NEWSLETTER FROMGEHRMANSMUSIKFÖRLAG&FENNICAGEHRMAN

NH ORD I C IGH Focus on Auvinen Antti Antti L centenary Lidholm Lidholm I Ingvar Ingvar G H

T S 4 / 2 0 20 NEWS

Nana Forte Gehrmans has started a collaboration Photo: Ghadi Boustani Photo: with the Slovenian Nana Forte (b. 1981). Miso Hochstätter Miran Photo: Her list of works includes composi- tions for solo instruments, chamber and orchestral music and , but especially her choral works have been highly acclaimed and have garnered a number of prizes. Gehrmans is now publishing En ego campana for double mixed choir a cappella, commissioned and premiered by the Swedish Radio Choir during the Baltic Sea Festival 2017. The piece is also on the reper- toire list for the Award 2021.

Pettersson’s Twelfth on CD Mühlrad & Royal ’s monumental 12th Sympho- Philharmonic ny – The Dead in the Square will be released by Jacob Mühlrad has entered into a three-year BIS Records’ in February (BIS-2450). Scored collaboration with the Royal Stockholm Phil- for choir and orchestra to texts by Pablo Neru- harmonic, starting with the orchestral commis- da, the work was dedicated to the victims of the sion REMS (Rapid Eye Movement Sleep). In Acclaim for CD BIS Records’ new Kalevi Aho CD has military coup in Chile. It is about man’s cruel- this work Mühlrad goes through aspects of the had a truly enthusiastic reception in ty to man. Pettersson says: No poetry is farther mysteriousness and the energy that exist during the media. Containing the Percussion from ”Lies, damned lies!” than Neruda’s, and with an unconscious dream state. The premiere is Concerto and the his warm and profound sympathy for the outcasts scheduled for 22 April 2021. Sieidi 5th Symphony of society it will always bring to the fore the highest (Lahti Symphony Orchestra /Dima Slo- ethical concepts in a world where even the Good Sa- bodeniouk), it was voted Music Web’s maritan has been struck down. The Swedish Ra- record of the month in October, and the dio Choir and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir Björk Pierre Photo: Symphony made a stunning impact on the perform the work together with the Norrköping critic. In the Gramophone magazine the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of soloist, Colin Currie, writes about Sieidi, . one of the best-loved and most frequently performed of all the percussion concer- tos: “Part of this composer’s mastery is the structural backbone to all his music, and the architectural concept of this piece is frankly fantastic.” Other reviews have hailed Sieidi as wild and exotic. Read more and listen to sound samples on our web page.

Christian Lindberg & Allan Pettersson DI C

NO R HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 NEWSLETTER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN

Editors: Henna Salmela and Kristina Fryklöf Translations: Susan Sinisalo and Robert Carroll

Design: Tenhelp Oy ISSN 2000-2750 (Online) Jacob Mühlrad

2 HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 The House of the Sun to be Fredrik Högberg’s Jubilee Theme staged Fredrik Högberg was asked to compose the cel-

Einojuhani Rautavaara’s chamber The Karrabi Carina Photo: ebratory theme for the 250th anniversary of the House of the Sun (Auringon talo) is to be Royal Swedish Academy of Music. It will be heard staged by the Metropolia University of Applied throughout 2021 existing in ten different settings Sciences on 9, 10 and 11 April 2021. The con- – from symphony orchestra to versions for dif- ductor will be Mikko Franck and the stage di- ferent instruments with piano. The performers rector Ville Saukkonen. This popular opera include the Swedish RSO, the chamber ensemble buffa tells about twin sisters whose family aban- Norrbotten NEO, the Swedish Wind Ensemble, doned the splendour of their home and fled to Bohuslän Big Band, the string orchestra Musica Finland in the wake of the Russian revolution. Vitae, the jazz trio Trio con X, et al. Högberg The family became isolated with tragic conse- describes the piece as melodious, relatively tonal, quences, but the old sisters escaped from the sad extrovert and lively. The expression marking is: greyness of their everyday life into the memories ”With Great Expectations”, and the piece is con- of their glorious youth. cluded with a triumphant fanfare. Jubilee Theme is 71 bars long, which alludes to the year 1771 when the Academy was founded, and also to 1971 when Högberg was born; he will thus be 50 years old next year. The piece is an anniversary gift from Rosenborg Gehrmans Foundation in collabora- Fredrik Högberg tion with Gehrmans Musikförlag.

Close to 500 pieces as PDF downloads

Numerous publications are now available as Music Finland Photo: downloads in Fennica Gehrman’s web shop. Most of them are choral works from the old Fa­ zer archives by such as Erik Berg- man, Nils-Erik Fougstedt, Armas Maasalo, and Selim Palmgren. Also included are some Christmas carols for SATB choir and easy Christmas music arrangements for small ensembles. There are also several PDFs for voice and piano and solo piano works. You can browse sample pages in the web shop.

Cecilia Damström’s Nixus

Cecilia Damström’s dedicates her new orchestral Veian MarthePhoto: piece Nixus to all those who suffer from some kind Joonas Kokkonen of mental ill-health. ”In this work, I try to illustrate how thoughts jump back and forth at a rapid pace, Joonas Kokkonen centenary in and often form a kind of hamster wheel, a vicious 2021 circle from which it is difficult to break out. I try to Next year will mark the centenary of the birth of describe how the thoughts often lead to very gloomy Joonas Kokkonen. A leading figure in the history moods and anxiety, which can even become physical of Finnish music, he is especially known for his manifestations in the body, like palpitations and pres- symphonies and his opera The Last Temptations sure in the chest”, says Cecilia. The work is a com- . He first made a name for himself with his mission from the cross-border project ”Big Music Neoclassical Piano Quintet in the 1950s. Other for Small Cities” in the province of Karelia, and popular works include a Cello Concerto, a Requiem is written for the Finnish Joensuu City Orchestra for mezzo- and orchestra, and Lauda- and the Russian Symphony Orchestra of the Ka- tio Domini and Missa a cappella for choir. The Last relia State Philharmonic. The work exists in ver- Temptations will be performed at Jyväskylä Thea- sions for chamber as well as symphonic orchestras tre from 31 December 2021 onwards; the Jyväsky- and its premiere is planned for February 2021. lä Sinfonia will be conducted by Ville Matvejeff. Fennica Gehrman has published a piano reduction of the opera to honour the centenary.

HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 3 Antti Auvinen’s turbocharged world of sound

Few contemporary composers have caught the ear of the public at large as Photo: Photo: Tervo Eija quickly as Antti Auvinen. Returning home in the early 2000s after studying abroad, he crashed into public awareness in 2015 and has since become one of Finland’s most talked-about contemporary composers.

Herein lies the core of Antti Auvinen’s aesthet- rhythms and timbres. Next came the multimedia ics: his untiring search and experimentation in chamber opera Autuus (Bliss) that won Finland’s order to find a way of expressing contemporary coveted Teosto Prize. In 2017, the orchestral se- phenomena in the language of today: “The clas- ries became a triptych with the addition of Turbo sical music tradition is extraordinarily rich and Aria . long, and an endless source from which to draw. These works had not only a novel idiom; they You must nevertheless have the courage to exper- also carried an open underlying statement. Junker iment, seek and discover,” he says. Tw i s t is a comment on the new rise of the extreme Above all, Auvinen is fascinated by timbre and right, Himmel Punk on religious bigotry. The rhythm. Information technology features large seeds of Turbo Aria were sown when Auvinen in his composition process, as a means of both stood gazing at the Mediterranean with his child analysing and producing sound. It augments the in his arms; he was reminded of the press photos traditional toolkit, and the combination of image of refugees trying to cross the sea and a drowned and sound provides even greater scope. “I do a lot child washed up on the shore. with multimedia – I often use video manipula- Auvinen’s recent works include Cantus Fresco tions, for example, as an element in my music.” Disco for orchestra and video, a joint commission ntti Auvinen came to classical music According to Auvinen, classical music requires from the Joensuu City Orchestra and the Jyväsky- later than many of his colleagues. His time in a very special way. The processes are often lä Sinfonia. The video shows manipulated 1960s early piano lessons were exchanged long and slow. “Speed and efficiency, or demands films and the soundtrack also features Finnish for the guitar, which in turn gave way for productivity, are ill suited to the composition soprano Anita Välkki. It is a follow-up to Digital Ato heavy rock and its more gritty sounds. Then of classical music, and all in all to the creation of Madrigal premiered in early 2019 incorporating at around the age of 20 he again headed in a new profound art. Putting broad and otherwise com- a video in which processed fragments of archive direction, becoming increasingly interested in plex ideas into practice calls for sustained and and language-teaching films dart hither and contemporary music. “I was greatly impressed by often difficult application to the job on hand.” thither to create a level of their own in the overall Helmut Lachenmann, his refusal to compromise Whereas post- has often been criticised soundscape. and his questioning of the ‘norms’,” he says. as music devoid of emotion, Auvinen’s music is The atmosphere at the Music Academy in full of feeling. “Art operates with emotions. The Keenly awaited disc Prague during his time there as an exchange stu- most important thing is to delve deeper, to some The Ondine label released a profile disc of works dent struck him as conservative and stick-in-the- inexplicable layer.” by Antti Auvinen in November 2020. Hannu mud. The musical structures and aesthetics were, Lintu conducts the Finnish RSO in Ju n k e r Tw i s t , he said, those of “dead white men in the past”. A Breakthrough works Himmel Punk and Turbo Aria. The disc was so transfer to the Conservatory in Amsterdam af- The work that marked Auvinen’s breakthrough keenly awaited that the first imprint went entirely forded a more varied aesthetic outlook. Compo- was Ju n k e r Tw i s t for orchestra premiered by on pre-orders. The first published reviews are not sition now became his main subject, gradually the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2015. sparing in their praise. Kare Eskola, in his radio pushing aside the guitar. “Amsterdam admitted all The following year, the Tampere Philharmonic programme for the Finnish Broadcasting Com- sorts of characters and sought to reinforce their performed his Himmel Punk . Audiences at pany, described the music as follows: “The most individual features.” both were startled by the high-pressure, explosive impressive thing about Auvinen’s music is not the energy density but the agonizingly clear yet inex- Untiring search and experimen- plicable musical images... The almost pitch-less tation and harmony-less music strikes straight to the Auvinen’s first compositions were for small ensem- subconscious, with its turbocharged rhythms and bles. In them, he rigorously beat out paths of his drifts of thick, muted timbres. The music draws, own in the realm of extended performing tech- ANTTI AUVINEN unasked, emotional energy from the listener, but JUNKER TWIST | HIMMEL PUNK | TURBO ARIA niques. In Eliangelis for solo clarinet he chal- in return provides catharsis.” lenges the traditional writing for a monophonic FINNISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Fennica Gehrman has been Antti Auvinen’s solo instrument. Multi-layered multiphonic figures HANNU LINTU publisher since the beginning of 2020. His main create an illusion of polyphony, and the border works to date will be published soon, beginning zones between normal, distorted and pitchless with study scores of the orchestral triptych (See: whooshing sounds broaden the clarinet’s timbral New publications). Auvinen also has commis- spectrum. The unconventional sound effects do sions in the pipeline from the FRSO, the not give the impression of being pasted-on; they Philharmonic Orchestra and others. serve the musical content with an understanding of the instrument’s inherent nature. Jari Eskola

4 HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 centenary Ingvar Lidholm (1921–2017) would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 24 February 2021. He was a central figure in Swedish music, first of all as a composer, but also as a conductor, a musician, head of chamber music at the Swedish Radio, and professor of composition at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. He belonged to the Monday Group during the 1940s, the circle of friends including Karl-Birger Blomdahl and Sven-Erik Bäck, who came to play an invigorating role in Swedish musical life for half a century.

idholm’s music appeared as a personal and powerful alloy of classical culture and Western . It is about what is human, about being a human Lbeing. He found inspiration in the ancient world, in love, death and Strindberg. He was technically precocious. ”You seem to Bellander & Arne Hyckenberg Sten Photo: have been born on an orchestra podium”, he was told as an eighteen-year-old, when he tried to get a foot in at the Swedish Radio. The orchestral work Toccata e canto was composed while studying with during World War II and was premiered under the direction of Issay Dobrowen in Gothenburg (1945). ”It is simply It doesn’t stop at the ancient world. The orches- pella Book, which was intended as a pedagogical astounding to find in our northern latitudes a tral work Greetings from an Old World is based on choral project. In the inimitable choral texture of youth who proves to be so exceptionally talented the Renaissance composer Heinrich Isaac’s wan- …arrivider le stelle he depicts how Dante and and, when it comes to invention, musically gifted derer’s song ”Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen” and Virgil, after their visit to Inferno, view again the with such a rich imagination” wrote his colleague alludes to the musical practice of the Late Mid- stars of the heavens. In Stund, när ditt inre… the Gösta Nystroem, thirty years his senior. Toc- dle Ages and the Renaissance. But it also refers voice directs Stagnelius’s existential ques- cata e canto combines a lively ”objectivity” with to the migration to America in later centuries. tion out into space – and perhaps gets an answer. Nordic-Romantic singability. This work is still Even death wanders through Lidholm’s music. In his last published work, Greek Gravestone, very much alive. When this At the age of nineteen he wrote the tender and set to a poem by Kjell Espmark, Lidholm created coming spring pays homage to Lidholm with an wondrously mature song För vilsna fötter sjunger a poignant, cut-in-stone picture of love in the face orchestral concert in Gothenburg, Toccata e can- gräset to Hjalmar Gullberg’s poem. In Kontakion of death. Greek Gravestone is dedicated to Eric to is on the programme, plus the dramatic Ritor- – Lidholm’s most frequently performed orches- Ericson, who for sixty years led the Eric Ericson nell. Blomstedt was Lidholm’s friend and ”house tral work – and in his Requiem Libera me, he de- Chamber Choir, the vocal ensemble that has been conductor”, and for decades he has performed picts mankind’s collective fear when encountering most faithful in the performance of Lidholm’s his music the world over, not least the orchestral death. choral music. Nowadays Lidholm’s choral mu- liturgy Kontakion and the beautifully bizarre sic is performed by choirs throughout the whole instrumental drama Poesis . The human voice world. Lidholm loved the human voice. ”The voice as Antiquity, the Renaissance and spoken is so fantastically rich in nuances, espe- Works for the stage death cially those of the emotions. Even without a text. In some staged works Lidholm was part of a team. ”Anything you do for the first time is a study”, said Add to that all the breathtakingly beautiful tones The poetErik Lindegren was the central figure Lidholm. ”And for me everything is a study since I that the human voice can form. With a text there in the circle around the ballet Rites. In Lidholm’s write everything for the first – and the last – time”. arises in addition a striking counterpoint between music sonorities and rhythms reverberate as in The exquisite, serial orchestral workMotus Colores the sound and the semantic content.” Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. It was Lindegren, too, is such a study, as is its opposite, the massive, ex- Laudi , a gateway work to Lidholm’s choral who pointed out to Lidholm the hyperromantic pressive and Bartók-inspired Music for Strings, one music, based upon a church music tradition and Almqvist fragment The Poet’s Night, which be- of Lidholm’s most frequently performed works. Stravinsky’s Neo-classicism, was so new and sin- came an internationally acclaimed cantata. However, some themes recur. The literature gular that it scared the singers out of their wits. Lidholm based two operatic works on texts by and culture of Antiquity permeates his creativity. Lidholm professed the Christian faith but seldom Strindberg: the TV opera The Dutchman and the ”My whole emotional life resounds when I in- used texts from the Bible. Laudi, ”an attempted full-length opera A Dream Play . In the latter habit that world”. He transformed Ancient Greek song of praise in a difficult time”, is sung in Lat- he was his own librettist and inserted Christian poems such as Phrasikleia and Short is the Time in, which seems to give Lidholm the courage to symbolism into the final scene. After the premiere of the Roses into delicate serial choral movements. achieve a hitherto unheard of power of expres- in Stockholm in 1992 the opera has been staged The provocative piece for orchestra,Poesis , stems sion. a number of times, in Europe and the USA. A from his experiences of Ancient Greek literature Lidholm lived with poetry, from Ancient Greek Dream Play came to encompass his whole life as a and drama. Homeric settings are conjured up in dramas and tombstones to Dante, Stagnelius, composer; here he put in all his experience, versa- Nausicaa alone for the soprano Elisabeth Söder- Strindberg and Ekelöf. In Lidholm’s hands Ezra tility, emotional palette and creative imagination; ström. The choral dramaThe Persians for the Pound’s Canto LXXXI is hammered to an im- but also his smile, sympathy and black humour. men’s choir Orphei Drängar zooms in on the im- printed message and a shimmering piece of fili- mense pain and sorrow of King Xerxes. gree-work, and is laid as a keystone to the A Cap- Göran Bergendal

HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 5 REPERTOIRE TIPS Works for smaller-sized orchestra

ENSEMBLE STRING ORCHESTRA KIMMO HAKOLA ANDERS ELIASSON ROLF MARTINSSON Chamber Concerto (2001) Dur: 32’ Sinfonia per archi (2001) Kalliope (2003) Dur 27’ for 11 players: 1110-0100-01-pf-str Dur: 35’ In the nine-movement work Mar- (11111 or str.orch) tinsson lets the Muses of Greek my- The sorrowfully singing Sinfonia In this work each member of the thology come forth, each in a move- per archi consists of a long contin- ensemble is a soloist telling his ment of her own. The movements are uous movement that ranges from own story. The moods vary from the divided into three groups of three so the most delicate tenderness and opening Furioso to Amoroso – a love that the tempi and the Muses’ dif- achingly beautiful melodic lines, to story – to Forza. Con fuoco, which ferent characters are contrasted and dramatic outbursts. A twenty-min- proceeds with resolute energy. The fi- varied as much as possible through- ute-long opening Adagio turns into a nale, Misterioso, is music about grief out the work. The characters fluctu- restless, slightly jerky and onrushing but more a hymn of praise to the con- ate between the harsh and the more Allegro that leads to a Lento, in which the character of the beginning re- tinuity of life and eternity. The concerto was commissioned by Present Music romantic, between tranquillity and rhythmic tension. for a premiere in Milwaukee and recorded by Innova Records. turns. The work ends on a bright, pure, open chord that imparts a feeling of release and hope. JUHANI NUORVALA OLLI KORTEKANGAS EINAR ENGLUND Sinfonietta (1997/98) Triptych for Seven / Triptyykki Serenata (1983) Dur: 20’ Dur: 19’ seitsemälle (2008) Dur: 12’ str (min. 44321) cl-hn-tbn-pf-hp-2vc This is a string-orchestra version of This four-movement Serenade Nuorvala’s Second String Quartet. Triptych was part of a commission begins with a romantically-tinged The opening Andante movement at project in which ten composers and Allegretto outburst. It also has some times creates a romantically soar- artists were invited to present their darker shades, as in the mournful ing world of sound. The dreamlike interpretations of the Finnish nation- Andante movement evocative of Tranquillo leads to a dancing closing al epic, The Kalevala. The three move- Shostakovich. A solo violin gets to movement bursting with life and ments (Uhma, Harha and Tahto) play the dancing main theme in the drive. A Tapiola Sinfonietta commis- possibly refer to events in the story third, Minuet, movement, and the sion premiered in 1998. – the heroes’ mutual blustering, the finale (Allegro con brio) is boisterous drifting on the waves, and the forging of the Sampo – but also to emotional and action-packed. states, desires, charms: erotic longing and fantasy. VELI-MATTI PUUMALA HALVOR HAUG Memorial Fragment (2008) Dur: 13’ Furuenes Sang / Zona (1983) Dur: 17’ violin obligato and strings (54432) for cello and ensemble: afl-bcl-perc- Song of the Pines (1987) This work quotes a piece by Pehr hp-pf-vln-db This deeply expressive work reflects Henrik Nordgren that engages in dia- Zona represents early Lindberg. The the desperation Haug experienced logue with Puumala’s own idiom. The name comes from Andrei Tarkovsky’s when the pine forest outside his stu- violin obligato at times acquires sa- film Stalker, in which the main char- dio was cut down. And one cannot cral tones, as in Nordgren’s Portraits acter leads his clients to a site known help but be affected by the music that of Country Fiddlers. At the premiere as The Zone. The music begins as a conveys both sorrow and indignation. the orchestra was scattered around high shimmer from which the cello ”Mankind lacks respect for and knowl- Kaustinen Church and the leader gradually emerges as soloist. The edge about the forest’s existential im- moved from one section to another. cello part is extremely virtuosic, cov- portance for life on earth”, says Haug. ering a wide spectrum of timbres and testing the very limits of expression. ”It is the pine trees ‘on their last legs’ that make up the idea behind the work.” EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA TIINA MYLLÄRINEN JOONAS KOKKONEN Cantos I-IV (1960-92) Canto I (1960) 6’ Dur: 8’ Music for String Orchestra Squarcio (2011) Canto II (1960) 8’ fl -ob-cl-trp-trb-pf-vln1-vln2-vla-vlc-cb (1957) Dur: 28’ Canto III ‘A Portrait of the Artist Squarcio has the explosive energy typ- Kokkonen’s early work reveals his at a Certain Moment’ (1972) 9’ ical of Myllärinen’s music and grows skill at writing for strings and marked in overlapping crescendos. It may be his breakthrough as a major orches- Canto IV (1992) 17’ divided into two parts, the expansive tral composer. The two fast, rhyth- The title is from Ezra Pound’s poem first leading to a denser, more layered mical movements form contrasts to second. The music is marked off by cycle for which Rautavaara wanted the slow ones. The Adagio religioso is to create a musical parallel reflecting strong, polyrhythmic eruptions and peaceful and beautiful, and the score ever-denser crescendos that carry the its multi-layered nature, varied references and allusions. But these are es- at this point has great intensity. The sentially personal statements, described as one-movement symphonies in piece to its close. There is, however, structure is tied firmly together in a symphonic arch. one more surprise in store just before the final build-up. conception, growing and branching organically like trees.

TIMO-JUHANI KYLLÖNEN KARIN REHNQVIST Awakening (1991) Dur: 17’ Aspects of Peltoniemi Hintrik’s Bloodhoof (2019) Dur: 42’ Kyllönen developed this work from Funeral March (1969) Monodrama for mezzo-soprano and 8 his one-movement string quartet instruments: fl-ob-cl-perc-pf-vl-vla-vcl commissioned for the Kuhmo Cham- Dur: 13’ The point of departure for the work is ber Music Festival. The title refers to This is the orchestra version of Sal- Ger∂ur Kristný’s poetic tale Bloodhoof the awakening of nature in spring linen’s popular third string quartet. about power, threats and assault. and birdsong at dawn. Melody plays The intriguing title refers to a belov- Rehnqvist’s sound world moves from an important role in supporting the ed Finnish fiddler tune. It is heard at inarticulate bestial sounds and gur- idea of a continuous stream or flow, the beginning of the work and later gling to loud songlike cries and subtle while harmony and polyphony are in a variety of settings through var- ornaments. She uses the instruments used colouristically and as elements promoting formal unity. iation techniques giving the work in order to bring out the dramatic ele- the character of a modern chaconne. Sallinen spices it with his own wit and ment. From thin, bubbling metal plates imitating water surfaces, to gongs that skilful handling of violinistic timbral gestures. sound like clattering hooves.

6 HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 CHAMBER / SINFONIETTA ORCHESTRA MARIE SAMUELSSON TOBIAS BROSTRÖM ALBERT SCHNELZER Rotations (1997/2003) Beatnik (2015) Dur: 4’ A Freak in Burbank (2008) Dur: 14’ version for small orchestra: Dur: 10’ 2222-2100-01-pf(opt)-str 2222-2200-11-str The sound idea of Rotations was born This is a piece with an urban attitude, when Samuelsson was composing Albert Schnelzer conjures up a magi- bursting with energy and vivacity. It is cal world where whirling woodwinds in her country house. The rain was fast, and rhythmic, continually alter- pouring down onto her tin roof, so and energetic, pressing strings suc- nating between 5/8, 3/4 and 7/8 time. ceed one another. A witty, lavishly heavily that it flowed into her music. Originally written as a virtuosic encore She could not concentrate on any- orchestrated and highly imaginative piece (”Sputnik”) for trumpeter Håkan piece inspired by a biography about thing else but that dripping sound Hardenberger, Broström was later which is presented in the work right film director Tim Burton, that has asked to prepare a version solely for orchestra (”Beatnik”), which now exists been performed some 70 times by orchestras around the world. from the start: pizzicato-dripping in versions for large and small orchestra. strings in the high registers that play percussive counter-rhythms.

HALVOR HAUG MIRJAM TALLY ALBERT SCHNELZER Insignia (1993) Dur: 15’ Lament (2013) Dur: 10’ Emperor Akbar (2010/2018) 2222-2200-10-0-str 2222-1111-12-0-str Dur: 12’ Haug composed Insignia after his first Lament was composed as a com- string or chamber orchestra: 2222- visit to Lofoten, a group of islands off panion piece to Beethoven’s Ninth 2200-10-str the northern coast of Norway, where Symphony. Tally uses a lyrical cello recitative from the IV movement and As always Schnelzer gives the lis- the magnificent scenery inspired him repeats it in her work to such an ex- tener an imaginative experience. tremendously. The work has the sub- tent that it almost becomes a kind of The work has been inspired by the title “Symphonic Vision for Chamber mantra. It is mixed with typical Tally complex character of Akbar the Great Orchestra” and the somewhat harsh elements as clusters, airy whispering and starts brutally with the Emperor tonal language and the drama in the sounds and overtone glissandi. An chopping the head off a young rebel, music produces images of the rugged landscape. unobtrusive but exquisite salute to Beethoven. after which rhythmical and violent passages alternate with more contemplative and serene scenes. Originally OLLI KOSKELIN composed for the Brodsky Quartet, Schnelzer later orchestrated the work in EDUARD TUBIN versions for string and chamber orchestra. ...Like a Planet Silently Breath- Symphony No. 7 (1958) ing (1992-93) Dur: 14’ 2221-2000-01-str Dur: 24’ JEAN SIBELIUS 2222-2200-10-0-str A rich, transparent texture, hypnotic The Countess’s Portrait / string effects and rhythmically static Tubin’s Seventh Symphony, is dif- Grevinnans konterfej (1906) music that from time to time soars to ferent in character from his other cosmic heights. As fellow-composer symphonies, not only because Dur: 4’ of the smaller orchestra but the recitation (opt) and string orchestra Juhani Nuorvala puts it: “A fragile, chorale-like string texture, wistful solo tone language is also more acerbic Composed on the initiative of a La- songs, gushing arpeggios mounting to and agitating. The tension is kept dies’ Association for a soirée in Vaasa, ecstasy, and the slow pacing of the vibraphone are distinctive features of this throughout the symphony, from the Finland, this exquisite and beautiful piece.” searching and energetic first movement, the middle movement’s lovely but piece is a melodrama that can be bittersweet melodies, to the march-like finale that builds up a sense of ter- performed with or without recita- ror, emphasized in its forceful closing bars. tion. The text, based on a literary MATS LARSSON GOTHE work by Anna Maria Lenngren, adds to the tranquil, delicate mood created by the strings. The Autumn Diary (2013-14) JENNAH VAINIO Dur: 21’ Winterborn (2008) Dur: 12’ 2222-2200-01-str 1111-1000-str DAG WIRÉN In Larsson Gothe’s musical diary As is often the case in Vainio’s mu- some days are serene and harmoni- sic, this wild piece carries hints of Serenade for Strings (1937) ous, while others are dramatic and Dur: 16’ metal music, a serene and earnest chaotic. There are sleepless nights ambiance, and rhythmic oriental where the tempo slows down, and In Wirén’s popular string serenade harmonies. A commission from the the music becomes contemplative. A the lively music moves forward with Zagros Ensemble and Petri Komu- beautiful Lamento towards the end a light step and in excellent spirits. lainen, Winterborn travels through of the work, lends peace of mind, if only for a short while. The work ends The colors, detail and depth fabri- cold, winter landscapes from dawn with “extremely expressive” and agitated high strings pitted against dark cated from the string orchestra are to moonlit darkness. bassoons and a dry, rumbling timpani. vibrant and fresh. The effervescent and jolly main theme of the fourth movement, ‘Marcia’, was used as JONAS VALFRIDSSON INGVAR LIDHOLM the theme melody of the BBC arts The Only Thing that You Keep programme Monitor in the 60s after which its popularity spread. The Sere- Toccata e canto (1944) Changing is Your Name (2009) nade is still one of the most frequently performed Swedish orchestral pieces Dur: 13’ internationally. 1111-0000-00-str Dur: 12’ 2222-2200-11-0-str At the age of 23 Lidholm made his orchestral debut with the Nordic-ro- The work is based on a simple motif mantic Toccata e canto, a work that consisting of a descending minor has retained its place in the reper- third followed by a minor second, toire over the years. The ‘Toccata’ has and it recurs throughout the whole its share of objective modernism work in different variations. Val- whereas the ‘Canto’ is an intimate and fridsson mixes the simple motif with expressive, folk-tone coloured song. However, modernistic tendencies can be a more ambiguous and complex seen even here, in among other things the technique of letting the music pro- orchestral texture, effervescent instrumentation and compact sonorities. gress in steps towards a climax, supported by powerful ostinato basses, after Altogether it creates a mysterious and thrilling atmosphere. Winner of the which the music fades away. Uppsala Composition Competition 2010.

HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 7 REPERTOIRE TIPS Works for smaller-sized orchestra

SOLOISTS AND ORCHESTRA KALEVI AHO MIKKO HEINIÖ SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖM Viola Concerto (2006) Syyskesän laulu (Late Summer Cello Concerto (1988) Dur: 22’ Song) (2008) Dur: 17’ Dur: 28’ 1111-1000-01 baritone (or or mezzo-soprano) 2222-2220-11-str Kalevi Aho’s Viola Concerto is part of and orchestra: 2222-2200-01-str Sandström has called his cello con- a set of three works he composed for Text: Lassi Nummi (Fin) certo “an autobiographical diary”. the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and A vocalist’s dream: lyrical expression The form is somewhat rhapsodic and John Storgårds. Violent and infinitely combined with beautiful, elastic consists of thirteen short sections, charged, it traces a concentrated, orchestration and Nummi’s tender “emotional pages of my life”, in one-movement arch softened by a texts. The sensitive, impressionistic which we find both sentimentality rocking, cradle-song-like Allegretto mood is airy and heedful through- and playfulness. He lets the romanti- before a solo cadenza. out. This is music with subtle gestures, and everything in the score is careful- cism burst into full blossom but com- ly thought-out and weighty. bines this with modernistic outbursts. The concerto concludes with a long drawn-out, varied allusion to the hymn ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee´. ERIK BERGMAN FREDRIK HÖGBERG Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1998) Dur: 15’ Dancing with Silent Purpose BENJAMIN STAERN 0001-0000-str, bullroarer (2008) Dur: 11’ Surprise! (2015) Dur: 15’ This intensive Bergman concerto clarinet, string orchestra and backtrack Concertino for trumpet and small is a product of his late period. Its (optional projections) orchestra: 2222-2000-01-hp-strings breath-taking progress is interrupted This clarinet concerto was composed by a magical interlude for bullroarer in close collaboration with Martin Surprise! is a lyrical concertino in – possibly an instrument he picked Fröst and is an attempt to develop three movements with melody in up on his travels around the world in the classical concert format. The focus and a relatively transparent 1998. pre-recorded backtrack is integrated orchestration. It starts off with an into the orchestral web providing in- introduction and a virtuosic Fanta- tensive rhythms and suggestive atmospheres. And the music really swings! sia. In the second movement, Aria, the trumpet gets to sing beautifully, TOBIAS BROSTRÖM while the final movement is a clearly Cello Concerto No. 1 (2011) LARS KARLSSON humorous and playful Scherzo where the soloist gets a chance to show off. Dur: 21’ 2222-2200-10-str Sju sånger till text av Pär The concerto opens suggestively Lagerkvist (Seven Songs to MATTHEW WHITTALL and slowly with repetitive chords in text by Pär Lagerkvist) Five Windows on Winter the orchestra, forming the harmonic (2010-11) Dur: 29’ (2018) Dur: 23’ basis that is expanded gradually. The baritone and chamber orchestra: Concerto for chromatic kantele and solo cello’s pentatonic motif develops 1111-1000-str (43321) string orchestra (min. 33221) from out of the orchestra’s carpet of Swedish Nobel Prize laureate Pär La- sound, a motif that recurs through- A piece inspired by Adam Gopnik’s gerkvist has been Karlsson’s favourite essay collection Winter: Five Win- out the entire work. Brisk sections author due to the singing quality with more temperament and rhythmic accents alternate with parts that dows on the Season. Whittall let of his poems and the profoundly sound images flow and gathered the are linked to the harmonies and motif of the beginning. The end is a slow spiritual subjects. The cycle has as its starting point the existential anxiety of diminuendo that fades away far off in the distance. resulting visions into a whole. This youth, while it ends with maturity encountering the longed-for light after is not so much a concerto as a suite, an eventful journey through life. Recorded by BIS. casting the kantele in many different lights as well as constantly varying its relationship to the orchestra that pro- DANIEL BÖRTZ vides the “scenery”. The last movement is a bittersweet elegy for the end Trumpet Concerto – Songs ROLF MARTINSSON of winter. It is also a quiet requiem in our current time, bearing witness to and Dances (1994-95) Violin Concerto No. 1 (2007) climate change. Dur: 27´ Dur: 28’ 2222-2000-11-0-str 2222-2200-01-str LOTTA WENNÄKOSKI Songs and Dances is the first in An incredibly persuasive piece with Börtz’s tetralogy of solo concertos in ecstatic lines, supported by a warm Susurrus (2016) Dur: 15’ which the word “songs” is included in and rich orchestration. It has a su- guitar and orchestra: 2222-2200-01-str the title. And it is obvious how Börtz perb sense of structure to send us This is a cheerful work, both frankly lets the trumpet sing with expressive on a journey which, particularly in lyrical and even humorous. At times melancholy and beauty, not least in the central section of the work, has a the soloist’s ‘instrument’ is a plastic the final movement’s opening ‘quasi cadenza’ on muted trumpet. But there strong meditative power, but which ruler with which it conjures up mag- are also sections dominated by primitivistic rhythms and dance. has such a vivid landscape of colour, ical effects. The violinists lower their particularly toward the madly accelerating ending, that always grips the instruments and pretend they are a listener and performer. strumming guitar band as they begin ANDERS ELIASSON the most beautiful episode. The com- munal beat guarantees both swing Concerto per corno ed archi – KAI NIEMINEN and fun for players and audience alike. Farfalle e ferro (1991) La Serenissima (2006) Dur: 21’ horn and string orchestra Dur: 20’ Concerto for viola, harp and 12 strings The subtitle of this horn concerto, (43221) Farfalle e ferro (Butterflies and Iron), describes the two opposing char- The influence of Monteverdi hov- acters of the music – the opening’s ers in the background – Nieminen powerful, hammering horn part that wants the old to be heard in his mu- rushes on with choppy chromatic sic alongside the new. The borders motifs, and the conclusion’s quick, light, softly swirling butterfly music. between the movements have been In-between is a beautiful and melancholy cantilena. faded out so that they glide into each other and transform. The melody is also submerged in the harmony. La Serenissima is steeped in the mystery of the waves that rock it, and bells are part of its soundscape.

8 HIGHLIGHTS 4/2020 NEW PUBLICATIONS

CHAMBER & INSTRUMENTAL ORCHESTRA & ENSEMBLE CHORAL & VOCAL KALEVI AHO KALEVI AHO Törö Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra for solo guitar FG 979-0-55011-655-9 (study score), BARBRO MARKLUND FG 979-0-55011-351-0 55009-705-6 (solo part) (EDITOR) Arias for Young Voices: ANTTI AUVINEN Tenor Eliangelis ARIAS for tenor and piano for solo clarinet TIINA MYLLÄRINEN 20 opera arias and 10 sacred FG 979-0-55011-649-8 Squarcio FOR arias from the early days for ensemble of opera to the 21st FG 979-0-55011-656-6 YOUNG TOMMIE HAGLUND (study score) century, specially selected Frammenti VOICES for the needs of for violin, clarinet and piano Tommie Haglund young voices GE 13988 GE 13195

LARS KARLSSON Frammenti LOTTA WENNÄKOSKI (ARR. KARI JÄMBÄCK) for violin, clarinet and piano Hele for chamber ensemble Five Aphorisms SCORE for flute and guitar FG 979-0-55011-644-3 (study score)

This arrangement is suitable Per Ekedahl also for pedagogical use. Missa brevis FG 979-0-55011-648-1 (score & parts) PER EKEDAHL Missa Brevis ERKKI MELARTIN for mixed choir SATB En ego campana Per speculum in enigmatae Text; the Mass (Lat) SATB+SATB a cappella GE 13781 (Through a Glass, Darkly) Six pieces for piano Op. 95 ANTTI AUVINEN FG 979-0-55011-630-6 Junker Twist Himmel Punk NANA FORTE MIXED CHOIR A CAPPELLA Nana Forte En ego campana for orchestra for orchestra sensus körmusik nr 1005 PANU PÄRSSINEN (ARR.) FG 979-0-55011-651-1 (study score) FG 979-0-55011-652-8 (study score) for double choir SATB partitur Flexible Christmas Text: Carmina proverbalia 45 (Lat) Most beloved Finnish Christmas tunes in Turbo Aria GE 13994 flexi-instrumentation trio arrangements. Each for orchestra part can be doubled, and they are available in FG 979-0-55011-653-5 (study MIA MAKAROFF different transpositions, so the combination of score) mia makaroff the ensemble is beyond limits. Diligam te Diligam for baritone, mixed choir, Mässa för baryton, blandad kör Jouluvirsi (En etsi valtaa, loistoa) (Jean Sibelius) instrumentalensemble & församling Te Joulukirkkoon (R. Raala) instrumental ensemble and congregation On hanget korkeat, nietokset (Jean Sibelius) Text: Liturgical texts/Hilkka Olkinuora Sylvian joululaulu (Karl Collan) (Lat, Swe) GE 13907 (score), GE 13908 (vocal score) Tonttu (Lyyli Wartiovaara-Kallioniemi) GE 13909 (instrumental parts) Varpunen jouluaamuna (Otto Kotilainen) Complete set of 6 pieces: FG 979-0-55011-657-3 Benjamin Staern (score & parts) Text: Oscar Levertin PER GUNNAR PETERSSON Separate pieces are available as PDFs. Sing a New Song for choir SA and organ BENJAMIN STAERN Salomos sång Text: from the Book of Psalms (Eng) Per Gunnar Petersson Salomos sång / Solomon’s Song för sopran, klarinett, SING A NEW SONG violin, cello och piano GE 13954 treble choir and organ for soprano, clarinet, violin, cello and piano Text: Oscar Levertin (Swe) SCORE GE 13173 (score), GE 13174 (parts) LYYLI WARTIOVAARA-KALLIONIEMI (ARR. PASI HYÖKKI) HARRI WESSMAN Tonttu Capriccio for mixed choir SATB for wind ensemble Text: Valter Juva (Fin) FG 979-0-55011-647-4 (score & parts) A fresh, new arrangement of Fyra årstider på Finns / a popular Christmas Song. Four Seasons at Finns FG 979-0-979-0-55011-654-2 for violins, violas and piano FG 979-0-55011-650-4 (score/piano & parts: 3vl, 2vla)

TESSA VIRTA (ARR.) For further information contact us at: Joulujazzia pianolle / Christmas Jazz for piano 15 lovely Christmas song arrangements for piano Gehrmans Musikförlag AB with an irresistible jazz touch. Box 42026, SE-126 12 Stockholm, FG 979-0-55011-645-0 Tel. +46 8 610 06 00 [email protected] Web shop: www.gehrmans.se Hire: [email protected] Sales: [email protected]

Fennica Gehrman Oy Ab PO Box 158, FI-00121 Helsinki, Finland Tel. +358 10 3871 220 [email protected] Web shop: www.fennicagehrman.fi Hire: [email protected] Sales: [email protected] 2/2020