NO

RD

IC4/2014HIGHLIGHTS

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

Kalevi Aho’s opera Frida y Diego

Focus onWennäkoski

& Haglund

N E W SN

OR

DIC

HIGHLIGHTS 4/2014

NEWSLET TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN

Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at

www.gehrmans.se/highlights

Cover photos: Erika Back and Matias Haakana in Frida

y Diego (Erkka Malkavaara), Lotta Wennäkoski (Maarit

Kytöharju/Music Finland), Tommie Haglund (Per Möller)

Editors: Henna Salmela and Kristina Fryklöf

Translations: Susan Sinisalo and Robert Carroll

Design: Tenhelp Oy/Tenho Järvinen

ISSN 2000-2742 (Print), ISSN 2000-2750 (Online)

Printed in Sweden by TMG Sthlm, Bromma 2014

H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4

Phot

o: G

eorg

Odd

ner

New Kai Nieminen CDPilfi nk Records

has released a CD

of music by Kai

Niemi nen under the

title Astolfo. Included

are seven chamber

music works dating

from 1996-2011, e.g.

Refl ecting Landscapes

and In der Winterzeit

for piano trio. Th e works are performed by Trio

La Rue (Virva Garam, piano, Susanna Armi-

nen, violin and Markus Pelli, cello) – a trio that

has premiered and performed Nieminen’s works

on several occasions.

Eliasson, Börtz and Aho awardedAnders Eliasson was posthumously award-

ed the Swedish Music Publishers’ Prize 2014

for his string trio Ahnungen – the last work he

composed. “As always, Eliasson’s music is deeply

personal; intensity alternates with lyrical phrases

and melancholy”, writes the jury.

In the category large ensemble/opera Daniel

Börtz won the prize for his Sinfonia 12, a work

commissioned by the Swedish Radio SO. Ac-

cording to the jury “the expressive human voice is

an important source of inspiration for Börtz and

the basis of his melodic creativity. In this sym-

phony with a baritone soloist grandiose sections

are mixed with chamber music.”

Th e Finnish Music Publishers Association

chose Kalevi Aho as the “Composer of the Year”

in September. Aho has been active in composing

both large-scale works and chamber music, and

his concertos have toured around the world at an

increasing rate.

Marie Samuelsson newsMarie Samuelsson´s Varför skulle jag inte tro på

kärleken (Why Would I Not Believe in Love)

for mezzo-soprano and percussion, was pre-

miered at the festival Sound of Stockholm this

November by Duo Ego (Monica Danielsson

and Per Sjögren). Th e music is set to a poem

by Magnus William-Olsson, and sung in four

languages: Swedish, German, English and Span-

ish. Conducted by Tobias Ringborg, the Royal

Stockholm Philharmonic will perform Samu-

elsson’s Singla this December. Th e piece was

composed in connection with the Weekend Fes-

tival 2007 at the Stockholm Concert Hall, and

is also included on her acclaimed newly released

CD “Th e Sun Goddess”. At present Samuelsson

is working on Afrodite, a jointly commissioned

work for the Swedish Radio and Gothenburg

Symphony Orchestras scheduled to be pre-

miered in the 2015-2016 season.

A piano teacher’s treasure troveFennica Gehrman has

published a veritable

treasure trove for piano

teachers: an album titled

Piano Day (Pianopäivä)

of 24 pieces by Mirka

Vähtäri. Th ese pieces are

a source of delight and en-

tertainment: they dream,

dare, swing – and will get you hooked. Th ey will

also develop your skills and technique with their

carefully-devised pedagogical approach. Some

of the pieces are sure to be real hits: Rain and

Waves is brilliant for the fi rst few piano lessons:

a welcome alternative to Chopsticks! See samples

of the pieces on our web site.

Sibelius 150 jubilee yearDecember 8, 2015 will mark the 150th anni-

versary of the birth of Jean Sibelius. Among

the items on the programme for the jubilee year

are the International

Jean Sibelius Violin and

Singing Competitions

and the annual Sibelius

Festival. Th e Sibelius

Birth Town Founda-

tion maintains a website

at www.sibelius150.fi

which includes a calen-

dar of events and con-

certs during 2015.

Several of the maes-

tro’s hidden gems have

been published in recent decades with the kind

permission of the Sibelius estate. Read more and

listen to sound samples on the Fennica Gehr-

man composers page.

Kalevi Aho featured in Lyon

Th e Les Subsistances festival in Lyon, France is

to work with music by Kalevi Aho on January

27–31 in its programme Aire de jeu. Th e idea

is to arrange a meeting place for contemporary

music and dance by inviting choreographers to

create a choreography to the most adventurous

scores by great contemporary composers. Aire de

jeu will concentrate on Aho and the music will

be performed live. Kalevi Aho will be present at

the festival to meet the artists, choreographers

and musicians. As an introduction to the perfor-

mances, musicians from the Conservatoire Na-

tional Supérieur musique et danse de Lyon will

give a short concert of his works.

Medea at the Royal OperaTh e Royal Swedish Opera has commissioned

a new opera from Daniel Börtz for a premiere

scheduled in spring 2016. Börtz has now fi n-

ished the opera Medea, which is based on the

classical drama by Euripides. It is an opera in

two acts and 17 scenes, and this time Börtz has

written the libretto himself.

Phot

o: S

aara

Vuo

rjoki

/Mus

ic F

inla

nd

Phot

o: M

ats B

äcke

r

H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4

P R E M I E R E SMARIE SAMUELSSONVarför skulle jag inte tro på kärleken

Duo Ego5.11. Stockholm, Sweden (Sound of Stockholm Festival)

JONAS VALFRIDSSONA Dragon Kiss Always Ends in Ashes

Stockholm New Chamber Orchestra SNYKO7.11. Stockholm, Sweden (Sound of Stockholm Festival)

BENJAMIN STAERNPolar Vortex – Symphony No. 1

Gävle SO/Leif Segerstam14.11. Gävle, Sweden

KAI NIEMINENQuadri Morandi – sul tele di silenzio

Patrik Kleemola, guitar16.11. Espoo, Finland

Towards the Light (from far beyond),

for string quartetLänsi-Pohjan jousikvartetti26.11. Keminmaa, Finland

PAAVO HEININENClarinet Sonata Op. 111

Mikko Raasakka, clarinet, Antti Vahtola, piano28.11. Helsinki, Finland

SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖMForce and Beauty

Five dance pieces for violin and chamber ensemble Dance performance. Choreography: Susanne Jaresand, KammarensembleN/Staff an Larsson, sol. Anna Lindal, violin, dancers4.12. Stockholm, Sweden

Dödsskepp i natten,

for solo voice, choir and orchestraSwedish Radio SO/Swedish Radio Choir/Hans Ek, sol. Tommy Körberg17.12. Stockholm, Sweden

ROLF MARTINSSONIch denke dein…

Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/John Storgårds, sol. Lisa Larsson, soprano14.1. Zürich, Switzerland

FREDRIK HÖGBERGAccordion King

Nordic ChO/Niklas Willén, sol. Jörgen Sundeqvist, accordion22.1. Kramfors, Sweden

ALBERT SCHNELZERTales from Suburbia

BBC SO/Kirill Karabits13.3. London, UK

MIKKO HEINIÖNew work for guitar

Patrik Kleemola23.3. London, UK

OLLI KORTEKANGASThe Return

Tapiola Chamber Choir/Hannu Norjanen 29.3. Helsinki, Finland

Höstlig skärgård,

for male choirYL/Pasi Hyökki 11.4. Helsinki, Finland KIMMO HAKOLARe-Joy, for organTuomas Pyrhönen12.5. Helsinki, Finland

Phot

o: L

ouise

Mar

tinss

on

Martinsson and the Youth Orchestra of CaracasTh is November Rolf Martinsson went on tour in Europe with the Youth Orchestra of Caracas with sold

out performances at Cité de la Musique in Paris and the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Dietrich Paredes

conducted the orchestra and Edicson Ruiz was soloist in Martinsson’s Double Bass Concerto.

Kyllönen’s concerto

a competition set pieceTh e Accordion

Concerto by

Ti m o - J u h a n i Kyllönen has

been chosen as

one of the set

pieces for the

prestigious Klin-

genthal Interna-

tional Accordion

Competition to

be held on May

4–10, 2015. Tak-

ing part in the

competition will be 35 accordionists, and the

fi ve who get through to the fi nals will perform

Kyllönen’s concerto with an orchestra. Fennica

Gehrman has just published a piano score of the

Accordion Concerto (See: New publications).

Th e concerto was composed in 2000–01 and

was recorded by Alba Records in 2008. Its spicy

rhythmic fi gures refl ect Kyllönen’s many visits to

Latin America.

Pekka Kostiainen at 70Th e music of Pekka Kostiainen is a byword in choral cir-

cles, not only in Finland but also abroad, where his most

frequently-performed pieces include Th e Sons of Jacob

playing with Biblical names. Th ere is also a mixed-

choir version of this called Th e Big Sons of Jacob. While

humorous works for children’s choir occupy a prominent

position in Kostiainen’s choral output, he has also com-

posed music for the church. A freelance composer and

choral conductor since 2000, Kostiainen has featured on

the programme of many concerts in his anniversary year.

Next spring his music is widely presented at the Leiden

Amateur Arts festival, where he will be the Compos-

er-in-Residence.

Broström and Schnelzer

in DresdenTh e Dresden Music festival presents works by two Swed-

ish composers in May 2015. Tobias Broström’s Concerto

for Two Percussionists and Orchestra will receive its world

premiere on 17 May, with the percussion duo Malleus

Incus and the Dresdner Philharmonie under the direc-

tion of Michael Sanderling. Daniel Harding will con-

duct the Swedish Radio SO in the German premiere of

Albert Schnelzer’s Tales from Suburbia on 15 May.

New multimedia concerto

by HögbergFredrik Högberg has created a new multimedia concer-

to for accordion, orchestra and video projections. Th e

concerto is called Th e Accordion King and is dedicated

to the accordion virtuoso Jörgen Sundeqvist and all for-

mer accordion kings. Sundeqvist will be the soloist with

the Nordic Chamber Orchestra under the direction of

Niklas Willén at the premiere on 22 January. As usu-

al with Högberg something out of the ordinary can be

expected.

Phot

o: T

uire

Ruo

kosu

o

Phot

o: D

on F

ogg

H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4

“My compositions may be born in

many ways. But there must be

some idea that permeates all the

levels, and from which I can derive the name, the

sound and possibly even the harmony. Musical

phenomena alone do not inspire me; instead, I

readily take impulses from the extra-musical

world.”

Th us Lotta Wennäkoski (b. 1970) describes

the genesis of her works. But though the initial

impulses are usually extra-musical, she does not

compose descriptive programme music as such;

rather, she moulds the ideas provided by the

impulses into musical expression. Within the

framework of a Modernist aesthetic, her works

constitute a coherent, organically-growing en-

tity, and the changes taking place within them

have been ones of expression rather than of style.

Lotta Wennäkoski fi rst emerged as a compos-

er in the 1990s, when she was studying com-

position at the Sibelius Academy, mostly with

Eero Hämeenniemi, and where she graduated

in 2000. Her other teachers at the Academy

included Kaija Saariaho and Paavo Heininen,

and in the Netherlands she studied with a teach-

er representing a very diff erent approach, Louis

Andriessen.

Th e biggest categories in Lotta Wennäkoski’s

output are works for orchestra and for instru-

mental ensembles. Her most sizeable achieve-

ment to date is her score for the Finnish silent

movie Amor Omnia lasting nearly an hour-and-

a-half. She composed this for symphony or-

chestra and later did a shorter version for con-

cert use (Amor Omnia Suite, 2014). She has also

written some vocal music and works with ele-

ments of other arts, but she does not regard her-

self as a particularly crossover composer. Some

of her works refl ect her desire to take a stand on

such grave, pressing issues as human traffi cking

and forced prostitution, as in the monodrama

Lelele of 2010–2011.

“Timbres mean a lot to me”Th e world of timbre in Wennäkoski’s music is

rich and multi-coloured, but also transparent.

She often incorporates noise and unconvention-

al ways of producing sound.

“Timbres mean a lot to me,” she says. “But I

don’t consider myself a spectral composer. I want

dynamic form. Transparency is also important;

music must have air. Which is maybe why the

orchestra interests me. I want to hear the whole

cross-section.”

As her career has unfolded, the orchestra has

in fact become an increasingly prominent medi-

um for her.

“An orchestra is a laborious instrument but

I love it. Chamber music is lighter to produce,

but you can do more distinctive things with an

orchestra. Th e potential combinations seem to

be endless.”

“I’m interested in fast music”Th e earlier works of Lotta Wennäkoski were

dominated by lingering, fragile moods; as a re-

sult, she began to be described as a lyricist. A

lyrical element still exists in her music, but in the

recent works her range of expression has become

much broader, deeper and stronger. She has also

upped her tempos, and she more and more often

structures the fl ow by means of a clear pulse.

“I’ve recently been interested in fast music; I do

quick timbral music.”

An example of Wennäkoski’s recent rap-

id-pulsed idiom is Hava (2007). Composed for

the Tapiola Sinfonietta, it is a work she describes

as “scherzo-like”. It is indeed a quick-fi gured

work in which the focal element of the gestures

and textures is the idea of falling, “like the feeling

of leaves fl oating down”.

Quick gestures and a rich colour palette are

also a feature of the fl ute concerto Soie

(2008–2009), inspired by various fabrics. Th e

coarse, noise-like sounds in the middle move-

ment, Lin gros (Coarse Linen), for example,

express the texture of linen, while the closing

movement, Soie, has a silky, rustling feel.

Lotta Wennäkoski’s latest project is a com-

mission for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for

delivery in 2015. For this, the client has request-

ed some not specifi cally-formulated allusion to

the music of Jean Sibelius as a tribute to that

composer on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Wennäkoski’s orchestral music will also soon be

featured on a new CD by Ondine Records.

Kimmo Korhonen

Lotta Wennäkoskipaints sumptuous worlds of shimmering timbresWhile Wennäkoski’s career has unfolded, the orchestra has become an increasingly prominent medium for her. “I want dynamic

form but music must also have air. Which is maybe why the orchestra interests me. I want to hear the whole cross-section,” she says.

Phot

o: M

aarit

Kyt

öhar

ju/M

usic

Fin

land

H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4

Listeners familiar with Tommie Haglund’s

repertoire know his approach to classi-

cal music is highly poetic and not at all

academicized. Unlike works written for the pur-

pose of demonstrating a composer’s vocabulary

and a virtuoso’s aptitude, Haglund’s music charts

the course of an ongoing interior journey. It is a

literature of spiritual reconnaissance. Although

one immediately feels a poet’s sensibilities at

work in the music, Haglund’s works are not sym-

phonic poems in the same sense as Lizst’s. Th e

literary currents which fl ow through Haglund’s

compositions do not serve to illustrate. Rather

they open apertures to the inward world, and

speak in a language of Romantic transformation

less akin to Lizst or Grieg, and more akin to Ril-

ke and Novalis.

Hymnen an die Nacht (2005) , for violin

and orchestra, is a work which depicts Nova-

lis’ allegory of transubstantiation, not of death

and rebirth, but of purifi cation through the

pain of the inner journey beyond life and death,

the passing through of darkness into light. In

Daughter of the Voice (2003), the themes of

transformation and ascent are re-codifi ed in the

mystical language of the Passion of the Cross.

Here, the rarely explored symbiosis of Jesus and

Mary – the agony of the crucifi xion physically

transmitted from son to mother – is rendered

in dual soprano vocals which carry the intense

demands of this composition and subject matter.

A sense of emergenceHaglund’s String Trio (Sollievo dopo la Tempes-

ta) (2013) is, like the violin concerto, a work

with an episodal but non-repetitive structure.

Reaching out of the strings is a voice speaking

not in words but in forward motion about a

bittersweet past. Strength and hope are, as ever,

tempered by moments of stumbling fear and

loss, false hopes and shadows. Time fl ows for-

ward and backward, not mechanically, but as it

does in the memory, a simultaneous whole. But

Haglund’s works are not existential treatises.

Th ey are not answers cheapened by questions.

Th ey are more. And like Rilke’s poems, they are

both hard-wrought and spontaneously gener-

ated, part hymn and part synthesis. Th e String

Trio is a work in which we can feel, as in several

Tommie Haglund – a poetic point of view

sion of the spirit. Is there a world beyond our fi ve

senses, through which occasionally traces of in-

formation permeate? Or is the world of the spirit

ours alone, within us, constructed from a palate

of Jungian symbols, and impervious to the selec-

tive forces of nature? Th e Latin phrase ‘Flaminis

Aura’ can mean many things, among them some-

thing ‘felt in the air prior to a vision’. With this

key, a vista to the same inner world of Hymnen

an die Nacht and Daughter of the Voice, opens.

Inner life and sincerity It was Rilke’s belief that only through poetry

could one develop an inner life, and furthermore

that this could only be achieved through utmost

sincerity. What is meant by sincerity in musical

practice? Perhaps it is the antithesis of mechan-

ical performance. More than once I have heard

Tommie Haglund despair at the technical per-

fection of an orchestra and soloists when some-

thing deeper is lacking. It would be too much to

disparage all music which does not come from

deep within, but it would also be not enough to

say his music requires spiritual fl uidity to per-

form. It is not music which needs waking up, it is

music to awaken to.

Aram Yardumian

Th e writer is Asst. Professor of Anthropology at Bryn

Athyn College, Pennsylvania USA. He is a regular

contributor to the arts & culture journal Times

Quotidian.

Tommie Haglund, increasingly, composes as if he must

fi nd a way to say everything. One immediately feels a poet’s

sensibilities at work in his music which charts the course of an

ongoing interior journey.

FootnoteTh e Royal Academy of Music has awarded

Tommie Haglund Sweden’s most coveted com-

poser prize, the Christ Johnson Prize, for his

cello concerto Flaminis aura. Th eir citation

reads: “With liberating seriousness and his own

personal stamp Tommie Haglund invites the

listener into his poetical universe. Th e cello con-

certo Flaminis aura is music that gropes its way

forward, and is all the while singable.”

Phot

o: E

lisab

et L

öfbe

rg H

aglu

nd

Haglund with a student at the Luzerne Music Centre

of Haglund’s compositions, a sense of emergence

– the poignant relief of triumph over suff ering

– not conquest but survival – with the rising of

each episode.

Th e String Trio, as well as Flaminis Aura

(2000) , engage a subject for which Rilke nev-

er found words, and for which Lizst’s symphonic

poems did not meet their own challenges. May-

be the diff erence is in the urgency of creation.

Whereas Rilke never, until his fi nal years, looked

down the long barrel of mortality and thus cre-

ated his work untouched by the immediacy of

corporeal pain, Haglund, increasingly, composes

as if he must fi nd a way to say everything. Th e

subject of mortality is not, actually, bound to the

music. Rather, with Flaminis Aura, Haglund re-

turns to the question of the mystical apprehen-

Phot

o: P

er M

ölle

r

H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4

KALEVI AHOThe Bells / Kellot – Concerto for Saxo-phone Quartet and Orchestra (2008) Dur: 28’

sax-quartet (sopr., alto, tenor & bar.)+2222-3330-02-str

The sound of the church bell tolling at the funeral

of Aho’s colleague and friend Pehr Henrik Nordgren was the decisive

impetus for this saxophone quartet concerto. Bells or bell-like sounds

are heard in each movement, which gives the work a timbre all of its

own and creates some extraordinary moments. The quartet mostly has

a rather homophonic part constituting a sort of supersaxophone. Each

of the players also has some big solos.

Chamber Symphony No. 3 (1995-96) Dur: 30’ asax+str

This work for alto saxophone and 20 strings was inspired by the Tu-

nisian fi lm The Silence of the Palace. The fi lm contains a lot of Arabian

music, and Aho was greatly attracted by its unique melodic heter-

ophony. The fi rst movement of the Chamber Symphony is scored for

string orchestra and can be performed as an independent work. The

saxophone does not enter, slowly, until the beginning of the second

movement. Towards the end, the soloist slowly starts to leave the

stage, still playing in glowing terms.

ANDERS ELIASSONConcerto for Saxophone and String Orchestra (2002/2009) Dur: 25´ asax+str (2002), sop-sax+str (2009)

Eliasson´s concerto is characterised by a kind of

spiritual tranquillity, where the lamenting, melancholically singing

saxophone and the supporting, billowing strings accompany each

other throughout the work. The music fl ows without a break but there

is an underlying multi-movement structure. The serene sections alter-

nate with the more rhythmically accentuated ones in which the tempo

is accelerated and the saxophone rushes on in rapid passages.

FREDRIK HÖGBERGConcerto for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra (1998) Dur: 26´ sop-sax+2222-2200-11-hp-pf-str

The saxophone introduces itself immediately in

Högberg’s concerto, with quick rhythmical, riff -like arabesques that

eventually pass over into a happy and harmonious theme. There are

some threatening clouds, but the harmony returns at the end of the

fi rst movement. The second movement is more rhythmically playful,

and in the third yet another light-hearted theme is presented. The

fi nale has a forcefully forward driving character, which is manifested

in a wild chase on the virtuoso, fl eeing saxophone that lasts right up

until the end.

LARSERIK LARSSONConcerto for Saxophone and String Orchestra (1934) Dur: 20’ asax+str

Larsson is supposed to have said that the Saxo-

phone Concerto was the best piece he ever composed. It was written

in close collaboration with the legendary saxophonist Sigurd Rascher,

and the solo part is brilliant. Composed in neo-classical style, it follows

the concerto form with two fast outer movements, and a slow middle

movement. The music is entertaining, rhythmical and elegant, and in

the Adagio movement one gets an inkling of the lyrical and romantic

Larsson to come.

NILS LINDBERGMythological Portraits (2001) Dur: 26´ sop-sax+2222-4431-12-str

This fi ve-movement suite opens with a mood-cre-

ating prologue based on a traditional Swedish folk

melody, played by the horn section alone. And it is folk music, beauti-

fully combined with jazz harmonies in symphonic attire, which char-

acterises the rest of the music. The soprano saxophone sounds lovely

in the melancholy melodies, over an accompaniment that alternates

between string orchestra, big-band-like sections and full symphony

orchestra.

ROLF MARTINSSONGolden Harmony – Soprano Saxophone Concerto No. 1 (2012) Dur: 23´ sop-sax+2222-2200-11-str

In this concerto Martinsson displays his gift for

lyricism. The fi rst two movements are characterised by beautiful and

romantic melody lines, embedded in exquisite sonorities. Martinsson

himself describes the orchestral garb as “a luxurious alloy of sound

from the piccolo, muted strings and trumpets, stopped horns and a

bowed vibraphone.” The third and last movement off ers an energetic

fi nale with breakneck virtuosity.

PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENConcerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra (1995) Dur: 22’

asax+str (55432)

Nordgren’s concerto could be described as one

big cadenza in which the soloist gets bound up in the avalanche of

orchestral sound. It was inspired by John-Edward Kelly and commis-

sioned by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. The concerto is in one

movement and, in the manner characteristic of Nordgren, the musical

soundscape becomes more peaceful towards the end, journeying to-

wards the light.

TAPIO TUOMELASwap – Chamber Concerto for Saxophone and Sinfonietta (2012-13) Dur: 25’

asax/sop-sax+2222-221(ossia tuba)0-02-str

”Swap” refers to constant exchange of short musical

motives between the soloist and members of the orchestra. The lively

dialogue takes diff erent forms in the four movements. Sometimes the

variations provide a set of “accelerated” interactive passages, where

the saxophone triggers the orchestral members towards the extreme

of their virtuosity. The soloist may use a wide range of his expressive

and technical ability on the alto and soprano saxophone, alternating

between extreme rapidity, intensive melodies, and sighing multi-

phones, fi nishing with a scent of distant swing rhythms.

HARRI VUORIConcerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (2004) Dur: 22’

asax+1111-2100-02-hpd-el.org-pf-str

The saxophone begins by calling up the other in-

struments in the manner of a snake-charmer. Soloist and orchestra

at times build up an enchanting melodic and polyphonic partnership.

Unusual timbres and quick cuts combine in harmonies tinged with

yearning. The concerto culminates in an explosive outburst before

sinking back into the opening stillness.

REPER TOIRE T IPS R E V I E W S

Works for saxophone and orchestra

Fresh, richly colourful

Frida y DiegoThe music of Kalevi Aho is ablaze with Latino

colour from the very outset… All the numerous

quotations are woven seamlessly into the operatic

narration, and Aho demonstrates his skill as a mas-

ter of style and orchestration. Rondo 11/2014

The focus in Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is from a

fresh angle, and the idea of making Trotsky a dram-

aturgical catalyst is brilliant… Aho also shows his

mettle with his variously-styled signatures, often

in the form of leitmotifs… A master orchestrator,

he makes his 30-player ensemble resonate like a

dream even in dry acoustics. Hufvudstadsbladet 19.10.

Kalevi Aho: Frida y Diego, opera in four acts

World premiere: Sibelius Academy SO/Markus Lehtinen, dir.

Vilppu Kiljunen, sol. Erica Back, Matias Haakana, Aule Urb, Sampo

Haapaniemi, Saara Kiiveri etc., 17.10.2014 Helsinki, Finland

Impressive Clarinet ConcertoThe work proved to be a colourful and emotionally

impressive jaunt. Kortekangas is particularly skilful at

exploiting the clarinet’s ability to produce an almost

insubstantially quiet sound. The adroit soloist was

Christoff er Sundqvist. Kaleva 1.11.

Olli Kortekangas: Clarinet Concerto

World premiere: Oulu SO/Johannes Gustavsson, sol. Christoff er Sund-

qvist, 30.10.2014 Oulu, Finland

Madetoja’s symphonies shine Madetoja has a fascinating, utterly personal style

marked by a straightforward idyllic quality and fi ne-

ly-tuned narrative. Where Sibelius was a master of

moods, Madetoja shines in his melodies backed by

cunningly-woven rhythmic webs. Rondo 4/2014

Leevi Madetoja: Symphonies Nos 1&3,

Okon Fuoko Suite

CD: Helsinki PO/John Storgårds (Ondine 1211-2)

Frida y Diego at the

Helsinki Music Centre

Phot

o: E

rkka

Mal

kava

ara

H I G H L I G H T S 4 / 2 0 1 4

This work will amaze…Finnish composer Kalevi Aho’s magnifi cent 2011

Theremin Concerto is subtitled Eight Seasons…

Eyck’s ability to produce warm, vocal sounds is un-

matched, and at several points she’s required to sing

along in duet. The theremin’s velvety lower register

can produce extraordinary sounds, though Eyck can

do coloratura craziness just as well… A remarkable,

emotionally involving contemporary piece that you’d

love to hear live. www.theartsdesk.com 27.10.

Kalevi Aho: Theremin & Horn Concertos

CD: Lapland ChO/John Storgårds, sol. Carolina Eyck, theremin, Annu

Salminen, horn (BIS-CD 2036)

Brain Damage The music hurls the listener into eruptive crescendos

towards a limit – until it yields to a painful, achingly

beautiful song by the strings… a motif in the strings

breaks free and prepares the way for a wondrous

radiance from an alien world that at the same time

sounds archaic and like science fi ction… In the third

movement´s “Dam breaks open” there is an opening

for a new and airier motoric drive and for a singularly

beautiful theme in the brass that in the end makes

the work’s central and redeeming message glow: not

to be afraid of what is hidden on the dark side of the

moon. Dagens Nyheter 12.9.

Albert Schnelzer: Brain Damage

World premiere: Gothenburg SO/Alain Altinoglu, 10.9.2014 Göteborg,

Sweden

Eliasson’s Quartetto d´archiThe emotional temperament of

the Dahlkvist Quartet was also well

suited to Anders Eliasson´s restless

work Quartetto d´archi that begins

with intermittent attacks by the

strings. The cello part puts a tem-

porary comforting hand on the

listener’s shoulder before the lively

third movement rushes away again

like the white rabbit in Alice in Won-

derland. Dagens Nyheter 6.10.

Anders Eliasson: Quartetto d´archi

The Dahlkvist Quartet, 4.10.2014 Stockholm,

Sweden

The Dahlkvist Quartet

New reference for Pettersson’s

symphoniesWhile he [Jörgen Pettersson] dispatches the rap-

id, virtuosic passages with apparent ease, it is his

soulful and bittersweet tone which is particular-

ly memorable during the work’s lyrical passag-

es… Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of these

interpretations is the utmost respect that the

Norrköping SO and Lindberg give to this music.

Through fanatical adherence to the scores and

just pure hard work and commitment, this new

recording makes, yet again, the strongest possi-

ble argument for Pettersson’s unsung greatness.

Res Musica 6.10.

Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 16

CD: Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg, sol. Jörgen Pettersson,

alto saxophone (BIS-2110)

Rapid thoughts are presented here, but also time-

less happenings in music that uninterruptedly

and with urgency hammers its message home on

the listener… The attitudes here were explosive

and heart-rending. And Lindberg had the ability

to set the music’s emotional power free.

Norrköpings Tidningar 22.9.

Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 13

Swedish premiere: Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg, 20.9.2014

Norrköping, Sweden

Phot

o: H

ans L

indö

n

Exquisite Garden of DevotionMartinsson´s tone language blossomed out in soft yet not sentimental passages, in harmonious neat-

ness and easily accessible melodies, with opportunities for the soloist to show what she can do. There

are no sharp edges here but plenty of warmth and refi nement. Sydsvenska Dagbladet 27.9.

And Lisa Larsson´s sparkling and sonorous, indeed delightful, soprano captured and conveyed both

the exquisite music and the emotions of the texts. It is not often that newly written music aff ords such

unmitigated musical joy. Skånska Dagbladet 28.9.

Rolf Martinsson: Garden of Devotion

World premiere: Musica Vitae/Fredrik Malmberg, sol. Lisa Larsson, soprano, 25.9.2014 Växjö, Sweden

Tally’s LamentThe piece opens with an airy and metallic crack and

the cello´s lovely melody rises out of a cluster. Clouds

of sound accumulate, chords of the brass fall and the

violins cut sharp patterns in the mighty languidness.

The theme moves from one part to the other, sur-

rounded by atmospheric clouds and dark bands of

brass in quite an exquisite manner. All quite exciting;

a work in my taste. Gefl e Dagblad 9.10.

Mirjam Tally: Lament

Gävle SO/Kristiina Poska, 9.10.2014 Gävle, Sweden

Phot

o: M

usic

Fin

land

/Saa

ra V

uorjo

ki

Phot

o: M

arco

Fek

listo

ff

Imposing and hot If anyone has full command

of the range of colours in

this orchestral palette then

Linkola does. The fourth

movement is a hotly sensu-

al, nocturnal Habanera with

the clarinet at the centre.

Imposing in every possible

way. A standing ovation, of

course.

Österbottens tidning 7.10.

Jukka Linkola: Clarinet Concerto “Gipsy Heart”

World premiere: Pietarsaari Sinfonietta & BRO/Jukka Linkola, sol.

Christoff er Sundqvist, 3.10.2014 Pietarsaari, Finland

Martinsson’s intense ForlornIn an idiom that strongly reminds of the Schönberg

of  “Verklärte Nacht”  and now and then of a Fifties’

musical, the Swedish Martinsson set Tagore’s poetry

intensely and seriously. Conductor Bas Wiegers let the

strings sparkle romantically up to an almost unbeara-

bly beautiful ending. Volkskrant 20.10.

Rolf Martinsson: Forlorn – Three Songs on Poems by

Rabindranath Tagore

World premiere: Netherlands CO/Bas Wiegers, sol. Lisette Bolle, soprano,

Jakob Koranyi, cello, 17.10.2014 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Phot

o: M

usic

Fin

land

/Saa

ra V

uorjo

ki

A splendid impact and chargeJyrki Linjama turns old into new in his Sonata da chiesa

II for organ. The magnifi cently rising and falling arches are

grounded on a heartbeat in the pedals and a barely percep-

tible hallelujah theme. The years have given the idiom of

an unconditionally modernist composer a splendid impact.

At the base of Olli Kortekangas’s sonata are chorales…

The themes are somewhere, broken down into rhythms,

but the overwhelming charge is what captures most atten-

tion. Helsingin Sanomat 10.11.

Jyrki Linjama: Sonata da chiesa II, for organ

Olli Kortekangas: Organ Sonata No. 3 – in memoriam

World premiere: Jan Lehtola, organ, 8.11.2014 Helsinki, Finland

Albert Schnelzer

Jyrki Linjama

Phot

o: Ja

n-Ol

av W

edin

INSTRUMENTAL & CHAMBER

N E W P U B L I C AT I O N S

CHORAL

ANDERS ELIASSONConcerto for Violin and String Orchestra

Folkwang Kammerorchester/

Johannes Klumpp,

Kathrin Ten Hagen, violinARS 38 157 (“Northern Lights”)

OLLI KORTEKANGASTwo Christmas Songs (Tuokoon joulu, Tule lapsen luo),

Christmas Song Arrangements, Adventus for organ

Tiina-Maija Koskela, soprano, Nicholas Söderlund, bass baritone,

Tuomas Tainio, percussion, Kari Vuola, organNew Finnish Christmas Music (”Star Tracks / Tähtiraidat”)

KAI NIEMINENRefl ecting Landscapes, Capriccio, Astolfo sulla luna, Poems from

Standstill Time and Silence, Waves of Sorrow… In memory of… ,

Notturno,” Uccelli della notte”, Epitaph, In der Winterzeit

Trio La RuePilfi nk Records JJVCD-137

SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMNordisk Mässa (Nordic Mass)

Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir/

Mogens Dahl, Toke Møldrup, celloEXLCD 30164

JÖRGEN DAFGÅRDCaprism – Concerto for Clarinet

and Orchestra GE 12242

ANDERS ELIASSONConcerto per corno ed archi

– Farfalle e ferroGE 12597 (manuscript score)

TIMOJUHANI KYLLÖNENAccordion ConcertoFG 55011-219-3 (piano reduction)

JAN SANDSTRÖMDet är en ros utsprungen /

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming /

Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen

for string orchestra

Can be performed separately or

with choir, version for SATB

(SK 8403) or TTBB (GE 11522)GE 11165

SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMForce and Beauty

Five dance pieces for violin and

chamber ensemble GE 12511

ALBERT SCHNELZERAnimal Songs

Five songs for soprano and

orchestra

Text: Margaret Atwood (Eng)GE 12308 (score),

GE 12309 (soprano part)

Brain Damage - Concerto for

OrchestraGE 12521

BENJAMIN STAERNWorried Souls

Concerto for clarinet

and symphony orchestraGE 11892 (score),

GE 11893 (solo part)

MIRJAM TALLYLament

for orchestraGE 12280

ANDERS ELIASSONMalaria (a Hummel)

for clarinet, trumpet, trombone,

percussion and double bassGE 12602 (manuscript score)

TOMMIE HAGLUNDSollievo (dopo la tempesta)

for string trioGE 12580

TOBIAS RINGBORGBä, bä vita lamm (Ba, ba White Lamb)

9 variations in diff erent styles on

a children’s song by Alice Tegnér

for violin and pianoAgnus Dei (Palestrina)

Die Kunst des Lammes (J. S. Bach)

Das Zauberlamm (Mozart)

The Deaf Lamb (Beethoven)

The Lamb Shall Sleep (Brahms)

Rhapsody on a Theme by Alice Tegnér

(Rachmaninov)

To the Memory of a Lamb (Alban Berg)

The Silence of the Lambs (John Cage)

The Lamb in the TV-age

(on “Dallas Theme” by Jerold Immel)GE 12546

MARTIN SKAFTETwelve Preludes

for piano

Inspired by Debussy’s Préludes:

premier livreGE 12575

MIRKA VÄHTÄRIPiano Day / Pianopäivä

24 Catchy Pieces for PianoFG 55011-221-6

HARRI WESSMANFive Trumpet Pieces for Alevtina Parland

for trumpet and pianoFG 55011-223-0

HAROLD ARLEN,

ARR. MATS HÅLLINGOver the Rainbow

for solo, male choir TTBB and piano

Text: E. Y. Harburg (Eng)GE 12362

MATS HEDFORSAway in a Manger

New setting of the old carol text

for mixed choir SATB a cappellaGE 12487

 

KJELL LÖNNÅ ARR.Masters in this Hall

French carol

for mixed choir SATB a cappella

Text: William Morris (Eng)GE 12499

PER GUNNAR PETERSSONThe Lord is My Shepherd

for mixed choir SAB and organ

Text: Psalm 23 (Eng)GE 12519

EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARAI min älsklings trädgård / In My

Lover’s Garden

for female choir

A suite of three choral songs to

texts by Edith Södergran, English

translation by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi

(Swe/Eng)

1. In the Great Wide Woodlands

(I de stora skogarna)

2. In between Grey Stones

(Mellan gråa stenar)

3. Lucky Cat (Lyckokatt)FG 55011-222-3

SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMNordisk mässa (Nordic Mass)

for mixed choir SMzATBarB and

cello

Text: Tomas Tranströmer (Swe)GE 12467

Recording: Mogens Dahl Chamber

Choir & Toke Møldrup, vcl, cond.

Mogens Dahl (EXLCD 30164)

ORCHESTRA

Over the Rainbow

Arr for

TTBB and piano

Mats Hålling

Lyrics and music:

E. Y. Harburg &

H. Arlen

Blandad körBlandad kör

Away in a manger

Mats Hedfors

Blandad körBlandad kör

Masters in this Hall

French CarolArr for SATB

Kjell Lönnå

Blandad körBlandad kör

The Lord is My Shepherd

For SAB and organ

Per GunnarPetersson

Sollievo(dopo la tempesta)

for violin, viola and violoncello

P A R T I T U R / S C O R E

Tommie Haglund

Variationer över

Bä, bä, vita lammför violin och piano

Tobias Ringborg

Tolv preludierTwelve Preludes

for piano

Martin Skafte

inspired by

Claude Debussy’s Préludes: premier livre

Concerto per corno ed archi

Farfalle e ferro

Concerto for Horn and Strings

P A R T I T U R / S C O R E

Anders Eliasson

Es ist ein Ros entsprungenLo, How a Rose E’er Blooming Det är en ros utsprungen

version for string orchestra

P A R T I T U R / S C O R E

Jan Sandström

Brain DamageConcerto for Orchestra

P A R T I T U R / S C O R E

Albert Schnelzer

Worried Soulsconcerto for clarinet and

symphony orchestra

P A R T I T U R / S C O R E

Benjamin Staern

N E W C D s

For further information about our works or representatives worldwide check our web sites or contact us at:

Gehrmans Musikförlag AB

Box 42026, SE-126 12 Stockholm, Sweden

Tel. +46 8 610 06 00

Fax +46 8 610 06 27

www.gehrmans.se • info@gehrmans.se

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Blandad kör,violoncell