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

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IC1/2016HIGHLIGHTS

Einar Englund – classicist and classic

Marie Samuelssonand the aspect of love

New symphony by Larsson GotheMats Larsson Gothe has recently completed his “…de Blanche et Marie…” – Symphony No. 3, which is based on material from his opera by the same name. The symphony will be premiered by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic/BenjaminShwartz during the Composer Festival at the Stockholm Concert Hall in April. In connection with the festival, db Productions will release a portrait CD including the Symphony No. 2, Autumn Diary and The Apotheosis of the Dance, featuring the Västerås Sinfonietta under the direction of Fredrik Burstedt.

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NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN

Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at

www.gehrmans.se/highlights www.fennicagehrman.fi/highlightsCover photo: From the opera Medea/Emma Vetter (Carl Thorborg), Marie Samuelsson (Josef doukkali)Editors: Henna Salmela and Kristina FryklöfTranslations: Susan Sinisalo and Robert Carrolldesign: Göran LindISSN 2000-2742 (Print), ISSN 2000-2750 (Online)Printed in Sweden by TMG Sthlm, Bromma 2016

Sandström’s Passion premieresOn 18 March Sven-David Sandström´s St. John Passion will be pre-miered at the Konzerthaus Berlin by Mogens Dahl´s Chamber Choir, soloists and the string quartet Brooklyn Rider. The passion will also be the opening work for the Thüringer Bach Wochen on 19 March, after which it will receive its Scandinavian premiere in Copenhagen and Lund. Stefan Parkman will lead the Choir of the West and Choral Union and the Pacific Lutheran University Symphony Orchestra in the American premiere of Sandström’s St. Matthew Passion in Tacoma, Washington on 22 and 23 March.

Watch Jansen play Eliasson in RSPO Play! It is now possible to view Janine Jansen´s per-formance of Anders Eliasson´s violin concerto Einsame Fahrt in a video recording from the Stock-holm Concert Hall in Octo-ber of last year. Jansen plays together with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Daniel Blendulf. You will find the film on rspoplay.se and it will be available there until 27 May.

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Högberg writes for van KeulenFredrik Högberg will write a multimedia concerto, including film, for the Dutch violinist Isabel van Keulen. The concerto, that will have a South African theme, is commissioned jointly by the Düssel dorf SO, the Odense SO, the Norrköping SO and the Malmö SO; the premiere is planned for the 2017-18 season.

Urtext of Sibelius HumoresquesFennica Gehrman has published an Urtext edition of Jean Sibelius’s Six Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra opp. 87 & 89. Based on the composer’s manuscripts, it has an extensive preface and commentary shedding light on the genesis of the work and correcting many misprints and misinterpretations in the previous editions. The Urtext edition also includes the early version of Humoresque No. 1, now published for the first time. The study score is available for sale and the orchestral sets are for hire. A new piano reduction is scheduled for publication later in the spring. It is more pianistic than the cur-rent one (Ekman, 1922), which was never fully acknowledged by Sibelius.

Beatbox Concerto by Jennah VainioFennica Gehrman has signed a publishing agreement for Jennah Vainio’s popular con-certo Fujiko’s Fairy Tale for beatboxer and string orchestra drawing on influences from such directions as Oriental music, hip hop, dance, video games and the world of Manga/Anime. The concerto has been performed 18 times in five years, mostly in the USA, where beatboxer Shodekeh added it to his repertoire and has performed it with the Baltimore Symphony under Marin Alsop. Felix Zenger and RudiRok have been the soloists in Finland. Versions for symphony orchestra and sinfonietta are being planned.

Bikernieki Forest Sinfonietta Riga, under the direction of Normunds Sne, is taking Jonas Valfridsson s chamber-orchestra piece Bikernieku Mezs on tour of Latvia with four performances in May.

This moving piece by Valfridsson was premiered last November and is written in memory of the victims (mostly Jews) of the mass killings in the forest of Bikernieki outside Riga during the German occupation of 1941-45.

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P r E M I E r E Sspring 2016

Commissions for Wennäkoski and WhittallLotta Wennäkoski is composing a new Guitar Concerto as a joint commission from the Kymi Sinfonietta and the Tapiola Sinfonietta. The soloist will be Petri Kumela and the premiere will be in Kotka during the 2017 spring season. The Sibelius Academy has commissioned a work for symphony orchestra from Wennäkoski, to be premiered in November 2016.

PianoEspoo has commissioned a Piano Concerto from Matthew Whittall. The soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra at the premiere during the 2017 festival will be Risto-Matti Marin, who is happy to col-laborate with Whittall and has recorded his big piano suite Leaves of Grass .

Tampere BiennaleThe programme for the Tampere Biennale offers Finnish orchestral classics and highlights. Ville Matvejeff will conduct the Tampere Philharmonic in a concert on 15 April: Usko Meriläinen’s Visions and Whispers (soloist Mikael Helasvuo) and the premiere of Lotta Wennäkoski’s Amor Omnia Suite . This latter work is based on her silent-film score (an Yle commission) and was recorded last year. Paavo Heininen’s mammoth organ concerto Aiolos is on the programme for the concert by the Guards Band, with Petri Komulainen as the conductor and Jan Lehtola as the soloist. Lasting over an hour, the concerto was first heard in Helsinki in spring 2014.

VELI-MATTI PUUMALAPulses, for vibraphone and marimbachristian dierstein, 9.2. Freiburg, Germany

PAAVO HEININENRauhan fanfaariguards Band/Pasi-heikki Mikkola, 9.2. Helsinki, Finland

MIKKO HEINIÖConcerto for Organ and Orchestra turku Po/Leif segerstam, sol. Jan Lehtola11.2. Turku (Katedraali Soi), Finland

SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMSeven Pieces for Violin and Orchestrao/Modernt co, swedish Wind ensemble/kasper de roo, sol. hugo ticcati, 20.2. Stockholm, SwedenThe Giver of Starsnotus choir/dominick di orio, 26.2. Chicago, USAThe Passion of St JohnMogens dahl chamber choir, sol. Lars Møller, baritone, daniel carlsson, counter tenor, Jens Bjørn-Larsen, tuba18.3. Berlin, GermanyThree Poemsensemble konkret, sol. Marie alexis, soprano8.4. Stockholm, SwedenConcerto for Flute and Orchestra No. 2norrbotten co /eva ollikainen, sol. tobias carron14.4. Luleå, Sweden

JOHAN ULLÉNThe Deadly Sins for piano and string orchestraMusica Vitae/Magnus Fryklund, sol. Johan ullén, piano26.2. Växjö, Sweden

MARIE SAMUELSSONFörnimmelser (Perceptions) – Septet ellen ivansson, clarinet, daniel handsworth, bassoon, dennis Vasiliev, horn, anders inge, violin, Ylvali Zilliacus, viola, anja inge, cello, Walter Mctigert, double bass2.3. Stockholm (Hesselby Chamber Music Festival), SwedenAphrodite – Fragments by Sapphoswedish radio so/daniel Blendulf, sol. katija dragojevic, mezzo-soprano11.3. Stockholm, Sweden

KALEVI AHOKaksi kansankoraalia uruille Joni Vikki, irina Vavilova, organ, 6.3. Helsinki, FinlandConcerto for Tenor Saxophone and OrchestraPori sinfonietta/Jan söderblom, Lappeenranta city orchestra/tibor Bogányi, sol. esa Pietilä10.3. Pori/17.3. Lappeenranta, Finland Concerto for Timpani and Orchestraturku Po/erkki Lasonpalo, sol. ari-Pekka Mäenpää22.4. Turku, Finland

BENJAMIN STAERNWaterfall (Imaginative music based on an etching by M. C. Escher)gageego!, 20.3. Gothenburg, SwedenPont de la mer; Morceau de concert pour cor solo et orchestre Malmö so/Marc soustrot, sol. einar Öhman, horn30.4. Malmö, Sweden

MATS LARSSON GOTHE “…de Blanche et Marie…” Symphony No. 3 royal stockholm Po/Benjamin shwartz7.4. Stockholm (Composer Weekend Festival), Sweden

LOTTA WENNÄKOSKIAmor Omnia Suite tampere Po/Ville Matvejeff15.4. Tampere (Tampere Biennale), Finland

TAPIO TUOMELAAuld Rhymeskaari ensemble/saara aittakumpu13.5. Helsinki, Finland

KIMMO HAKOLAPartia maestososusanna kivistö, organ, 6.3. Helsinki, FinlandSibeliussånger (Sibelius Songs)eija räsänen, soprano, annikka konttori-gustafsson, piano19.5. Helsinki, Finland

Record spring for Rautavaara concertosConcertos by Einojuhani Rautavaara will receive a record number of performances during the spring season. The Harp Concerto is to get six in Austria in April, the first being at the Vienna Musikverein on 4 April, when the Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstler-orchester begins its tour of Austria. The soloist will be Xavier de Maistre and the conductor Kristiina Poska. Five solo concertos by Rautavaara were heard at a Helsinki charity concert at the end of January.

Lidholm at 95Ingvar Lidholm celebrated his 95th birthday on 24 February. He has just compiled a new, revised version of Nausikaa Alone, a scene for soprano, chorus and orchestra from 1963, to texts by Nobel Prize Laureate Eyvind Johnson, to be published this spring. This January saw performances of Lidholm´s modernistic classic Poesis , with the NDR Sinfonieorchester in Hamburg, the Royal Concertgebouw Orches-tra in Amsterdam and Brussels, and with the Tonhalle-Orchester in Zürich, all conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, who in May will lead the Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischer Rund-funks in another two performances of the work in Munich. Conducted by Patrik Ringborg, Poesis will also be played by the Staatsorchester Kassel on 25 March.

Kari Tikka anniversary concertComposer-conductor Kari Tikka will be 70 on 13 April, when a con-cert of his works will be held in his honour at Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki. Among the items on the programme will be his Armolaulu (Grace Song) and music from the opera Luther. The soloists will be Jenni Lättilä, soprano, Esa Ruuttunen, baritone and Henri Hersta, organ and piano. Performances of Tikka’s well-received opera Luther have been planned for 2017, the 500th anni-versary of the Reformation.

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Herbert Blomstedt and Ingvar Lidholm

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The 1960s were a “quiet” decade, during which he composed only some little pieces such as light songs, the reason for this being ascribed to his dis-appointment in the trend in new music. Englund the critic had made it clear that he abhorred the radical avant-garde, but his silence was also a con-sequence of the lengthy crisis that followed his first wife’s death.

New angles on NeoclassicismThe “silent” period ended above all with the third symphony, Barbarossa (1969–1971). The next symphony, the Nostalgic (1976), is one of the Englund works most frequently performed. Its elegiac tone is claimed to have been due to his sense of being alone with his ideals at a time when Modernism based on 12-tone technique reigned supreme. He did, however, experiment with do-decaphony in such works as the Passacaglia, the Hymnus sepulcralis for mixed choir, and the Fifth Symphony, Fennica (1978). But his basic ap-proach continued to be Classical, not experimen-tal. His music, and especially his solo and cham-ber works, had pronounced tonal and melodic features, examples being the two piano sonatinas, the Piano Sonata and the “happy” Violin Sonata. In the 1980s his idiom took a deeply expressive turn in the Concerto for 12 Cellos known as an “apotheosis of the dance” and in the Cello Sonata inspired by the sound of church bells.

The text of the Sixth Symphony (1984, for mixed choir and orchestra) consists of aphorisms by Heraclitus. For a man with first-hand experi-

Einar Englund (1916–1999) is a Finnish clas-sic. After the Second World War, he set himself apart from the National-Romantic trends then dominant in Finland with an idiom reflecting the influence of Shostakovich, Bartók and Stravinsky. He had developed a keen interest in contemporary music while still a student at the Helsinki Conser-vatory, but his teachers favoured a command of the traditional compositional crafts rather than experi-ment. The Piano Quintet he composed as his degree assignment bears witness to this.

Musical echoes of the warThe Continuation War of 1941–1944 between Finland and the Soviet Union, during which he was called to active service, had a decisive influence on Englund the man and his music. After the war, when the time came to process his experiences in music, he felt more in tune with Neoclassical irony, sarcasm and satire than with safe, familiar Nation-al-Romanticism. His new approach had come to stay – as had the marches and musical explosions that, he always insisted, were echoes of the war.

His first two symphonies, the War Symphony of 1946 and the Blackbird of 1947, placed Englund in the forefront of Finnish music. He also began to gain a reputation as an outspoken critic and as a brilliant improviser on the piano. In the 1950s he wrote the scores for a number of films, radio and theatre plays. He also composed concert music, such as the Introduzione e Toccata for piano, the popular first Piano Concerto , in which he was often the soloist, and a Cello Concerto.

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ence of war, they provided a means of express-ing his optimistic faith in the dynamics that dominated the world and human life. The same underlying philosophy is reflected in the light, bright Flute Concerto (1985) in which a harpsi-chord adds a completely new timbre to the or-chestral palette. His failing health in the 1990s ultimately prevented Englund from composing any new works. By the time he died, he had nev-ertheless won a growing international reputa-tion, thanks principally to the many recordings of his works.

Variety of expression and clarity of message are salient features of Englund’s music. It is music of biting irony and great drama just as much as of fleeting beauty and subtle romanti-cism, and always brilliantly scored. He constantly discovered new and sometimes surprising angles on Neoclassicism. For him, the basic Classical values were not, however, just museum exhibits in a showcase but creative tools – the hallmarks of a classic composer.

C H r I S T I a N H o L M q v I S T

Footnotes

* Works by Einar Englund will be heard at numer-ous concerts in this centenary year. In Kokkola on 11 June, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra will perform his 4th Symphony, and also on the programme will be his Concerto for 12 Cellos. The Saimaa Sinfonietta paid tribute to him in February, and the centenary will be evident at several concerts in the Korsholm Music Festival in summer.

* New, re-copied orchestral parts of Englund’s fourth symphony, the Nostalgic, have been pub-lished, and an orchestral score is now available for purchase.

Born 100 years ago, Einar Englund composed music of biting irony and great drama, but also of fleeting beauty and subtle romanticism, and always brilliantly scored.

Erland Johansson’s painting of Englund (1991)

Physicality, Intellect, Rhythm, Force of Personal-ity – these are the defining aspects, the watch-words, of Marie Samuelsson’s music. Physicality is felt throughout her music through its powerful sonor ities, virile impressionistic timbres heard most spectacularly in the terrifyingly (and terrifically) elemental Air-Drum III for orchestra (1999), with its huge metal drum constructed from a metal air duct which sets the entire atmosphere vibrating. In-deed, the composer remarked to the present writer: “the physicality in my music is very much attached to timbre and/or sound” and timbre is something she works on as a primary aspect of every composition.

Intellect, ever-present in her oeuvre, is best exem-plified where it demands something of the listener as well, whether in her electro-acoustic output, the grippingly atmospheric I vargens öga (In the Eye of the Wolf, 1997), or I Am – Are You? (2001), where an onstage horn duets with an offstage sampled voice, or her acclaimed violin concerto Bastet the Sun Goddess (2004, named from the Egyptian god-dess who every night killed the snake-demon Apep to allow the sun to rise next day), one of Samuels-son’s most substantial utterances. Her brilliant use of rhythm as a binding structural agent in her music can be heard in the impressive string orchestral Ro-tations (1997/2003), a brilliantly conceived textural fantasia on intertwining tempi and in the chamber ensemble piece Flow (2000), where the listener’s ear is taunted and caressed simultaneously. The imme-diacy of expression of her music, instantly recogniz-able as hers, is testament to the force of her musical personality, as in the mesmerizing Airborne Lines and Rumbles (2009) or Singla (2007) , arguably her finest orchestral work to date.

All these elements unite in her largest work to date, the two-act chamber opera, Jorun – orm i öga ( Jorun Snake Eye; 2012-13). Lasting around fifty-four minutes, this is a deeply affecting and at-mospheric tale of hope, naivety, betrayal, loss and (at length) a hard-won understanding of existence. Jorun is also the composer’s richest score in terms

of instrumental resource (despite the relative mod-est forces employed: a clutch of soloists, chamber chorus and chamber ensemble) and expressive depth. It marks both the high point of a period of mostly chamber composition but also the start of a new expressive area: music overtly exploring love in all its forms.

A Love TrilogyJorun’s scale is also carried over in Samuelsson’s latest major project, one which may have particular resonance for the newly betrothed composer – well, in 2015 – as she turned 60 (in February this year), a Love Trilogy (2015-16). If love in all its forms lies at the heart of Jorun and, indeed, the micro-opera Why Would I Not Believe in Love? that followed in 2014, it is even more so in Love Trilogy. The open-ing work is Aphrodite – Fragments by Sappho, a radiant 21-minute cantata for mezzo soprano and orchestra, although in form it can also be viewed as a continuous song cycle, setting five brief stan-zas by the Greek Poetess. One of these was discov-ered only as recently as 2014 and is set by her – as the centrepiece – in Jesper Svenbro’s translation (Kyprispoem). Its expressive theme, like that of Sap-pho’s familiar verses, is erotic love, of the possessive desire for a woman that in turn possesses the lover. In musical terms it builds on the lithe vocal lines and instrumental depth of Jorun – orm i öga, the composition which now seems an enabler for the Love Trilogy. Several extraordinary passages see some of Sappho’s words declaimed in whispers by members of the orchestra! The cantata will receive its world premiere in Stockholm on 11 March by Katija Dragojevic and the Swedish Radio Sym-phony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Blendulf.

The central span of the trilogy is A New Child of Infinity, a smaller-scale clarinet concertino, roughly half the length of Aphrodite and inspired by a poem of the Swedish poet Göran Sonnevi, the recipient of the Nordic Council’s 2006 Litera-ture Prize. Here, the focus is on the love of a child,

so it is no surprise that A New Child of Infinity is dedicated to the composer’s two sons. Whether this was a factor governing the choice of a smaller orchestra than Aphrodite with no clarinets – aside from the bass instrument – or tuba and only pairs of horns and percussionists, is unclear. On the page the score seems unusually sparse in texture, the orchestra used with delicacy around the whirl-ing clarinet soloist who plays almost incessantly. That this concertino is slighter in build and duration, however, does not mean it is lesser in quality or im-portance to the trilogy as a whole. It was premiered in Malmö last November by Johnny Teyssier with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marc Soustrot.

The Eros EffectThe final panel in the trilogy is still a work in progress at the time of writing, so has not been re-leased yet. It bears the intriguing title of The Eros Effect and Solidarity, a reference to the work of the South Korean-resident North American writer and social activist George Nicholas Katsiaficas. Marie Samuelsson interprets the “Eros Effect” as “the notion that the private love spills over into sol-idarity, moved out in charity and become a social movement.” Added to her expressed opinion that “Hatred and violence are taking too much space in the media and in social media today, while love is difficult to approach, on a philosophical level” and it is clear that The Eros Effect and Solidarity is set to be the climax and summation of the Trilogy. This assertion will only be verified, however, at the pre-miere in October 2016, to be given by the work’s dedicatees, the Nordic Chamber Orchestra directed by Sarah Ioannides.

Physicality, Intellect, Rhythm, Force of Per-sonality – these have been the defining aspects, the watchwords, of Marie Samuelsson’s music hitherto. Love now needs to be added to the list.

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When Marie Samuelsson enters her 60s, it marks the start of a new expressive area in her composing: music overtly exploring love in all its forms.

Marie Samuelssonand the aspect of love

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Medea – Magnificent and MonstrousWhat is most fascinating with daniel Börtz´s “Medea” is how he lets the pain spot of perfidy, hate and death be washed over by beauty and brotherly affec-tion… The music depicts characters and situations, it simmers and boils, it anticipates and is anxious… It ranges from intensive suggestion and restless weep-ing or filmy strings, over vibrating emotions, marked rhythmical percussion accents and violent outbursts, to endless tranquillity in chaos…

Emma Vetter´s dramatic soprano is colourful and ex- pansive; her Medea raises levels of emotion to the ex tremes and stretches the limits… Confronted with infan ti cide her madness is perforated by flashes of lucidity and motherly love… Alone in the final scene Emma Vetter’s Medea is human, magnificent and monstrous. Svenska Dagbladet 24.1.

Already at the world premiere Medea stands out as a modern classic, deeply affecting without being the least sentimental.Opus 66 Febr-March 2016

The utmost operatic art… Masterly!Dagens Nyheter 25.1.

This is his sixth opera, and it is without doubt his best.Swedish Radio Kulturnytt 24.1.Daniel Börtz: MedeaWorld premiere: the royal swedish opera/Patrik ringborg, soloists emma Vetter, karl-Magnus Fredriksson et al., director stefan Larsson, 23.1.2016 stockholm, sweden

LINDA ALEXANDERSSONthree songs from the dominican Breviary (2013) dur: 7’for satB divisi

text: Marian texts from the Breviary of the dominican order (Lat)this work is a homage to the composer arvo Pärt, whose basic triadic technique has inspired it. the work consists of three movements: Memento, Maria mater gratiae and gloria tibi, where melodic lines weave themselves together into a unity. the work was premiered by the chamber choir at the Malmö academy of Music.

TINA ANDERSSONLove´s Philosophy (2013) dur: 6’for ssattBB text: Percy Bysshe shelly (eng)

“nothing in the world is single; all things by a law divine in one spirit meet and mingle. Why not i with thine?” nature and romanticism combine here in the best possible way. tina andersson plays with the acoustics by placing the choir in spe-cific positions to bring out echo effects. Love’s Philosophy is dedicated to the Vocal art ensemble of sweden and Jan Yngwe.

SVEN HAGVILorpheus with his Lute (2013) dur: 5’30’’for ssaattBB text: William shakespeare (eng)

this work was commissioned by the kammerchor hannover and its conductor stephan doormann for their project “shakespeare 21”. the music reflects the undulating tones from orpheus´ lyre that make even the waves of the sea lie down to rest.

KIMMO HAKOLAde kaspiska tigrarnas gud (the god of the caspian tigers) (2013) dur: 55’seven labyrinths for soprano, baritone and

mixed choir text: stella Parland (swe)this piece is a fantastic journey. Parland’s text is brimming with lively, colourful, allegorical imagery and hakola writes that the markings in the choral score – light breeze, fresh breeze, ice, beasts and paradise – illustrate the mood evoked by the text. hakola’s music is a mixture of vibrant and richly-nuanced sound-scape enhancing Parland’s magical sense of mystery.

MIKKO HEINIÖilta (evening) (2013-14) dur: 55’11 dance songs for mixed choir, clarinet and cello

text: Lorca, Whitman, Baudelaire, kivi, Boye et al. (original languages)a skilfully constructed suite of 11 songs divided into five thematic entities connected by intermezzos on the clarinet and cello. the music is demanding without seeming difficult, at the same time leaving room for the simple and beautiful. the heart of this cycle, kaukainen viita, is a moving lullaby sung a cappella. ilta was pre-miered together with the eri dance theatre and a choreography by tiina Lindfors, making it an all-round experience.

LARS KARLSSONtre motetter (three Motets) (1999) dur: 18’for ssaattBB and soprano

text: from the Psalms (swe)the three motets together constitute a little choral symphony, but they can also stand alone. karlsson has drawn on several classical genres, from medieval parallel organum to a conven-

Bridge in LondonEmerging out of a rumbling darkness, expertly controlled by Rouvali, the concerto swoops and soars between hard-edged passages in which a five-note motto is never far away and a swooning but never quite resolved theme for full orchestra. At times, even Hardenberger seemed to be playing on the very edge of the attainable.The Guardian 29.1. Rolf Martinsson: Bridge – Trumpet Concerto No. 1Philharmonia orchestra/santtu-Matias rouvali, sol. håkan hardenberger, 28.1.2016 London, uk

tional fugue. the third motet may also be taken as a set of varia-tions on a chorale, using various types of canon, also at textual level. the result is relaxed, communicative music.

OLLI KORTEKANGASthe return (2014) dur: 15’for satB divisi text: Wendell Berry (eng)

the return is based on the poem the Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of rough Branch, secedes from the union by the well-known us writer and environmental activist Wendell Berry. the poem is a powerful statement against the faceless audacity of the market economy and in favour of sustainable development. the return is skilfully-written, colourful music, its expressive scale ranging from virtuosic brilliance to lyrical, meditative moods. the tapiola chamber choir commissioned the work for its 30th anniversary concert in 2015.

JACOB MÜHLRADnigun (2014) dur: 11’30’’ for double choir divisi a cappellatext: Fragment from Jewish church services (heb)

Jacob Mühlrad´s idea with this piece was to do an abstraction of a Jewish service. the lyrics are fragments of different ser-vices. the word nigun means melody. Within kabbalah (a part of Jewish mysticism) the wordless melody is often referred to, as it is thought to communicate more than a melody with words. nigun was premiered by the swedish radio choir in 2014.

EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARAFour romances from the opera rasputin (2003/2012) dur: 8’ for saatBBtext: einojuhani rautavaara/

transl. Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (Fin/eng)rautavaara’s opera rasputin featured a group of singing gypsies. instead of borrowing original roma music, rautavaara wrote his own and later thought it was a pity to leave the melancholy, moonlit songs to languish within the confines of the opera. he therefore arranged a set of “unabashedly sentimental and thoroughly melodic” pieces, first for male choir, and in 2012 for mixed choir. the song troika trotting is dedicated to his wife sini, as the lyrics were inspired by the green of her eyes.

KARIN REHNQVISTtenebrae (2012) dur: 7’ for satB divisi text: Paul celan (ger)

tenebrae was commissioned by the norwegian ultima Festival for the Latvian radio choir. it was included in the concrescence Project, which was initiated by Lasse thoresen to investigate un-tempered scales and song techniques found in folk music from diverse parts of the world, with Western choirs. the means of expression include quarter tones and quasi-imitative passages alternating with homophone sections accompanying Paul celan’s sensitive text.

SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMthe half-Finished heaven (2013) dur: 5’for sMzatBarB

text: tomas tranströmer/transl. robin Fullton (eng) “the eager light streams out, even the ghosts take a draught.” tranströmer´s existential and hopeful poem is painted in sand-ström’s setting by soft and bright strokes. the half-Finished heaven was commissioned and premiered by the sofia Vocal ensemble, and has now been recorded on the cd one early spring evening (cr017).

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r E P E r T o I r E T I P S r E v I E W S

21st century works for mixed choir

Five aspects of loveThe five movements depict various aspects of love which Martinsson has captured in intense romantic expressivity. He utilises the large string orchestra to the full extent and Lisa Larsson sang exquisitely with charisma and expression. Norrköpings Tidningar 5.2.Rolf Martinsson: Garden of Devotionnorrköping so/Michael Francis, soloist Lisa Larsson, soprano, 4.2.2016 norrköping, sweden

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Emma Vetter and Karl-Magnus Fredriksson

Overwhelming Theatron It was music that could be felt throughout one’s whole body. In the tranquil middle movement the soloists were initially surrounded by soft waves in the strings and winds. In the solo parts it rippled gently until Bridger and Raab restored order in the finale and drove the music up to the boiling point in a furious display of virtuosity.Helsingborgs Dagblad 9.11. Tobias Broström: Theatronhelsingborg so/stefan solyom, sol. Johan Bridger, Patrick raab, 5.11.2015 helsingborg, swedenf

Hakola’s crowd raiser Kari Kriikku gave a unique performance…The music incorporates many different styles from Jewish music to gypsy music and blues. The audience was given evidence that contemporary music is not difficult to appreciate...a delightful concert.Chosun-ilbo 16.11.

The third movement had wild rhythms, which led to the Finale, the definite highlight, where Klezmer music takes over. The main melody here, in the harmonic or so-called gypsy minor, sounds infinitely beautiful. And the audience appreciated this work, which was also a crowd raiser: rarely can we see such overwhelming enthusiasm.Stavanger Aftenblad 30.1.Kimmo Hakola: Clarinet Concerto seoul Po/osmo Vänskä, 13.11.2015 seoul, south korea stavanger so/christian Vasquez, 28.1.2016 stavanger, norway, sol. kari kriikku

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CD of Aho piano worksPiano music has been a side-line interest for Aho, which for a violinist should not come as a surprise. But one should be wary of dismissing the pieces on this Cd as occasional music, or as the insignificant juvenilia of a composer who was to become a famous symphonist; Aho’s capabilities (which were apparent very early on in his career) are no less evident in his piano music.Klassik.com 31.1.Kalevi Aho: Works for Solo Pianocd: sonja Fräki (Bis-2106)

The Accordion KingFredrik Högberg has written a concertizing accordion part that demands a phenomenal technique and a clear musical form, and with soloist passages that Jörgen Sundeqvist executed masterfully…The music caresses itself onwards in wonderful lines, and in the next moment it bombards us with full-bodied rhythms, and overpowering and surprising sonorities. Västerbottenskuriren 6.2.Fredrik Högberg: The Accordion Kingnorrlandsoperan so/elim chan, soloist Jörgen sundeqvist, 5.2.2016 umeå, sweden

Masterly Pettersson recording The Norrköping Symphony Orchestra articulate the music’s ‘soaring melodies and grippingly searing polyphony… Lindberg seems to feel more keenly the work’s intense range of mood – the ferocity and depth of its emotion, the consolation that this engenders – and communicates this to his orchestra in a masterly fashion. Gramophone January 2016Allan Pettersson: Symphony No.13 cd: norrköping so/christian Lindberg (Bis-2190)

Versatile Kleemola Mikko Heiniö’s Through Green Glass is nothing short of a masterpiece. Kleemola’s versatility does justice to its wide palette of musical devices and influences. However, instead of adopting different styles as such, Heiniö manages to capture the nature or “spirit” of them; as if his works were elaborations of the very bedrock of our musical understanding. FMQ 11/2015Mikko Heiniö: Through Green Glasscd: Patrik kleemola, guitar (Pilfink JJVcVd-150)

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Expressive harpThe basic tone of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Harp Concerto is romantic but the mode of expression is surprisingly vigorous. The soloist has a chance to demonstrate the harp’s enormous expressive range, from ethereal arpeggios to fierce glissando effects.Hufvudstadsbladet 1.2.Einojuhani Rautavaara: Harp Concerto Project orchestra/sakari oramo, sol. Lily-Marlene Puusepp, 30.1.2016 helsinki, Finland (charity concert)

Sacral beauty in Heiniö concerto The catchy starting point for the Heiniö concerto is the Summer Hymn [Suvivirsi]…it makes pleasingly colourful use of the theme material, drawing on the vast range of timbres and volumes of both orchestra and organ. The concerto could be described as sunny and tranquil, beautiful in a sacral way. Rondo 3/2016

The Turku Philharmonic and Jan Lehtola placed Mikko Heiniö’s brand-new organ concerto on a pedestal. The dialogue between orchestra and organ was enjoyable in the Turku Cathedral acoustics… The music is bright, undulating, even thundering. Turun Sanomat 13.2.Mikko Heiniö: Concerto for Organ and Orchestra World premiere: turku Po/Leif segerstam, sol. Jan Lehtola, 11.2.2016 turku, Finland

A microtonal escapadeThe Cd is a hefty survey of electro-acoustic music. Electronics expand an instrument or turn it into a super-instrument, unleashing caustic humour from the music, as in the poppy microtonal Boost by Juhani Nuorvala.Rondo 2/2016Juhani Nuorvala: Boost cd: defunensemble/Markus hohti, cello, emil holmström, keyboard (srcd-1014 8 “define Function”)

Lush, haunting cantata by Kortekangas The concert begins with the world premiere of a lush, haunting cantata by contemporary Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas. “Migrations” commemorates the Finnish migration to North America, with painterly words by Northern Minnesota poet Sheila Packa, whose grandparents are Finnish. Minnpost 5.2.

A very intriguing piece. TwinCities.com 4.2.

Packa described her work as uplifting, and Kortekangas echoed that composition-ally...he showed a deft ability to make use of the chorus as a percussive instrument and also made excellent use of the instrumental soloists; the horn solos and duets were particularly excellent, with their rich, silvery tone. stephcranford.tumblr.comOlli Kortekangas: Migrations World premiere: Minnesota orchestra, YL Male Voice choir/osmo Vänskä, sol. Lilli Paasikivi, 4.2. 2016 Minneapolis, usa

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C H O R A L / V O C A L

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RICHARD FALTINSolo Songs / Samlade solosånger / Kootut yksinlaulutgerman born richard Faltin (1835–1918) was in his day a leading figure on the Finnish musical scene. this edition presents his complete song oeuvre including six songs now published for the first time. Fg 55011-266-7

MARTIN LARSONUpon the Body of Our Blessed Lord, Naked and Bloodyfor mixed choir a cappellatext: richard crashaw (eng)ge 12882

ANNA CEDERBERG-ORRETEGNamnet Människafor mixed choir and recitationtext: the un Prayer (sw)ge 12884

MATTIAS EKSTRÖM KOIJAve Mariafor female choir a cappellatext: in Latinge 12891

CHRISTIAN ENGQUISTThe Brightest Springfor mixed choir a cappellatext: christian engquist (eng)ge 12874

O R C H E S T R A LTOBIAS BROSTRÖMTheatronfor two percussion soloists and orchestrage 12661 (score) ge 12663 (study score) ge 12653 (score) ge 12655 (study score) Version for extended orchestra

EINAR ENGLUNDsymphony no. 4 Fg 55011-278-0 (score)

TOMMIE HAGLUNDserenata per diotimafor string orchestrage 12686 (score) ge 12688 (study score)

SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMconcerto for Flute and orchestra no. 2ge 12673 (score) ge 12675 (study score)

ALBERT SCHNELZERMagical allusionsfor oboe and small orchestrage 12799 (score) ge 12801 (study score)

JEAN SIBELIUSsix humoresques for Violin and orchestra opp. 87 & 89Fg 55011-261-2 score (urtext edition)

JONAS VALFRIDSSONtemples of kamakura for orchestrage 12703 (score)

TIMO-JUHANI KYLLÖNENTwo Romancesfor cello and piano Fg 55011-276-6Hermestoccata for two accordionsFg 55011-275-9 (parts)

ROLF MARTINSSONSuite fantastiquemusic from concert Fantastiquefor clarinet and pianoge 11977

PER THUNARFParafras på Jämtländsk brudmarsch (Paraphrase on Bridal March from Jämtland)for organge 12844

HARRI WESSMANSix Violin Pieces for Alisa Ojanen / Kuusi viulukappaletta Alisa OjaselleFg 55011-280-3

MATTHEW WHITTALLLeaves of Grass 12 preludes for pianoFg 55011-279-7

I N S T R U M E N T A L / C H A M B E R T U T O R SLOUHOS, JURIS, LIU-TAWASTSTJERNAPianon avain 2 / Piano Key 2 Fg 55011-186-8 (revised edition)

GÉZA SZILVAYSupplementary Materialappendix to the colourstrings Violin aBc Book dFg 55011-234-6

N E W C dsLARS KARLSSONJaguarenakademiska sångföreningen/kari turunenFuga-9406 (”i dreamt”)

LARS-ERIK LARSSONSymphony No. 2, Orchestral Variations op. 50, Barococo Suitehelsingborg so/andrew ManzecPo 777 672-2 (orchesterwerke Vol. ii)

MARTIN WEGELIUSSånger (Songs)hedvig Paulig, soprano, tuomas Lehtinen, baritone, gustav djupsjöbacka, piano, spira ensembleFuga-9410

JACOB MÜHLRADAn’im Semirausfor mixed choir a cappella (reduced version ssaatB)adaption: sofia ågrentext: old Jewish song (hebrew)ge 12856

KARIN WESTBERGI folkvisetonfor mixed choir and solo voicearr: emil Westbergtext: nils Ferlin (sw)ge 12883