highlights 3-2011

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HIGHLIGHTS 3/2011 NEWSLETTER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN Victoria Yagling – powerfully gripping Pettersson’s Music in memoriam

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Highlights is a printed newsletter from Gehrmans Musikförlag and Fennica Gehrmans about Scandinavian composers. In this issue: Victoria Yagling in memoriam Allan Pettersson's music - powerfully gripping

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Page 1: Highlights 3-2011

HIGHLIGHTS 3/2011

N E W S L E T T E R F R O M G E H R M A N S M U S I K F Ö R L A G & F E N N I C A G E H R M A N

Victoria Yagling

– powerfully gripping Pettersson’s Music

in memoriam

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H I G H L I G H T S 3 / 2 0 1 1

N E W SN

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dICHIGHLIGHTS 3/2011

NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN

Sound samples and other material are available at

www.gehrmans.se/highlights www.fennicagehrman.fi/highlights

Cover photo: Stage premiere of Pyörteitä (Whirls) by Uuno Klami/Kalevi Aho (Photo: Marko Mäkinen)Editors: Henna Salmela and Kristina FryklöfTranslations: Susan Sinisalo and Robert Carrolldesign: Göran LindISSN 1239-6850Printed in Sweden by TMG Sthlm, Bromma 2011

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Hakola’s Kivi Songs on tourJorma Hynninen will be performing Kimmo Hakola’s Kivi Songs (Seven Songs to Texts by Aleksis Kivi) with six Finnish orchestras in the course of autumn 2011. Hakola has made orchestral transcriptions of this song cycle origi-nally scored for voice and piano. The Songs will be among the items on the programme for Hynninen’s 70th birthday tour beginning in Turku (premiere 15 September, Turku Philharmonic) and proceeding to Kokkola (Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra), Tampere (Tampere Philharmonic), Helsinki (FRSO), Jyväskylä (Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä) and joint concerts by the city orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu in December.

New Fennica Gehrman websiteFennica Gehrman has launched a new web-site at www.fennicagehrman.fi. Among the new features are the concert calendar on the Composer pages listing major performances, and the facility for easy searching of orches-tral works for hire by, for example, category or duration. There are also lots of sound samples on the Composer pages.

Swedish Weekend in OxfordThis year the Oxford Lieder Festival is featur-ing a Swedish Weekend (20-23 October). Top Swedish singers are presenting classics from the Swedish art song literature: composers include Hugo Alfvén, Gösta Nystroem, Ture Rang-ström, Gunnar de Frumerie, et al. Also per-formed will be Albert Schnelzer´s song cycle Requiem, set to texts by Karin Boye from 2004.

Broström a composer in focusTobias Broström is Composer in Focus with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Västerås Sinfonietta during the 2011/2012 season. Besides two premieres (a cello con-certo for Mats Rondin and an orchestral work for the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra’s centenary), other works performed during that season will include: Kaléidoscope, Tran-sit Underground and the piano concerto Belle Époque with Per Tengstrand as soloist.

New Schnelzer commissionThe BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra have jointly commissioned a 20-minute orchestral work by Albert Schnelzer. The world premiere will take place in London in the 2013/2014 season and the Swedish premiere in Stockholm later that same season.

Olli Kortekangas’s opera Yhden yön juttu (One Night Stand) is to be premiered at the Helsinki Music Centre on 15 October. It was commissioned by the Sibelius Academy with a grant from Senate Properties. Described by Kortekangas and the librettist, Michael Baran, as a detective and love-story hybrid, the opera promises some dramatic turns of events. The soloists are students of opera singing at the Sibelius Academy and the orchestra is the Academy’s own opera orchestra conducted by Markus Lehtinen.

Premiere of Kortekangas opera

New Heiniö commissionsThe UMO Jazz Orchestra has commissioned Mikko Heiniö to write a work for big band. The result is a new addition to his varied series of piano concertos. The soloist in the premiere of Nonno, for amplified piano and big band (Piano Concerto No. 9) in April 2012 will be Kirmo Lintinen. According to him, the new Heiniö concerto is rich in moods and textures, and the juxtaposition of Valkyries and modulating blues scales is delightful and at the same time natural. The Key Ensemble has also commissioned Heiniö to write a new work for mixed choir, which it will premiere sometime in 2012.

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Virva Garam, Susanna Arminen & Markus Pelli

Profile concert of music by Nieminen The Trio La Rue is to play music by Kai Nieminen at a profile concert at Temppe-liaukio Church in Helsinki on 16 November. The programme will include solo and chamber works, such as the piano trio Reflecting Land-scapes commissioned by the Trio La Rue.

Highlights of the new Helsinki Music Centre The autumn season at Helsinki’s new Music Centre is full of exciting concerts. To name just a few: Uuno Klami’s impressive Psalmus for chorus and orchestra was heard on 9 September when Hannu Lintu conducted the Sibelius Academy Orchestra. Kalevi Aho’s orchestral Minea was on the programme on 21 September with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the FRSO will perform music by Erik Bergman on 25 November in honour of his centenary. The concert will include his Bardo Thödol – a seldom heard classic for cho-rus and orchestra, as well as other works.

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P r E M I E r E Sautumn 2011

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Veli-Matti PuuMalaohuesti niin kuin kaikki tässä, tai hieman runsaamminSibelius academy Vocal Ensemble, cond. matti hyökki1 September, Helsinki, Finland (Opening Concert of the Music Centre)

KiMMo HaKolaKivi-laulut (Kivi Songs, version for voice and orchestra) turku Po, cond. juha kangas, sol. jorma hynninen 15 September, Turku, Finland

SVeN-DaViD SaNDStRÖMSix Pieces for Piano Trio and Orchestradanish national So, trio con Brio, cond. kristjan järvi15 September, Copenhagen, DenmarkGod Be Merciful, Psalm 67Westminster choir, cond. joe miller 29 October, Princeton, USA

MiKKo HeiNiÖ Maestoso tampere Po, cond. hannu Lintu 7 October, Tampere, Finland

olli KoRteKaNgaSYhden yön juttu (One Night Stand), operaSibelius academy opera orchestra, cond. markus Lehtinen15 October, Helsinki, Finland

tobiaS bRoStRÖMConcerto for Cello and OrchestraVästerås Sinfonietta, cond. and sol. mats rondin20 October, Västerås, Sweden

aNDeRS eliaSSoN Einsame Fahrt - Violin Concerto Swedish radio So, cond. manfred honeck, sol. ulf Wallin 27 October, Stockholm, Sweden

Kai NieMiNeN Quintet for Harp, Flute and String Trio Lily-marlene Puusepp, harp, hanna kinnunen, flute, Linda hedlund, violin, maya Egashira, viola, Seeli toivio, cello3 November, Helsinki, Finland

RolF MaRtiNSSoNSuite Fantastiquemartin Fröst, clarinet, roland Pöntinen, piano10 November, London, UK

toMMi KäRKKäiNeNHeavy Strings St. michel Strings, cond. ari rasilainen24 November, Mikkeli, Finland

albeRt SCHNelZeRCello Concerto – Crazy DiamondGothenburg So, cond. nikolai Znaider, sol. claes Gunnarsson1 December, Gothenburg, Sweden

New Requiem by SandströmSven-David Sandström’s Requiem, composed in 2010, will receive its world premiere in March 2013 with Gustav Sjökvist conducting the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and choir. Lasting about 60 minutes the Requiem is a large scale work including symphony or-chestra, six part choir and four vocal soloists.

Eliasson’s Saxophone Concerto in Russia and FinlandThe Russian premiere of Anders Eliasson’s Concerto for Soprano Saxo-phone and String Orchestra will take place at the Moscow International Performance Arts Centre on 6 October. Igor Butman is the soloist to-gether with the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra under the direc-tion of Cem Mansur. The concerto can also be heard this autumn in Kot-ka, Kouvola (Kymi Sinfonietta) and Oulu (Oulu Symphony Orchestra) with Anders Paulsson as soloist and Johannes Gustavsson conducting.

Börtz’s 12thDaniel Börtz has recently fin-ished his Sinfonia 12, a 40-min-ute symphony in four move-ments, which also includes vocal sections (baritone solo). It is a Swedish Radio commis-sion scheduled to be premiered during the 2012/2013 season.

Pettersson’s Violin Concertos in GermanyRebekka Hartmann will be the soloist with the Mittelsächsische Philharmonie in Allan Pettersson’s Violin Concerto No. 2 at two concerts in Döbeln (28 Oct) and Freiberg (3 Nov) under the baton of Jan-Michael Horst-man. The Leipzig String Quartet performs the Concerto for Violin and String Quartet in Gewandhaus, Leipzig (30 Oct), together with violinist Yamei Yu, and in Munich (24 Nov) with Ulf Hoelscher as soloist.

Orchestral works by Puumala on CD Alba Records is releasing Seeds of Time

and Chainsprings , two orches-tral works by Veli-Matti Puumala, in September. The Tampere Philharmon-ic is conducted on this disc by Hannu Lintu, and Roland Pöntinen is the solo-ist in the piano concerto Seeds of Time lasting nearly 40 minutes.

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Martinsson’s concertosRolf Martinsson’s Concert Fan-tastique will be given another three performances by Martin Fröst. Marin Alsop will lead the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic in two performances on 26-27 October and Edward Garner will conduct the City of Bir-mingham Symphony Orchestra in the UK premiere on 24 No-vember. Also coming up is Suite Fantastique, a short version of the concerto for clarinet and piano, to be premiered by Fröst and Roland Pöntinen in Wigmore Hall, London, on 10 November. The trumpet concerto Bridge will also receive its Austrian premiere. Under the baton of John Storgårds, Håkan Hard-enberger and the Tonkünstler Orchestra will give five per-formances in Musikverein, St. Pölten and Salzburg between 1 December and 15 January.

Music by Rautavaara in Kaurismäki filmEinojuhani Rautavaara’s orchestral Apotheosis is part of the score for Aki Kaurismäki’s new film Le Havre. Screened at Cannes in May and first showing in Finland in September 2011, the score is a typical Kaurismäki blend: tango, blues and classical. But instead of Tchaikovsky, Kaurismäki this time chose Rautavaara, in a performance by the Swed-ish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mikko Franck (See new CDs).

Tubin Museum opened in EstoniaA museum for the Estonian-Swedish composer Eduard Tubin was opened at the newly restored Alatskivi castle in Estonia on 18 June (Tubin’s 106th birthday). The museum presents an overview of Tubin and his music. Visitors can listen to recordings, watch scores and man-uscripts, and musical instruments like Ludvig Juht’s double bass, for which Tubin composed his well-known concerto. Photos and films shot by Tubin himself and other personal items are also shown. Read more about the museum in Eino Tubin’s report on www.gehrmans.se.

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Inauguration of the Tubin Museum at Alatskivi Castle

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class boy who, despite his childhood, manages to carry out grand artistic exploits and even to instil compassion for Pettersson.

But of course it could also be something in the music itself that affects listeners, the question is then what? In Pettersson’s symphonies there are sections with simple traditional harmonies. Often there are long periods in which one single chord is repeated over and over under elegiac melodies, melody lines that seem to be without a beginning or an end and which can continue on endlessly. Several of the most frequently performed symphonies end in this man-ner, and this final peace and harmony often seem to have made a strong impression on listeners.

Another important feature is the immense con-trasts that exist between what could be called – to oversimplify – a modernistic tone language and a traditional, simple tone language. But unlike many

other composers in his generation, Pettersson is not ironic or dissociating in the “simple” sections – he is serious. And some people are probably gripped by precisely this: that there is something in these big, massive symphonies which they understand and can relate to. Even more so, it is especially about contrasts. The “modernistic” sonorities found in much art mu-sic from the 20th century can create very strong feel-ings, for example anguish. But a work that consists of such sonorities only can be too difficult to take in. In Pettersson’s music the modernistic sonorities are related more directly to a simpler tonal language that more listeners feel at home in. Moreover, the differ-ent sides of his music are articulated by rhythm as well as by instrumentation, and the unity with all its parts becomes possible for most listeners to grasp. It is possible that this is conducive to more people be-ing strongly gripped by Pettersson’s music.

Some think that one should avoid intellectu-alising music, above all in cases such as Petters-son’s, which many people experience as emotion-ally charged in the extreme. Of course, each must make his or her own judgement, but remember Pettersson’s own words: “Music – that is indeed a colossally intellectual work.”

P E r - H E N N I N G O L S S O N

there to listen to the jazz group, but they were nonetheless deeply moved by Pettersson’s music, which received a standing ovation.

In 1968 the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under the conductor Antal Doráti tried out a new concert format, called “Rendezvous”; the idea was to reduce the distance between musicians and audiences. The concert opened with several of Pettersson’s Barefoot Songs, in between which the singer related anecdotes from the composer’s life. After the intermission the orchestra premiered the Seventh Symphony, which was a tremendous suc-cess, and to many people it became an eye opener towards Pettersson’s music.

In the late 70s concertgoers in the USA started to take an interest in Pettersson’s music, and when the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the ba-ton of Sergiu Commissiona performed Pettersson’s

Eighth Symphony in 1977 Commissiona soon afterwards received a letter from a Mr. Arenson:“The Pettersson symphony touched a sensitive nerve in both of us. Emotions needing exploration, but left untended, were evoked by this marvellous symphony. Mr. Pettersson has the ear of all who have ever clenched their teeth, not in anger, but in sustained anguish…We talked long into the night about the piece.”

What’s inside the music?Why then does Allan Pettersson’s music grip listen-ers so? Is it the music alone, or has the musical expe-rience been influenced by Pettersson’s life story?

If we watch TV programmes about him, read articles in newspapers from his own time, or on the Internet in 2011, interest in his working-class background, illness and isolation seems never to cease. Some of the headlines used include: “Music makes life bearable” and “Here he sits with his anger, his bitterness, his music and his crippled fingers”. The idea is that the music is “subjective”, that a highly personal expression addresses the listener, far from series and systems in the “objec-tive” modernism. This leads, directly or indirectly, to the assumption that the music “is about” that life, and hence so moving. And part of this, in my opinion, is the identification with the working-

his year we are celebrating the centenary of composer Allan Pettersson’s birth. Pettersson (1911-1980), one of the greatest ever of Swedish symphonists,

completed fifteen symphonies. They have aroused interest internationally, above all in Germany and the USA, and all but one have been recorded twice or more times. The Seventh Symphony (1966-67), his most popular work, is frequently performed; it has received two Swedish Grammy Awards and has been used for ballet, documentaries and fea-ture films. In 1964 Pettersson was chosen to be among the first group of composers who received a lifelong guaranteed minimum income from the State, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and three of his sym-phonies were given world premieres broadcast live on Swedish TV.

Despite all his successes we have more often read about his setbacks. We have read about his difficult and impoverished childhood, about how he was per-secuted by proponents of radical modernism; about his painful, chronic rheumatoid arthritis, about the life-threatening kidney illness which kept him hos-pitalized for nine months; and about how he forbade the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra to perform his music because its management opposed him. Why this focus? Indeed, the composer himself was to a great extent implicated in creating and reinforc-ing this image through interviews and other state-ments. Instead of talking about his success, he called himself “a goddamned browbeaten Swedish coolie”.

Powerfully grippingThere are many examples of how Pettersson’s music has affected listeners powerfully, how people have been “gripped” or “struck” by it. One can read similar wording already in the reviews after the premiere of the Second Symphony, in 1954, and indeed in reviews ever since. We will take a look at some concrete examples to illustrate this:

Pettersson’s Concerto No. 3 for String Orchestra had its premiere in 1958, at a concert where

a jazz group led by pianist Bengt Hallberg took over after the intermission. Most people were

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Allan Pettersson’s music has affected listeners profoundly. What is it in the Swedish symphonist’s music that evokes these reactions, and what part has the composer’s life story in this? Per-Henning Olsson, who is working on a doctoral dissertation about Pettersson’s symphonic composition, discusses these questions.

– powerfully gripping Pettersson’s Music

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H I G H L I G H T S 3 / 2 0 1 1H I G H L I G H T S 3 / 2 0 1 1 5

V i c to r i a Ya g l i n g was born in Moscow on 14 May 1946. At the age of 23 she won the Gas-par Cassadó International Violoncello Competi-tion in Florence and the following year, in 1970, took second prize at the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow.

She studied the cello for 11 years under the tutelage of Mstislav Rostropovich, who held his student in high esteem. Having started compos-ing early on, Victoria Yagling complemented a cello degree at the Moscow Conservatory with a degree in composition, in which she was taught by such notable composers as Dmitry Kabalevsky. As part of her music studies, she attended lectures by great Russian artists such as David Oistrakh and Emil Gilels. All of this served to open up a wide-ranging and diverse world of music to the young Yagling.

Victoria Yagling forged a successful, interna-tional career as a soloist, playing with many major orchestras and conductors. In 1990 she moved with her son – the pianist Victor Chestopal – to Finland, where she taught at the Sibelius Acade-my in Helsinki and composed; she also continued her career as a soloist, giving concerts all over the world. She taught many international masterclass-es and served on international competition juries.

Victoria Yagling’s playing had a unique natural musicality, a very beautiful sound and an absolute purity. These elements were also a feature of her teaching, which soon brought about good results. One of her students, Sennu Laine, accompanied by Anastasia Injushina, won the prestigious cel-lo-piano duo competition in Munich.

Central to Victoria Yagling’s prolific oeuvre as a composer are her pieces for cello: three concertos

, a suite for cello and string orchestra, four so-natas and numerous other works. She also wrote orchestral music, two string quartets, pieces for piano and a lot of vocal music – settings of poems by, among others, Anna Akhmatova and Arseniy Tarkovsky. Her music is profoundly lyrical yet full of energy and temperament, and her contrapuntal thinking is artful. Hopefully her compositions will one day receive the full recognition they deserve.

I got to know Victoria Yagling as a wonderful musician and a kind-hearted friend.

E r k k I r a u T I O

An outstanding cellist and composer, Professor Victoria Yagling died suddenly in Helsinki on 1 August 2011. Her playing had a unique natural musicality, a very beautiful sound and an absolute purity. She was also a prolific composer.

Victoria Yagling in memoriam

KAleVI AHoIn memoriam Pehr Henrik Nordgren (& works by Nordgren, Pärt etc.)cho of Lapland, cond. and sol. john Storgårds, raschèr Saxophone Quartetalba aBcd 322 (“in memoriam Pehr henrik nordgren”)

ANDeRS elIASSoNQuo VadisSwedish radio So, Swedish radio choir, cond. johannes Gustavsson, sol. michael WeiniuscPo 777 495-2

MIKKo HeINIöLuceateINojuHANI RAuTAVAARAHerran rukous (Lord’s Prayer)SVeN-DAVID SANDSTRöM/HeNRy PuRCellHear My Prayer, O LordINGVAR lIDHolMDe profundiskey Ensemble, cond. teemu honkanenFuga 9302 (”missa Baltica”)

ToIVo KuulAMerenkylpijäneidot (Sea-bath-ing Nymphs), Tuijotin tulehen kauan (Long I Stared into the Fire) & other worksBBc concert orchestra, cond. martyn Brabbins, sol. Susan Grittondutton Epoch cdLX 7272

GöSTA NySTRoeMSinfonia del mare, Sinfonia brevemalmö So, cond. christoph könig, sol. malena ErnmanBiS-cd-1682

AllAN PeTTeRSSoNSymphonies Nos 1 & 2norrköping So, cond. christian Lindbergalso including a one-hour dVd by david Lindberg about Pettersson’s unfinished first symphony and the preparation of the score. BiS-cd-1860

VelI-MATTI PuuMAlA Seeds of Time, Chainsprings tampere Po, cond. hannu Lintu, sol. roland Pöntinenalba recods aBcd 319

eINojuHANI RAuTAVAARADie erste ElegieVoices nordicae, cond. Lone LarsenFootprint records Frcd 045 (“What is Life?”)

Apotheosis & other works for orchestrahelsinki Po, cond. Vladimir ashkenazy, Swedish rSo, cond. mikko Franckondine odE 1081-2 (“the Best of Einojuhani rautavaara”)

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All-Night Vigil’s timeless mystery The expressive and the meditative go side by side in a well-balanced way and the feeling of wonder and mystery so intrinsic to the Orthodox Mass is present from the first note to the last.Hufvudstadsbladet 23.8.2011Einojuhani Rautavaara: All-Night Vigil (Vigilia)helsinki chamber choir, cond. nils Schweckendiek, sol. niall chorell, tenor, jyrki korhonen, bass, 21.8.2011 helsinki Festival, Finland

Virtuoso fairytale music by HakolaThe music of Hakola creates a musical adventure story all of its own. Entertainment, humour and intel-ligent sophistication go hand in hand. Hakola is a virtuoso at switching from one genre to another. He has a children’s song, minimalism, Baroque, archaic ‘wise old Väinämöinen’, a Christmas carol, Balkan music. Hakola binds all the motley ingredients into a coherent, translucent whole.Helsingin Sanomat 25.8.2011Kimmo Hakola: Mara ja Katti (Mara and Katti), a family operaWorld premiere: taite ry, cond. tuomas hannikainen, sol. Paavo kerosuo, anu hostikka, tanja kauppinen-Savijoki and juha hostikka, 23.8.2011 helsinki Festival, Finland

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Challenging SandströmSandström’s earlier ballet Nimrud has an entirely dif-ferent tone language. Much more experimental and advanced in sound, it is perhaps a more challeng-ing work. The performances by the Malmö Opera Orchestra under the direction of david Björkman are indeed inspired.Opus 35 Summer 2011 Sven-David Sandström: Nimrudcd: malmö opera orchestra, cond. david Björkman (Scd 1150)

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Broström and Eliasson in GlasgowBroström’s short and snappy Transit Underground and Eliasson’s Symphony No. 4 were further ex-amples of a rich Scandinavian orchestral palate that appears to have roots in the crisp soundscapes of Sibelius and Nielsen.Living Scotsman 28.6.2011

A wonderfully rich, Romantic symphony [Symphony No. 4] in the grand tradition with great sweeping gestures, heroic climaxes, and a distinct Herrmann-esque accent …A funky and well-orchestrated piece of street music [Transit Underground] with an irresistible beat. The Herald 27.6.2011Tobias Broström: Transit Underground, Anders Eliasson: Symphony No. 4uk premieres: BBc Scottish So, cond. andrew manze, 24.6.2011 Glasgow, Scotland

Maritime tone in Staern’s Wave MovementsThe music continually changes and develops horizontally, with soft, reflective xylophone tones in the background. The wavelike, regular rhythms are eventually broken up into continuous, heightening, vertical wave crests. daniel Raiskin with orchestra maintains the maritime tone intensely and in focus.Rhein-Zeitung 31.5.2011Benjamin Staern: Wave MovementsWorld premiere: Staatsorchester rheinische Philharmonie, cond. daniel raiskin, 28.5.2011 koblenz, Germany

Great Finnish ballet – an intoxicating experienceUuno Klami’s ballet came back to life in style. And what a long time it was coming – this great Finnish ballet…An intoxicating, audio-visual experience.Helsingin Sanomat 27.8.2011

Carnivalistic fireworks in terms of both dance and costumes. The whole perfor-mance was unique, because never before has there been a so-called full-length ballet in three acts in Finnish contemporary dance.Demari 28.8.2011

The choreography brings out the dramatic highlights of the massive orchestral score with humour, irony and some surprising theatrical solutions…A dance of colours, carnival – but not without some serious strains. The third act composed by Aho works well as the culmination.Hufvudstadsbladet 28.8.2011

Uuno Klami – Kalevi Aho: Pyörteitä (Whirls) World stage premiere: alpo aaltokoski company, choreography by aaltokoski, 25.8.2011 helsinki, Finland

Bergman’s zest for lifeLe voyage shows Bergman as a composer for the didgeridoo and bullroarer but also of tango and salsa. The orchestration is delicious in places… The musical patch-work of Le voyage is a moving expression of a zest for life.Helsingin Sanomat 27.8.2011Bergman: Le voyage (Dance Poem)World premiere of the stage version: helsinki Po, cond. john Storgårds, choreography by matti Paloniemi, 25.8.2011 helsinki Festival, Finland

john Storgårds conducted le voyage from a bird’s-eye perspective.

The most beautiful pieceThe sea breathes through Gösta Nystroem’s music... Malena Ernman’s efforts in the lyrical middle sec-tion [of Sinfonia del Mare] set to Ebba Lindquist’s poem “The Only One” confirms once again that this is indeed the most beautiful piece of music ever written in Sweden.Dagens Nyheter 17.8. 2011Gösta Nystroem: Sinfonia del Mare cd: malmö So, cond. christoph könig, sol. malena Ernman (BiS-cd-1682)

Gösta Nystroem

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Standing ovation for Kortekangas’oratorio in Washington The Choral Arts Society usually reaches celestial heights and during their latest presentation they also had the Children’s Chorus of Washington to add to the lofty pleasure as they presented the world premiere of Olli Kortekangas’ ”Seven Songs for Planet Earth” which got a rousing standing ovation from the nearly filled Kennedy Center Concert Hall. AllArtsReview4u.com / May 2011 Olli Kortekangas: Seven Songs for Planet Earth World Premiere: choral arts Society and other performers, cond. norman Scribner 22.5.2011 Washington dc, uSa

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r E P E r T O I r E T I P S

ANDeRS elIASSoNEin schneller Blick…ein kurzes aufscheinen (2003) Dur: 17’

This is a fine example of Eliasson’s exquisite string writing. The title is not a quote but a distinctive fea-ture of the work. The music begins with a minimalist and frenetically repetitive rhythmical energy which is followed by a more melancholy Tranquillo sec-tion. The concluding Presto has an almost fiddler-like drive. Commisioned by Camerata Roman.

MIKKo HeINIö minne (1996) Dur: 18’Heiniö’s Minne features both rhyth-

mic fireworks and lyrical moments. It consists of three movements each different in character. Hover-ing in the background of Martellato are rhythm and blues; Cantabile is marked by expressive, singing polyphony and Animato is a quick, throbbing dance. Premiered by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and Juha Kangas.

PAAVo HeININeN Sinfonietta op. 66i (1996/2000) Dur: 19’The Sinfonietta is in four movements

(Sonata, Scherzo, Elegia and Ricercata), all waltzes. To-gether they trace a symphonic arch. dance is strongly present throughout Heininen’s big opus 66 embrac-ing over 40 works for string or chamber orchestra. Commissioned by the Lapland Chamber Orchestra.

RolF MARTINSSoNa. S. in memoriam (1999/2001)op 50a (version for 15 strings 5-4-3-2-1)op 50b (version for large string orchestra) Dur: 12’

A. S. in Memoriam was composed in memory of Arnold Schönberg and his Verklärte Nacht. Martinsson has sought to mirror the vocabulary, gesture and musical characters present in Schönberg’s music. It is Martinsson’s most frequently performed work and was premiered by the Gothenburg Symphony Or-chestra under Neeme Järvi.

PeHR HeNRIK NoRDGReNtranse-choral (1985) 15 strings (5-4-3-2-1) Dur: 33’A work in two broad sections, the

idea being for the listener to mentally prepare for the second by listening to the silence after the first. Its painful chorale themes ultimately lead to a radiant, al-most sacred, trance-like final motif. Premiered by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and Juha Kangas.

juHANI NuoRVAlA Sinfonietta (1997/98) Dur: 19’The Sinfonietta is a string-orchestra

version of Nuorvala’s Second String Quartet. The opening Andante movement at times creates a

romantically soaring world of sound. The dream-like Tranquillo leads to a dancing closing movement bursting with life and drive. A Tapiola Sinfonietta commission premiered in 1998.

MARIe SAMuelSSoNrotations (1997/2003) Dur: 14’The sound idea of Rotations was

born when Samuelsson was composing in her coun-try house. The rain was pouring down onto her tin roof, so heavily that it flowed into her music. She could not concentrate on anything else but that dripping sound which is present in the work right from the start: pizzicato-dripping strings in the high registers that play percussive counter-rhythms. Com-missioned by Musica Vitae.

AlBeRT SCHNelZeREmperor akbar (2010)Dur: 12’As always Schnelzer gives the listener

an imaginative experience. Inspired by the complex character of Akbar the Great, the music starts brutally with the Emperor chopping the head off a young rebel, after which rhythmical and violent passages alternates with more contemplative and serene scenes. A string-orchestral version of Schnelzer’s Second String Quartet. Premiered by the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra.

BeNjAMIN STAeRNcross draught (tvärdrag) (2007) Dur: 8’In Staern’s energetic and vigorous

string piece the orchestra is divided into two groups placed opposite each other. Melodic lines, chords, rhythms and grooves are thrown from one group to the other creating a musical cross draught. Commis-sioned by the Malmö Opera Orchestra.

Veljo ToRMISreminiscentiae (2009)Rather than a suite as such, this is a sort of “rendezvous of reminiscences”.

It consists of choral works transcribed for string orchestra that can be performed separately or in com-bination. Among them are the four-movement Nature Pictures (Looduspildid) and Tormis’s hypnotically primitive St. John’s day Songs (Jaanilaulud), the sustained, singing melodies of which are just right for strings.

eRKKI-SVeN TüüRaction-Passion-illusion (1994) Dur: 15’The rhythmically syncopated open-

ing is indeed an action-packed start to this popular work with Passion, a meditative middle movement, at its heart. It sets off in a low register on the double basses and cellos and gradually expands into a cho-rale-like, intensive outburst. The Tallinn Chamber Orchestra premiered the work with Tõnu Kaljuste.

Works for string orchestra – with passion

A world of possibilitiesThe composition is like a Gregorian chant that swells into rich textures…The music of the last movement, consisting of minimalist string shimmering and the infinity of bells could have gone on longer. Time slowed down in its meditative mood.Turun Sanomat 2.7.2011Olli Kortekangas: De virtutem in virtutem, Songs of a PilgrimWorld premiere: hanna-Leena haapamäki, soprano, nicholas Söder-lund, bass and other performers, 7.6.2011 naantali, Finland

Sensitivity and shades of colourThe tremendous sensitivity, shades of colour and varied structure sound like a timeless painting… This magnificent work and performance brought time to a complete standstill. One would in fact have been happy to linger for ever in this landscape.Valkeakosken Sanomat 8.7.2011Kai Nieminen: Reflecting Landscapes World premiere: trio La rue (Virva Garam, piano, Susanna arminen, violin, markus Pelli, cello), 6.7.2011 Sääksmäki, Finland

Lindberg seducesIn the recently composed Three Shakespeare Sonnets we recognise the same titillating tone language that has made Nils Lindberg such a tremendously fascinating composer. There are melodies that both seduce and move us. Falukuriren 18.7.2011Nils Lindberg: Three Shakespeare SonnetsWorld premiere: Bergslagen cho, cond. marit Strindlund, sol. margareta Bengtsson, 15.7.2011 rättvik, Sweden

Pettersson gives voice to painThe introduction could have been Hindemith’s but soon the music sets off to the point where it starts aching. That’s how we know him, Allan Pettersson, the one who gives voice to pain... Yamei Yu and the Leipzig Quartet’s strong performance makes this Cd a must.Svenska Dagbladet 28.6.2011Allan Pettersson: Concerto for Violin and String Quartetcd: Leipziger Streichquartett, sol. Yamei Yu (mdG 307 1528-2)

Skilful BroströmThe most enjoyable was Tobias Broström’s double concerto Samsara. Broström once again succeeded in creating a piece that alternates between swing based on riffs, harmonious sweetness and an excit-ing sound image…This shows how skilfully Broström steers between the anticipated and the surprising.Dagens Nyheter 30.8.2011Tobias Broström: SamsaraWorld premiere: Swedish national Youth So, cond. tõnu kaljuste, sol. hugo ticciati, johan Bridger, 28.8.2011 Stockholm, Sweden

Tõnu Kaljuste, Hugo Ticciati and johan Bridger in the world premiere of Samsara.

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N E W P u b L I C aT I O N S

S C O R E SDANIel BöRTZEpodosfor orchestraGE 11520

RolF MARTINSSoNDouble Bass Concerto No. 1GE 11846

C H O R A LTHoMAS jeNNeFelTAn die Hoffnungfor ten part mixed choirtext: Friedrich hölderlin (German)GE 11750

KARIN ReHNqVISTHaya! Song to the Joy of DayLanguage: hayan (created by the composer)for mixed choir SatB a cappella, div.GE 11918 for two mixed choirs SatB a cappella, div.GE 11944

ANDeRS PAulSSoN (ARR.)Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Childfor mixed choir SatB div, ad lib soprano saxophoneGE 11873

SVeN-DAVID SANDSTRöMGod Be Merciful, Psalm 67for six part mixed choir a cappellaGE 11912

lARS eRIK lARSSoNFörklädd gud (A God Disguised)organ Version (transcription by johannes Landgren)text: hjalmar Gullberg (Swe/Eng/Ger)a God disguised is one of the really great classics in Swedish choral music. now the orchestral part has been transcribed for organ making it possible to perform the work in a new way under new conditions.GE 11874

B O O K

lAIlA BARKeFoRSDet brinner en sol inom oss. Allan Pettersson – En tonsättares liv och verk (There Is a Sun Burning inside Us. Allan Pettersson – The Life and Works of a Composer)a biography about allan Pettersson with photos by Gunnar källström. text in Swedish.GE 11952

C H A M B E R & I N S T R U M E N T A LKAI NIeMINeNAutumn Sonnet (Syyssonetti)for clarinet and pianoFG iSmn 979-0-55009-894-7

VelI-MATTI PuuMAlAHommages fugitifs9 Preludes for PianoFG iSmn 979-0-55009-937-1

GéZA SZIlVAyYellow Pages – Piano accompaniments an extensive 150-page book including piano accompaniments to the colourstrings Violin School’s three Yellow Pages books. FG iSmn 979-0-55011-006-9

Violin ABC – Piano accompaniments for Books E & F FG iSmn 979-0-55009-642-4

V O C A LDANIel BöRTZMariaScene for mezzo-Soprano and String Quartettext: kjell Espmark (Swedish/English)GE 11582 (score)GE 11583 (set of parts)

MIKKo HeINIöSyyskesän laulu (Late Summer Song)for baritone and piano (available also for bass and piano)text: Lassi nummi (Finnish)FG iSmn 979-0-55009-806-0

lARS KARlSSoNMed havet (With the Sea)Four Songs for Baritone (or mezzo-Soprano) and Pianotext: karl-Erik Bergman (Swedish)FG iSmn 979-0-55009-818-3

BeNjAMIN STAeRNTranströmersånger (Tranströmer Settings)for alto voice and pianoFour poems from tomas tranströmer’s Sorgegondolen (Sorrow Gondola)(Swedish)GE 11797