. Nice to have it back!

My first contribution is - what else? - an opera! Gunner Møller Pedersen wrote the opera Rottesken, Die Rättin, based on a novel by the Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass - Die Blechtrommel, The Tin Drum.

Rottesken is about the miracle experienced by Noah after The Flood when the dove brought him the olive twig, but also very gently, deposited a rat turd in his palm. No living creature was supposed to have survived The Flood, where did this turd come from? Anybody who is familiar with Grass is also familiar with his sense of humour, covering serious thoughts, and it's all there in Pedersen's music.

The music part I copy from the booklet: "The music of "Die Rättin" will sound familiar to most people, some of it even very familiar. The music, just like the dreaming man, is orderly organized: traditional, tonal and designed to carry the pain of the lyrics". The six member Ensemble Domino provides lovely sounds accompanying the two singers, mezzo Helle Hinz, the rat, and Ulrik Cold, bariton Noah.

Altogether a different opera, but one worth listening to.

karlhenning

I'm just waiting for this to become an annexe to the Pettersson thread  ;D

Harry

Quote from: karlhenning on April 13, 2007, 09:46:47 AM
I'm just waiting for this to become an annexe to the Pettersson thread  ;D

I rather would like to resist that if possible! ;D

Harry

Quote from: uffeviking on April 13, 2007, 09:44:59 AM
Great idea of yours, Harry, to rummage around in the archive and discover the many threads about Scandinavian, Finnish, et al, composers. We had a multitude of lengthy, interesting, informative and challenging discussions about this group of extraordinary composers. Nice to have it back!

My first contribution is - what else? - an opera! Gunner Møller Pedersen wrote the opera Rottesken, Die Rättin, based on a novel by the Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass - Die Blechtrommel, The Tin Drum.

Rottesken is about the miracle experienced by Noah after The Flood when the dove brought him the olive twig, but also very gently, deposited a rat turd in his palm. No living creature was supposed to have survived The Flood, where did this turd come from? Anybody who is familiar with Grass is also familiar with his sense of humour, covering serious thoughts, and it's all there in Pedersen's music.

The music part I copy from the booklet: "The music of "Die Rättin" will sound familiar to most people, some of it even very familiar. The music, just like the dreaming man, is orderly organized: traditional, tonal and designed to carry the pain of the lyrics". The six member Ensemble Domino provides lovely sounds accompanying the two singers, mezzo Helle Hinz, the rat, and Ulrik Cold, bariton Noah.

Altogether a different opera, but one worth listening to.

Because you told this story so convincing, I will dive into this opera. I love reading Grass, so that is familiar.
A friend of mine that lives in South Africa is a opera buff, I will ask me to lend this music to me, and I am sure she will because she likes me!
Mezzo and Bariton will not hurt me I guess.
Thanks Lis for your contribution.

The Emperor

Quote from: karlhenning on April 13, 2007, 09:46:47 AM
I'm just waiting for this to become an annexe to the Pettersson thread  ;D
I was going to mention him of course  ;)

uffeviking

Make sure your friend includes the libretto, unless you are fluent in Danish!

Pedersen wrote a supreme passage for the bariton, delivered to perfection by Ulrik Cold as he contemplates the turd on his palm. It's not an outcry of surprise, loud disgust or high volume incredibility, no, he mutters, repeated twice, and utterly bewildered: "A turd?" Precious!  :D

karlhenning

Quote from: uffeviking on April 13, 2007, 10:06:17 AM
Pedersen wrote a supreme passage for the bariton, delivered to perfection by Ulrik Cold as he contemplates the turd on his palm.

There can never be too much of that in opera, I think.

Harry

Quote from: uffeviking on April 13, 2007, 10:06:17 AM
Make sure your friend includes the libretto, unless you are fluent in Danish!

Pedersen wrote a supreme passage for the bariton, delivered to perfection by Ulrik Cold as he contemplates the turd on his palm. It's not an outcry of surprise, loud disgust or high volume incredibility, no, he mutters, repeated twice, and utterly bewildered: "A turd?" Precious!  :D

I already emailed her, and its on the way to me! :)

Harry

#18
O, yes before any one else does, I as a Allan Pettersson fan, yes fan, will introduce him to this thread.
You know already how much I am involved in this composer, calling him one of the greatest composer of the 20th century.
And I stand firm in this conclusion.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://musicinwords.free.fr/images/petters/Pettersson.jpg&imgrefurl=http://musicinwords.free.fr/aplife.htm&h=198&w=197&sz=18&hl=nl&sig2=vxnG-n9A9bjgzcQZaqqEIA&start=3&tbnid=EQkR2pFLbNv-QM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=103&ei=I8ofRoWGII2k0ATR6ZH6CA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAllan%2BPettersson%26svnum%3D50%26hl%3Dnl%26lr%3Dlang_nl%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DN

The Emperor

To me Pettersson is second only to Shostakovich... errr and i'm leaving Stravinsky and Bartok behind which i love.