Back in the day, The Penguin Guide heartily recommended a Finlandia disc by Aarre Merikanto, which promised to be challenging. But of course I was going to try the 'Largo misterioso', I mean, who wouldn't be taken in by titles like 'Pan' and 'Notturno'? But, as I recall, it was tough going- a Nordic Schoenberg/Scriabin/Janacek hybrid that apparently did not leave the lasting impression of anything other than Segerstam+psychotic depression... surely hyperbole, but it ain't no Sibelius, that's for sure.
And there was a Cello Concerto on an Ondine disc, with Prokofiev, which made much less of an impression (probably written during his not-so-imaginative years). There have been some other Ondine discs in the meantime, which haven't tempted- and people mention his Opera 'Juha', but, no amount of advocacy has inspired me to dig deeper.
Then I found the Finlanda 2CD re-issue of that old Finlandia disc, along with another disc of orchestral stuff... for $5... and, seriously, I wouldn't except for that fact that this set is quite expensive online. So, I am about to dip into this for the first time in 20 years. Here are the tracks:
Disc1
10 Pieces for Orchestra (1930)
Fantasy for Orchestra (1923)
Violin Concerto No.2 (1025)
Violin Concerto No.4 (1954) it is noted that there was a falling off of powers in the later works
Disc2
Konzertstuck (1926)
Symphonic Study (1928)
Pan (1924)
Notturno (1929)
Largo misterioso (1930)
Genesis (1956) Soprano, Chorus, Orchestra
Strange how they seemed to rave about Merikanto then lost interest! Like the proverbial Glenda Slag!! ::) ;D
Quote from: cilgwyn on August 11, 2014, 02:24:46 PM
Strange how they seemed to rave about Merikanto then lost interest! Like the proverbial Glenda Slag!! ::) ;D
There seems to be a Complete List of Compositions on the WikiPage, and it looks like most all of the important stuff is represented in the Catalogue. 'Pan' was certainly a prickly and thorny and more than a little impish- and in the scary Finnish way- very prickly indeed, like Szymanowski having a bad trip (either Merikanto was, or later became, a drug addict). 'Largo misterioso' has the ticking theme that Penguin Guide loved so much; it's an atmospheric four minutes.
Currently listening to the later, and much more conservative Violin Concerto No.4 (1954?), one of the last works he completed. It is like a very subdued Janacek Violin Concerto, without the Big Melody, rhapsodic, a pale and slightly malevolent landscape,... no hysteria. Yes, it is very subdued, like a long Nordic sunset on a cold windy autumn day,- not glowing, just gently and distantly shimmering- like the sun through a thicket as it finally disappears and the little shards of warm glow change colour and vanish. The finale is a mellow jaunt- one almost does feel a sense of morphine in the ever subdued atmosphere, very pervasive. I don't know if I've heard such an unassumingly rustic air- mm, surely...
(Now the VC 2- much more of the Szymanowski sounding yearning here in the '20s, but not as fragrant- Merikanto's Nordic disposition takes that Szymanowskian opulence and turns it inside out, making it spare and slightly strange, definitely pale and wan, like a non-hysterical Schoenberg)
Frankly, I'm curious to hear the earlier
Symphony No.1 in b minor (1916?). All three of his Symphonies (the first two pre-1919),
Violin Concertos 1 and 4,
Cello Concerto No.2, and the
Piano Concertos 2 and 4 are available. Some of the pieces (VC 3) were actually destroyed. The Finlandia 2CD set contains twelve pieces (including the two VCs) and represents the best overall introduction to Merikanto. The Ondine disc of Piano Concertos fills out the picture, and if we add the Symphonies, and the Opera 'Juha', that's a major portion of his output that would probably be of interest to us. There were a couple of other discs of Tone Poems and the 'Schott' Concerto (both on Ondine)- there wasn't much if anything beyond that, some minor Chamber Music perhaps, but, because of his problematic Works List, (and you can certainly see what's available) this compact group of pieces might be close to perfect.
This disc has been one of my best discoveries of recent years:
[asin]B00000DMKZ[/asin]
The Piano Concerto no. 2 is an immensely appealing work that is notable for its episodes of quasi-Rachmaninoffian lushness. The outer movements of the Piano Concerto no. 3 are in a more spiky neoclassical style with resonances of Prokofiev and Bartok, but the middle movement (Pietá) is one of the most exquisitely beautiful movements I've ever heard. Its state of serene calm recalls the slow movement of the Ravel G major concerto. There is a brief, troubled middle section before the music returns to its opening calm in the form of a violin and piano duet. At only five and a half minutes in length I wish it were twice as long, but it still manages to transport me to another world in this amount of time. Here's the link to this extraordinary movement:
https://youtu.be/q5FZ_r3pkio (https://youtu.be/q5FZ_r3pkio)
The remarkably concise Two Studies for Small Orchestra and Two Pieces for Orchestra on the same Ondine CD are also very much well worth checking out.
I've also listened to Merikanto's Concerto for Violin, Clarinet, Horn, and String Sextet (Schott Concerto), which is another wonderful work in a dark, densely chromatic style. Judging from what I've heard, Merikanto is a highly individual composer deserving of much wider attention. Interestingly, his style seems to have virtually nothing in common with his contemporary Sibelius, being much more cosmopolitan in outlook. I'm greatly looking forward to exploring his three symphonies and other works.
Quote from: kyjo on October 04, 2017, 10:09:21 AM
This disc has been one of my best discoveries of recent years:
[asin]B00000DMKZ[/asin]
The Piano Concerto no. 2 is an immensely appealing work that is notable for its episodes of quasi-Rachmaninoffian lushness. The outer movements of the Piano Concerto no. 3 are in a more spiky neoclassical style with resonances of Prokofiev and Bartok, but the middle movement (Pietá) is one of the most exquisitely beautiful movements I've ever heard. Its state of serene calm recalls the slow movement of the Ravel G major concerto. There is a brief, troubled middle section before the music returns to its opening calm in the form of a violin and piano duet. At only five and a half minutes in length I wish it were twice as long, but it still manages to transport me to another world in this amount of time. Here's the link to this extraordinary movement:
https://youtu.be/q5FZ_r3pkio (https://youtu.be/q5FZ_r3pkio)
The remarkably concise Two Studies for Small Orchestra and Two Pieces for Orchestra on the same Ondine CD are also very much well worth checking out.
I've also listened to Merikanto's Concerto for Violin, Clarinet, Horn, and String Sextet (Schott Concerto), which is another wonderful work in a dark, densely chromatic style. Judging from what I've heard, Merikanto is a highly individual composer deserving of much wider attention. Interestingly, his style seems to have virtually nothing in common with his contemporary Sibelius, being much more cosmopolitan in outlook. I'm greatly looking forward to exploring his three symphonies and other works.
Very tempting I must say! I enjoyed the two CDs featuring his symphonies.
Quote from: vandermolen on October 04, 2017, 10:27:20 AM
Very tempting I must say!
Sorry, Jeffrey ;D The Ondine CD of the PCs seems to be out of print, unfortunately, but you can access it on YouTube and Spotify. At least check out the wonderful slow movement of the PC 3 for the time being :)
Quote from: kyjo on October 04, 2017, 10:33:25 AM
Sorry, Jeffrey ;D The Ondine CD of the PCs seems to be out of print, unfortunately, but you can access it on YouTube and Spotify. At least check out the wonderful slow movement of the PC 3 for the time being :)
Will do - many thanks Kyle. :)
I know the symphonies and some works like Ten pieces for orchestra, Scherzo for orchestra, Notturno, Lemminkäinen, Pan, Genesis, Konzertstück for cello and orchestra, and others. All that is pretty good stuff, above all the 2nd symphony. I'll need to check those concertos out.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on October 04, 2017, 03:26:05 PM
I know the symphonies and some works like Ten pieces for orchestra, Scherzo for orchestra, Notturno, Lemminkäinen, Pan, Genesis, Konzertstück for cello and orchestra, and others. All that is pretty good stuff, above all the 2nd symphony. I'll need to check those concertos out.
takin concertos out today... will report...
Quote from: snyprrr on October 08, 2017, 08:58:31 AM
takin concertos out today... will report...
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts :)
Quote from: kyjo on October 08, 2017, 01:53:10 PM
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts :)
Violin Concerto 2 (1926?) is really kind of an odd duck for the time. It is like Janacek+Szymanowski+morphine, very subdued, very half lit and glowing with no tremendous melody. I really think it is something special, but it is quite occulted.
The 'Schott' Concerto won a 5-way 1st Prize. It is also from the same era and sounds like perfect, cool Schrecker-Szymanowski-1917 styled lugubriousness. Again, I was very surprised.
The '10 Pieces for Orchestra', except for the striking tick-tock opening, felt more like drugged out Berg, which, Merikanto WILL seem like, since, he was apparently an addict (morphine?).
Merikanto is firmly in the overripe, over perfumed category,... maybe reminding me of the more depressing Denisov?
CD (Finlandia 2CD "Meet the Composer") is still in the car, gloomy day, might go for some more...
Quote from: snyprrr on October 12, 2017, 08:12:32 AM
Violin Concerto 2 (1926?) is really kind of an odd duck for the time. It is like Janacek+Szymanowski+morphine, very subdued, very half lit and glowing with no tremendous melody. I really think it is something special, but it is quite occulted.
The 'Schott' Concerto won a 5-way 1st Prize. It is also from the same era and sounds like perfect, cool Schrecker-Szymanowski-1917 styled lugubriousness. Again, I was very surprised.
The '10 Pieces for Orchestra', except for the striking tick-tock opening, felt more like drugged out Berg, which, Merikanto WILL seem like, since, he was apparently an addict (morphine?).
Merikanto is firmly in the overripe, over perfumed category,... maybe reminding me of the more depressing Denisov?
CD (Finlandia 2CD "Meet the Composer") is still in the car, gloomy day, might go for some more...
Great descriptions ;D Have you checked out his PCs 2 and 3 yet?
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on October 04, 2017, 03:26:05 PM
I know the symphonies and some works like Ten pieces for orchestra, Scherzo for orchestra, Notturno, Lemminkäinen, Pan, Genesis, Konzertstück for cello and orchestra, and others. All that is pretty good stuff, above all the 2nd symphony. I'll need to check those concertos out.
The Symphonic Sketch ("Symphony No.3") is a dour night-ride through a stormy landscape, indeed! It almost has a little bit of the Ruggles, what with the unrelieved atmosphere of a dreaded cold and wet dystopia of forest gods. It sounds more tense than Schoenberg, I'd say, but in a different way. Some cool sounds through the maelstrom, though.
As I promised yesterday, I just played the piano concerti 2 & 3 on Spotify. At first, both works worth. I found the 2nd one more lyrical, slightly more subtle than the 3rd one. Secondly, although the concerti were pleasant, I'm afraid of what I'm gonna say: I wasn't as amazed as I wanted by the 2nd mov. from the 3rd piano concerto. :( Of course, it's quiet, reflexive, beautiful enough, but not in a considerable level (at least IMHO). Anyway, thanks Kyjo for the recommendation. It's always interesting to discover new pieces. :)
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on October 20, 2017, 06:54:52 PM
As I promised yesterday, I just played the piano concerti 2 & 3 on Spotify. At first, both works worth. I found the 2nd one more lyrical, slightly more subtle than the 3rd one. Secondly, although the concerti were pleasant, I'm afraid of what I'm gonna say: I wasn't as amazed as I wanted by the 2nd mov. from the 3rd piano concerto. :( Of course, it's quiet, reflexive, beautiful enough, but not in a considerable level (at least IMHO). Anyway, thanks Kyjo for the recommendation. It's always interesting to discover new pieces. :)
Thanks anyway for listening :) We're all moved by different things and that's what makes a forum like this so interesting.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on October 20, 2017, 06:54:52 PM
As I promised yesterday, I just played the piano concerti 2 & 3 on Spotify. At first, both works worth. I found the 2nd one more lyrical, slightly more subtle than the 3rd one. Secondly, although the concerti were pleasant, I'm afraid of what I'm gonna say: I wasn't as amazed as I wanted by the 2nd mov. from the 3rd piano concerto. :( Of course, it's quiet, reflexive, beautiful enough, but not in a considerable level (at least IMHO). Anyway, thanks Kyjo for the recommendation. It's always interesting to discover new pieces. :)
I can't help but nod my head in agreement with you here. I found both PCs on this disc to be rather unmemorable. But, of course, one man's garbage is another man's treasure. We all like different things.
Quote from: kyjo on October 20, 2017, 07:54:55 PM
Thanks anyway for listening :) We're all moved by different things and that's what makes a forum like this so interesting.
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 20, 2017, 08:14:07 PM
I can't help but nod my head in agreement with you here. I found both PCs on this disc to be rather unmemorable. But, of course, one man's garbage is another man's treasure. We all like different things.
Agreed with both!
Well, the two PCs on that CD is very much like the sofa on the cover: comfy but not distinctive.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on October 22, 2017, 09:21:16 PM
Agreed with both!
Quote from: kyjo on October 20, 2017, 07:54:55 PM
Thanks anyway for listening :) We're all moved by different things and that's what makes a forum like this so interesting.
Quote from: springrite on October 22, 2017, 09:23:48 PM
Well, the two PCs on that CD is very much like the sofa on the cover: comfy but not distinctive.
I think you all might like the Violin Concerto No.2 better. I don't know of any other VC from the period that sounds quite as "restrictively luminous" as it,... actually, no other Composer I can think of at the time is as Tranquillo...
PCs still have too much of the old fashioned PC about them. The VC has been "let go" somewhat...
Quote from: snyprrr on October 23, 2017, 07:23:01 AM
I think you all might like the Violin Concerto No.2 better. I don't know of any other VC from the period that sounds quite as "restrictively luminous" as it,... actually, no other Composer I can think of at the time is as Tranquillo...
I'd love to hear it, however it's on a long-OOP Finlandia CD and is unavailable on both YouTube and Spotify...
Just listened to Merikanto's Symphony no. 2 and was very impressed. It's quite an individual work which escapes the long shadow of Sibelius quite successfully - Merikanto's orchestration (which is phenomenal) and harmonies have more of a Gallic tinge to them. For a so-titled War Symphony, the work gets off to a pretty upbeat start, and while there is drama in the first movement, the real emotional meat of the piece is found in the dark slow movement (notable for its trombone glissandi at the climax). The first and final movements contain some superbly warm-hearted, life-affirming melodies that will make me want to return to this work soon.
Quote from: kyjo on November 01, 2017, 08:48:42 PM
Just listened to Merikanto's Symphony no. 2 and was very impressed. It's quite an individual work which escapes the long shadow of Sibelius quite successfully - Merikanto's orchestration (which is phenomenal) and harmonies have more of a Gallic tinge to them. For a so-titled War Symphony, the work gets off to a pretty upbeat start, and while there is drama in the first movement, the real emotional meat of the piece is found in the dark slow movement (notable for its trombone glissandi at the climax). The first and final movements contain some superbly warm-hearted, life-affirming melodies that will make me want to return to this work soon.
I agree with your assessment. Such a convincing work, which is an exalting piece that raises the spirit. There is no any doubt it is my favorite work by him, and an imposing Finnish symphony.
Thanks to Kyle (Kylo) to alerting us to this one. So far I am enjoying every work. It should appeal to admirers of Prokofiev and Rachmaninov although Merikanto has an engagingly quirky, tonal style of his own:
(//)
I'm not a big opera fan, but Juha sounded like a very powerful work on first listen!
Revisiting Merikanto's epic Symphony No. 2 in A major 'War Symphony'. What a glorious creation! The music follows that recognizable Nordic line akin to Atterberg, Melartin et al, with convincing development of ideas and expert orchestral handling. I'm more than grateful for the brilliant performance and recording it receives here. Anyone interested in Nordic/Scandinavian symphonies shouldn't miss it.
(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/ABCD351.jpg)
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on August 09, 2025, 04:21:20 PMRevisiting Merikanto's epic Symphony No. 2 in A major 'War Symphony'. What a glorious creation! The music follows that recognizable Nordic line akin to Atterberg, Melartin et al, with convincing development of ideas and expert orchestral handling. I'm more than grateful for the brilliant performance and recording it receives here. Anyone interested in Nordic/Scandinavian symphonies shouldn't miss it.
(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/ABCD351.jpg)
Yup! This is really good in every respect.....
Quote from: Roasted Swan on August 09, 2025, 11:15:51 PMYup! This is really good in every respect.....
Glad you know it too. I think it is my favorite of his, albeit the 3rd Symphony is rather singular as well.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on August 09, 2025, 04:21:20 PMRevisiting Merikanto's epic Symphony No. 2 in A major 'War Symphony'. What a glorious creation! The music follows that recognizable Nordic line akin to Atterberg, Melartin et al, with convincing development of ideas and expert orchestral handling. I'm more than grateful for the brilliant performance and recording it receives here. Anyone interested in Nordic/Scandinavian symphonies shouldn't miss it.
(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/ABCD351.jpg)
Thoroughly agreed! It's a work that's right up my alley in its richly melodic, recognizably Nordic idiom. The rather dark and more dissonant slow movement, memorably including trombone glissandi at its climax, provides effective contrast to the outer movements and seems to be a reflection of the tragic war years. I recall a particularly beautiful melody in the finale that is right up there with the finest inspirations of Atterberg, Melartin, et al.
Merikanto's 1st and 3rd symphonies are also worthwhile works in their own right. The 1st, while not without its longueurs, has enough appealing late-romantic incident to keep the listener's interest. By contrast, the much later and more "neoclassical" 3rd is a satisfyingly concise work with an atmospheric slow movement which is rather like a less overtly romantic version of one of Atterberg's slow movements.