Kalevi Aho(born 1949)

[foxandpeng]

At last! I was missing this part of his output for long. To be released on December 13th:

I look forward to this, also

[Maestro267]

Considering how much he's written in the other major forms, I'm surprised he only has 5 numbered string quartets to his name, with a 50-year gap between Nos. 3 and 4 (1971-2021)

[relm1]

Considering how much he's written in the other major forms, I'm surprised he only has 5 numbered string quartets to his name, with a 50-year gap between Nos. 3 and 4 (1971-2021)

That is interesting.  His youthful works were more brooding so should be interesting to hear how he's evolved. 

[Brian]

All three of these quartets are student works and all three make heavy use of fugue techniques. No. 1 was written before his formal studies in a traditional key (G minor) and was skilled enough that Rautavaara gave him a pass through certain classes on the tonal basis of composition. Looking back, Aho now says it's full of a teenager's seriousness and Weltschmerz, which is pretty funny coming from a dude whose whole career has been preoccupied with very Serious musical ideas!

It's also funny because the music is so light. It's very, very old-fashioned; the only thing in the first movement that doesn't sound like it's from 1840 is a repeated harmony in the main theme that gives me a slightly painful Hollywood easy listening feeling. I'm struck by how naive this 18 year old seems to be.

Anyway, it's a theme and variations to start - nicely written for the four players and somewhat virtuosic. Then a slow movement that sounds like a movie version of medieval court music. By contrast, the third movement scherzo is so much more modern - Nordic, Nielsenish - that it feels like it came from a different piece, or like the composer aged 100 years between tracks. Then, in the finale, we're back to a chorale-like andante that again sounds like it comes from centuries past, with lots of carefully worked-out counterpoint.

No. 2 is the fuguest of all; they're all in three movements, especially the highly energetic central Presto. It's a very, very accomplished piece that reminds me of Shostakovich, Bacewicz (her neoclassical era, not avant garde - this is in traditional tonality), and some other Eastern European composers. 15 short minutes and they fly by. Really good. A huge stride from the First.

No. 3 is still early, but engages in one of Aho's favorite structures: the symmetrical piece that starts simply, builds in complexity and tension, and then returns to the beginning, but with a loss of innocence. The beginning has a rhythmic lilt like a country dance, but by the grinding, intense fourth movement, you'll be very far away from dance territory. When the dance returns at the end, the viola repeats a pessimistic two-note refrain that sends the music into a tailspin. "You can't go home again." It's amazing how quickly he found his own voice, as documented here.

Although No. 1 is probably the "least" of all the Aho works I've ever heard, this is still a really, really engaging CD. Hope the recording of the newer works comes soon. By the way, Aho says in his notes that there is an even earlier, unpublished and unplayed "No. 0."

[relm1]

All three of these quartets are student works and all three make heavy use of fugue techniques. No. 1 was written before his formal studies in a traditional key (G minor) and was skilled enough that Rautavaara gave him a pass through certain classes on the tonal basis of composition. Looking back, Aho now says it's full of a teenager's seriousness and Weltschmerz, which is pretty funny coming from a dude whose whole career has been preoccupied with very Serious musical ideas!

It's also funny because the music is so light. It's very, very old-fashioned; the only thing in the first movement that doesn't sound like it's from 1840 is a repeated harmony in the main theme that gives me a slightly painful Hollywood easy listening feeling. I'm struck by how naive this 18 year old seems to be.

Anyway, it's a theme and variations to start - nicely written for the four players and somewhat virtuosic. Then a slow movement that sounds like a movie version of medieval court music. By contrast, the third movement scherzo is so much more modern - Nordic, Nielsenish - that it feels like it came from a different piece, or like the composer aged 100 years between tracks. Then, in the finale, we're back to a chorale-like andante that again sounds like it comes from centuries past, with lots of carefully worked-out counterpoint.

No. 2 is the fuguest of all; they're all in three movements, especially the highly energetic central Presto. It's a very, very accomplished piece that reminds me of Shostakovich, Bacewicz (her neoclassical era, not avant garde - this is in traditional tonality), and some other Eastern European composers. 15 short minutes and they fly by. Really good. A huge stride from the First.

No. 3 is still early, but engages in one of Aho's favorite structures: the symmetrical piece that starts simply, builds in complexity and tension, and then returns to the beginning, but with a loss of innocence. The beginning has a rhythmic lilt like a country dance, but by the grinding, intense fourth movement, you'll be very far away from dance territory. When the dance returns at the end, the viola repeats a pessimistic two-note refrain that sends the music into a tailspin. "You can't go home again." It's amazing how quickly he found his own voice, as documented here.

Although No. 1 is probably the "least" of all the Aho works I've ever heard, this is still a really, really engaging CD. Hope the recording of the newer works comes soon. By the way, Aho says in his notes that there is an even earlier, unpublished and unplayed "No. 0."

I thought the same thing that some of these feel like exercises in counterpoint but they are still very impressive for his age.  I thought I read the first symphony was an orchestration of the first quartet so was surprised by what I heard.  I think Aho's comment about a teenager's seriousness is something he refers to quite a bit.  I recall he believed he was going to die young so his early symphonies were written as if that was the last he would live to write though he might have been in his mid 20's.  I found the album very enjoyable but it does make me want to hear more so hopefully No. 4, 5, and 0 get released soon.

[lordlance]

New performance of the Viola Concerto -

[foxandpeng]

The very last post in my Ahodyssey! (Until the next release in the series is published...)



The Oboe Concerto of 2007 dates from a time when Aho was looking for new frameworks to look at tonality and seeking answers in Arabic musical scales. Thus the first movement's long, slow lament with achingly gorgeous oboe melodies sounds a lot like certain Middle Eastern moods. Two orchestral cor anglais echo many of the oboist's solo lines.

It's an immediately atmospheric, gripping opening - the kind of thing I am a total sucker for. Soft, misty strings, floating soloist with an emotionally expressive big tune, gradual buildup to a more tense atmosphere. It's a passionate movement. Then we get a Presto scherzo-type movement with lots of Arabic percussion. The oboe squawks a bit but mostly dances, and the atmosphere here is again very convincing. The oboist gets a chance to relax during a short interlude after this, where Aho experiments with what other orchestral sections can do in his chosen tonal range and gently melancholy/nostalgic mood. Then the oboe soloist gets a three-minute cadenza that leads into an Andante finale. This finale starts with a surprisingly romantic, almost Hollywoody vision - horns softly intoning a melody, Arabic percussion pattering gently, the violins soaring upwards. It's sunrise in the desert. As is so typical of Aho, the mood gradually returns to the lament of the concerto's beginning, with tension gradually rising again. The finale is slow, but exciting enough not to feel it. In fact, almost all this concerto is slow, taking advantage of the oboe's strengths.

There's a loud ending, too. It all feels much more "conventional" than the usual Aho concerto in form - but not in the tonal language itself. As a person with romantic leanings and Middle Eastern family roots, I was perfectly set up to love this piece. It shoots right up to the top of my list of favorite Aho.

Solo IX is much harder to digest. Aho's Soli are all about 10 minutes and all designed to push the instruments to technical extremes. In this case, that means the oboist is asked to perform lots of transitions from traditional technique into what I can only describe as car alarm imitations  . Midway through the soloist gets to perform some more lyrical, slow material before the recapitulation. All in all this is quite a test of strength, stamina, breathing, and ability to make odd noises. Piet van Bockstal is really extraordinary.

The Oboe Sonata is a much earlier work, from the mid-1980s. It is by far the most abstract work on the album, full of spikes and stabbing chords and repeated notes and unusual effects. Aho describes the work as a battle between the pure tones of conventional oboe playing and the "impure" effects he achieves by other means; the third-movement climax is a pitched battle which is won by traditional "pure" oboe playing so the soloist doesn't have to do any more car alarm screeches in the finale. In fact, it seems to find a measure of peace and tranquility as it fades into softness.

And now it's time for the very last thing on my Ahodyssey...



Perhaps most widely appreciated and discussed as a masterpiece, the Flute Concerto has been advocated by Sharon Bezaly all over the world. It's all about atmosphere, pretty perfectly encapsulated by the cover of the atmosphere. Without ever really betraying a clear "point" or dramatic arc, the music manages to move forward effortlessly, make time stand still - whatever your favorite metaphor. Using two flutes, he really fully exploits the coloristic potential of the instrument. I think I've known this piece too long and too well to describe it as surgically/analytically as many of the other works in the Ahodyssey. I don't know if it remains my ultimate favorite.

Ranking seems foolish, but I can at least create some tiers now. Personal and subjective, of course!

Definite Favorites
Flute Concerto
French Horn Concerto
Mussorgsky Songs
Oboe Concerto
Preludes for solo piano (19)
Soprano Saxophone Concerto
Symphonies Nos. 9, 11
Triple Concerto (violin, cello, piano)

Very Interesting
Bassoon Concerto
The Book of Questions
Cello Concerto No. 2
Clarinet Concerto
Contrabassoon Concerto
Double Concerto (cor anglais and harp)
Quintet for alto sax, bassoon, viola, cello, and double bass
Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 12, 15
Tenor Saxophone Concerto
Theremin Concerto
Trumpet Concerto
Viola Concerto
Wind Quintets Nos. 1 and 2

Tough to Chew On, but Worth It
Cello Concerto No. 1
Chamber Symphonies Nos. 1-3
Oboe Sonata
Piano Sonata Nos. 1 and 2
Quintet for flute, oboe, violin, viola, and cello
Rejoicing of the Deep Waters
Sonata for Two Accordions
Symphony No. 5

More Populist, but Not in a Bad Way
Bassoon Quintet
Chinese Songs
Clarinet Quintet
Minea
Quintet for clarinet, oboe, bassoon, French horn, and piano
Recorder Concerto
Symphonic Dances
Symphony No. 4 (just because it is so much in the tradition of Shostakovich)
Symphony No. 13
Timpani Concerto
Trombone Concerto

For the Real Aho Lover
Oboe Quintet
Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
Piano miniatures written for young players
Prelude, Toccata, and Postlude for cello and piano
Seven Inventions and Postlude for cello and oboe
Sieidi
Sonata Concertante for Accordion and Strings
Symphonies Nos. 1, 8, 10
Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano
Violin Concerto No. 2

Not for Me
Double Bass Concerto
Music for solo violin
Pergamon
Silence
Symphony No. 7
Tuba Concerto
Violin Concerto

This traversal and accompanying notes, is immensely helpful, thank you. I'm pondering exploring Aho's work, and these posts are filled with thoughtful reflections for a beginner like me.

I've just finished listening for the first time to the Viola Concerto and Symphony 14, 'Rituals'. The VaC might need a few more plays, but I really like the S#14.

I noticed that this is omitted from your tiered list. Deliberate or an oversight?

[lordlance]

A new performance of his Theremin Concerto - Acht Jahreszeiten:

And the very niche Third Accordion Sonata:

[relm1]

Yesterday I listened to Aho's Clarinet Concerto and quite enjoyed it.  Don't think I heard it before but recommending it to others who enjoy this composer's massive output.  Any other favorite concertos?

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Yesterday I listened to Aho's Clarinet Concerto and quite enjoyed it.  Don't think I heard it before but recommending it to others who enjoy this composer's massive output.  Any other favorite concertos?

The Clarinet Concerto is awesome! I also like the Trombone Concerto and Flute Concerto. I'm not sure if you've heard these are not? But, to be honest, Aho is still a bit of a question mark for me. I'm having difficulty figuring out his style.

[Symphonic Addict]

But, to be honest, Aho is still a bit of a question mark for me. I'm having difficulty figuring out his style.

In my personal case, I use to be more receptive to his sort of neo-romantic/modernist style more often than not. There are more works I like than I don't.

[relm1]

For me, if I were to describe his style, it would basically be:

Early period up to Symphony No. 6 (1960's and early 80's): dark with elements of Shostakovich or perhaps Schnittke and some Prokofiev getting more and more manic later.  They are frequently brooding but always refined and melancholic.  They are often contrapuntal, sometimes in a collage way like in No. 5 where several different tempos happen at once.  This is not different from how Schnittke would switch styles from baroque to jazz to modernist in a few minutes...sometimes simultaneously.  I think that was a big thing in the 1970's and hear it with Aho too.  I think his Symphony No. 1 to 4 are very beautiful and have a sense of dread.  I heard him say in an interview that he felt like he was going to die young so thought each of his early symphonies was his last symphony so are doom filled.  This seems to change by his Symphony No. 7, which is more theatrical, maybe even whimsical at times.

Mid period (1985's-2000): Symphonies 7 to maybe 11 and operas, many mid period concertos: More lyrical but still full of vigor.  I hear many of these have theatrical inspirations such as the Symphony No. 7 based on his opera "Insect Life" and Symphony No. 10 I think has elements of his opera "Before they all drowned".  I'm going off of memory so take this as generally the case.  There seems to be more of a narrative focus in this stage and frequently with theatrical, folk, literary, or programmatic inspiration.

Late period (2000's and after): Expansive, and fusing modernist and traditional idioms, with a mastery long range structure. More tonal centers, but always still individual and somewhat showy.  More exotic instrumentation like his theremin concerto.  His Symphony No. 12 "Luosto" (2002) is an interesting example of space and folk tales since it was envisioned as an open air symphony with two orchestras.

Overall, he has a lot going on but I'd not consider him difficult.  It's quite traditional generally with moments of great beauty.  I think in every one of his works I've heard there were moments I stopped and thought he did something quite beautiful right then, not something that generally happens in contemporary music.  He has virtuosic writing, sometimes intense & dense, sometimes lyrical but often rewarding. 

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

For me, if I were to describe his style, it would basically be:

Early period up to Symphony No. 6 (1960's and early 80's): dark with elements of Shostakovich or perhaps Schnittke and some Prokofiev getting more and more manic later.  They are frequently brooding but always refined and melancholic.  They are often contrapuntal, sometimes in a collage way like in No. 5 where several different tempos happen at once.  This is not different from how Schnittke would switch styles from baroque to jazz to modernist in a few minutes...sometimes simultaneously.  I think that was a big thing in the 1970's and hear it with Aho too.  I think his Symphony No. 1 to 4 are very beautiful and have a sense of dread.  I heard him say in an interview that he felt like he was going to die young so thought each of his early symphonies was his last symphony so are doom filled.  This seems to change by his Symphony No. 7, which is more theatrical, maybe even whimsical at times.

Mid period (1985's-2000): Symphonies 7 to maybe 11 and operas, many mid period concertos: More lyrical but still full of vigor.  I hear many of these have theatrical inspirations such as the Symphony No. 7 based on his opera "Insect Life" and Symphony No. 10 I think has elements of his opera "Before they all drowned".  I'm going off of memory so take this as generally the case.  There seems to be more of a narrative focus in this stage and frequently with theatrical, folk, literary, or programmatic inspiration.

Late period (2000's and after): Expansive, and fusing modernist and traditional idioms, with a mastery long range structure. More tonal centers, but always still individual and somewhat showy.  More exotic instrumentation like his theremin concerto.  His Symphony No. 12 "Luosto" (2002) is an interesting example of space and folk tales since it was envisioned as an open air symphony with two orchestras.

Overall, he has a lot going on but I'd not consider him difficult.  It's quite traditional generally with moments of great beauty.  I think in every one of his works I've heard there were moments I stopped and thought he did something quite beautiful right then, not something that generally happens in contemporary music.  He has virtuosic writing, sometimes intense & dense, sometimes lyrical but often rewarding. 

Thanks for this breakdown of his stylistic evolution. When I wrote this about Aho, I'm merely describing as a "me" problem. But, as I mentioned, there are some works of his that I love. I've just some more work to do in fully appreciating him.

[Brian]

New recording coming this September: concertos for alto flute and strings, and a double concerto for viola, percussionist, and orchestra.



The double concerto has an interesting genesis. The soloists are a couple, the violist painted the cover artwork, and the percussion soloist's instrument collection inspired Aho, according to his booklet note:

"The percussionist plays only a few instruments in the work, ones that are not usually heard in orchestral concerts: the moon gong (an old Chinese instrument with a sound similar to the tam-tam), a waterphone, a hang drum (a hand-played, tonally tuned instrument, forged from metal, like a developed version of the steel drum), nine large (Thai) gongs of different pitches, a large military drum and a vibraphone played with a bow.

"Before I started composing the piece, I listened to a lot of old Japanese music, and I was particularly inspired by ritualistic gagaku music. At the beginning of the concerto, therefore, you can hear echoes of this fine musical tradition, which is more than 1,000 years old. The shō, an instrument found in gagaku music, gave me the idea of using the accordion as one of the orchestral instruments, creating quiet sonorities in the background."

[arpeggio]

I could have posted the following in three different threads: Latest Purchases, Pieces that have blown you away recently and here.  Since I am an aficionado of Aho I decided to post to post it here.

I checked my library and found I was still missing some Aho Symphonies.  I purchased the following:





All of these works blew me away.

I could not find a recording of his 14th Symphony

There is a You Tube of his 16th

[DavidW]

I've posted a couple of times on the listening thread, but I've been blown away by Aho's 8th. It is an organ symphony. It sounds more modern than his early works, and while still tonal, it does provide more evidence for how shabby and misleading the label "neoromantic" can be. There are so many of those works that don't sound remotely like each other. Vanska delivers a thrilling, but cold, no-nonsense account. The dynamic range is excessive. Hearing the quiet passages without blowing my ears out on the loud parts is challenging. The organ playing, the color and texture of the orchestral passages, and the emotional range of the symphony make it extraordinary, and also worthy of consideration for a short list of great organ symphonies.



Pergamon is a strange work that I can't honestly say I enjoy, but I understand its inclusion.

[relm1]

I've posted a couple of times on the listening thread, but I've been blown away by Aho's 8th. It is an organ symphony. It sounds more modern than his early works, and while still tonal, it does provide more evidence for how shabby and misleading the label "neoromantic" can be. There are so many of those works that don't sound remotely like each other. Vanska delivers a thrilling, but cold, no-nonsense account. The dynamic range is excessive. Hearing the quiet passages without blowing my ears out on the loud parts is challenging. The organ playing, the color and texture of the orchestral passages, and the emotional range of the symphony make it extraordinary, and also worthy of consideration for a short list of great organ symphonies.



Pergamon is a strange work that I can't honestly say I enjoy, but I understand its inclusion.

I quite liked No. 8 too.  Also loved No. 9 cd which I think had the violin concerto too and was a very fine disc.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

New recording coming this September: concertos for alto flute and strings, and a double concerto for viola, percussionist, and orchestra.



The double concerto has an interesting genesis. The soloists are a couple, the violist painted the cover artwork, and the percussion soloist's instrument collection inspired Aho, according to his booklet note:

"The percussionist plays only a few instruments in the work, ones that are not usually heard in orchestral concerts: the moon gong (an old Chinese instrument with a sound similar to the tam-tam), a waterphone, a hang drum (a hand-played, tonally tuned instrument, forged from metal, like a developed version of the steel drum), nine large (Thai) gongs of different pitches, a large military drum and a vibraphone played with a bow.

"Before I started composing the piece, I listened to a lot of old Japanese music, and I was particularly inspired by ritualistic gagaku music. At the beginning of the concerto, therefore, you can hear echoes of this fine musical tradition, which is more than 1,000 years old. The shō, an instrument found in gagaku music, gave me the idea of using the accordion as one of the orchestral instruments, creating quiet sonorities in the background."

Thanks for the alert for this upcoming release, Brian. It looks like another fascinating recording.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

One thing that I find rather strange (or maybe not) is I don't believe any of Aho's operas have been recorded. I'm surprised that BIS hasn't recorded any of them. Hopefully, something will be in the pipeline in the future.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

@Brian did you miss this Aho release in your traversal or am I missing its entry in this thread?