NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS 4/2016 NEWSLETTER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN Einojuhani Rautavaara in memoriam Christian Lindberg & Allan Pettersson NEWS Rautavaara’s Gift of Magi Klami additions to the catalogue Martinsson and Schnelzer on stage Fennica Gehrman has awarded Einojuhani Rautavaara’s chamber opera Th e Gift agreed with the Uuno Rolf Martinsson has Klami Society to publish of the Magi (Tietäjien lahja) is staged at the Si- been awarded the Bäcker Mats Photo: belius Academy. Th e performances in November several works by Uuno Christ Johnson Prize and December are coupled with Humperdinck’s Klami (1900-61). Th ese for his song cycle Or- opera Hansel and Gretel. Markus Lehtinen and include orchestral works chestral Songs on Poems Andres Kaljuste will conduct the students of the – Opernredoute, Aurore by Emily Dickinson Academy. Rautavaara composed this Christmas boréale and the Piano (2009) . According fable in 1994 and it is based on the short story by Concerto “Une nuit à to the Royal Academy O. Henry. It has earlier been performed on TV Montmartre”, among oth- of Music, “with his masterly musical language he in Finland and on stage at the Canberra Music ers – and chamber music. creates a mutual expression of great sonorous lu- Festival, Australia in 2010. Klami is known as a brilliant orchestral compos- minosity”. Th e work was commissioned by the er who fused Finnish modernism with French Malmö Symphony Orchestra and has been per- infl uences. His Kalevala Suite and Sea Pictures Pettersson’s symphony formed numerous times, with great success, by are examples of classics that remain in the soprano Lisa Larsson. She has also recorded the to be ballet core repertoire. Th e large-scale Psalmus for cho- songs with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Th e Oldenburgisches Staatstheater is stag- rus and orchestra is on the programme of the for an upcoming CD on the label BIS. Further ing a full-length ballet to Allan Pettersson’s Finnish RSO on 13 January. Th e conductor is performances are scheduled for January (Norr- Symphony No. 6 with choreography by An- Hannu Lintu, and the soloists are Helena Jun- landsoperan SO) and May (Oulu SO). toine Jully. Th e production is called Men and tunen and Tommi Hakala. On 11 November Albert Schnelzer received Women and is based on quotations by Oscar the Swedish Music Publishers Award for his Wilde, William Shakespeare and Rainer German premieres clarinet concerto But Your Angel’s on Holiday , Maria Rilke, referring to the relationship Andrew Manze will conduct the NDR “a work whose rhythmical motor contrasts with between women and men, and the incompre- Radio philharmonie in Hannover on 23-24 sections where the music seems to fl oat quite hensibility and impossibility of love. Th ere March in the German premiere of Tobi- freely.” Th e concerto was commissioned by the will be a total of fi ve performances between as Broström’s On Urban Ground – his Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, and was March and May; the premiere will take place comment on Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. premiered in November 2015 with Staff an on 12 March. Benjamin Staern’s prize-winning clarinet Mårtensson as clarinet soloist. concerto Worried Souls will have its Ger- A God Disguised at Folkoperan man premiere on 3 May. Th e soloist Karin GGunnarunnar HHelgessonelgesson aandnd AAlbertlbert SSchnelzerchnelzer Folkoperan in Stockholm is staging Lars-Erik Dornbusch will give fi ve performances to- Larsson’s and Hjalmar Gullberg’s classic A gether with the Philharmonisches Orchester Törnblom Karin Photo: God Disguised (Förklädd gud) in a new version Vorpommern in Stralsund, Greifswald and directed by Malin Stenberg. Larsson’s music is Rügen. interspersed with Romani accordion music by Lelo Nika in arrangement for accordion and orchestra by Jonas Forssell. In this story about human dignity Folkoperan wants us to see the person behind the outward appearance. Folk- Kenney Alexander Photo: operan will put on 26 performances; the pre- miere will take place on 25 February. Centenary of Finland’s NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS 4/2016 independence 2017 NEWSLETTER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN Th e year 2017 marks the centenary of Finland’s Sound samples , video clips independence. Th ere are commissioned works and other material are available at in the pipeline, and top names in Finnish clas- www.gehrmans.se/highlights sical and contemporary music will be featured at Swedish piano music in New York numerous concerts. Th e project of the Sibelius Pianist Per Tengstrand will present Swedish Fund of the Society of Finnish Composers en- Cover photos: Adrienn Miksch and Tommi Hakala in Rautavaara’s opera The Mine (Péter Rákossy), piano music from three centuries at a concert abled the commissioning of new works for the Einojuhani Rautavaara (Heikki Tuuli), held at the Morgan Library in New York on 16 occasion from 15 composers, including Tapio Christian Lindberg (Mats Bäcker) March. Th e programme will include among oth- Tuomela, Juhani Nuorvala, Pasi Lyytikäinen, Editors: Henna Salmela and Kristina Fryklöf Translations: Jaakko Mäntyjärvi and Robert Carroll ers Franz Berwald Fantasy on Two Swedish Folk Kai Nieminen and Kirmo Lintinen. Th e pre- Design: Tenhelp Oy/Tenho Järvinen Melodies, Wilhelm Stenhammar’s Fantasy in B mieres will take place in 2017. For further in- ISSN 2000-2742 (Print), ISSN 2000-2750 (Online) minor, and the US premiere of Albert Schnel- formation on events in the centenary year, visit Printed in Sweden by TMG Sthlm, Bromma 2016 zer’s Dance with the Devil. http://suomifi nland100.fi . HIGHLIGHTS 4/2016 PREMIERES Photo: Ghadi Boustani Photo: November 2016 - March 2017 Photo: Maarit Kytöharju/Music Finland Maarit Kytöharju/Music Photo: JACOB MÜHLRAD On the Verge of Eternity Royal College of Music SO/Ingrid Roose 17.11. Stockholm, Sweden Skall inte fi nnas mer (Shall Be No More) Petri Singers, string ensemble/ Alexander Einarsson, 20.11. Malmö, Sweden Aho’s music out in the world LOTTA WENNÄKOSKI Kalevi Aho’s latest opera Frida and Diego is to be performed by Sedecim the Pokrovsky Moscow Chamber Opera in Russia. Four perfor- Sibelius Academy SO/Atso Almila mances are planned for next year and ten more for 2018. Th e op- 18.11. Lahti, Finland era is about the tempestuous relationship between Frida Kahlo KALEVI AHO and Diego Rivera and was premiered in Helsinki in 2014. Violin Concerto No. 2 Aho’s orchestral work Geija is on the programme of the Kymi Sinfonietta/Eugene Tzigane, Minnesota Orchestra for January 2017. It will be performed sol. Elina Vähälä, 30.11. Kotka, Finland under Osmo Vänskä three times on tour in Florida and twice Accordion Concerto Ostrobothnian CO/Juha Kangas, in Minneapolis. Th e Wind Quintet of the Berlin Philharmonic sol. Saila Korhonen will perform Aho’s Wind Quintet No. 2 on their tour of the USA. 17.2. Kokkola, Finland (Kokkola Winter Accordeon) Th ey will give recitals in Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Buff alo BENJAMIN STAERN and Stanford from 3 February. Aho’s Accordion Concerto will be Snödrottningen/ premiered at the Kokkola Winter Accordion Festival in Finland The Snow Queen – family opera Malmö Opera/Stefan Solyom on 17 February. Kortekangas on CD 17.12. Malmö, Sweden BIS Records is to release a CD containing Frida and Diego the orchestral work Migrations by Olli MIRJAM TALLY at the Sibelius Kortekangas. Th is work for mezzo-soprano, Lightfi elds Academy in 2014. Nordic CO/Emil Eliasson, 20.1. Sundsvall, Sweden male choir and orchestra was commissioned Photo: Erkka Malkavaara Photo: by the Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vän- JÖRGEN DAFGÅRD skä and was premiered in Minneapolis in Concerto for Soprano Saxophone Jönköpings Sinfonietta/Johannes Gustavsson, February. Th e CD will contain the entire pro- sol. Anders Paulsson, 29.1. Jönköping, Sweden gramme of the concert where the work was premiered: Sibelius’s Kullervo and Finlandia MIKKO HEINIÖ Kun pojat… (When the Boys…) in addition to the Kortekangas work. Ville Urponen, organ, 29.1. Turku, Finland In November, Alba Records released the CD Crossings by organist Kari Vuola and viol MATS LARSSON GOTHE Körkarlen/The Phantom Carriage player Varpu Haavisto, also including music Gothenburg SO/Karen Kamensek by Kortekangas, e.g. Crossing the Five Rivers 2.2. Gothenburg, Sweden (Gothenburg Film Festival) for organ and viol, written to a commission JENNAH VAINIO from the Parainen Organ Festival in 2008. At Midnight, for female choir Kaari-Ensemble/Saara Aittakumpu 2.2. Berlin, Germany (Prix des Nations) Larsson Gothe & The Phantom Carriage Digital sheet music available at ScorX OLLI KORTEKANGAS Mats Larsson Gothe has Piano Trio Following in the footsteps of Gehrmans Petteri Iivonen, violin, Samuli Peltonen, cello, Juho composed new music to Musikförlag, Fennica Gehrman has made Pohjonen, piano, 3.2. Helsinki, Finland Victor Sjöström’ s silent choral works available on the digital sheet fi lm classic Th e Phantom TIINA MYLLÄRINEN music platform ScorX. Th e selection in- Carriage (Körkarlen) from Railo, for mixed choir cludes works by Jean Sibelius, Erik Berg- Helsinki Chamber Choir/Nils Schweckendiek 1921. Th is comprises 103 man, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, and new titles 7.2. Helsinki, Finland (Musica nova) minutes of orchestral mu- by Veljo Tormis and Urmas Sisask will be sic. Th e premiere will be TOBIAS BROSTRÖM added followed by the entire Fazer Edition Suite for Strings during the Gothenburg of Early Music series edited by Paul Hillier. Musica Vitae/Meta4, 3.3. Växjö, Sweden Film Festival on 2 Febru- Gehrmans Musikförlag has to date made ary. Th e Gothenburg Sym- SVEN-DAVID SANDSTRÖM some 1300 titles, choral and chamber music, Five Pieces for Piano and Orchestra phony Orchestra will play digitally available. ScorX provides sheet music Gothenburg SO/Mario Venzago, live to the fi lm under the sol. Peter Friis Johansson, 22.3.