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NO
RD
IC2/2018HIGHLIGHTS
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
Focus on
Kimmo Hakola &
Rolf Martinsson
N E W SN
OR
DIC
HIGHLIGHTS 2/2018
NEWSLE T TER FROM GEHRMANS MUSIKFÖRLAG & FENNICA GEHRMAN
Sound samples , video clips and other material are available at
www.gehrmans.se/highlights
Cover photos: Rolf Martinsson (Louise Martinsson),
Kimmo Hakola (Kaapo Hakola)
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 2018
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8
Rautavaara’s
All-Night Vigil Th e Helsinki Cham-
ber Choir will be sing-
ing Einojuhani Rau-tavaara’s All-Night Vigil
several times this sum-
mer: at the Musiq’3 festival in Brussels on 29–
30 June, the Organ and Aria festival in Finland
on 5 July, the Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki on
16 August and Järvenpää Church on 21 August.
Th e soloists are Niall Chorell, tenor and Tuuk-ka Haapaniemi, bass. Th e choir is also making a
new recording of the work. Rautavaara’s popular
concert version of the Orthodox Vigil has found
its way into the repertoire of professional choirs
the world over.
Aho concerto boom continuesKalevi Aho keeps
getting orders for
concertos. He has
fi nished a Triple
Concerto for Vio-
lin, Cello and Pia-
no to be premiered
by the Storioni Trio and the An-
twerp SO in May
2019, and is at present compos-
ing a Concerto for
Guitar and Cham-
ber Orchestra also
for a premiere in May 2019 by Ismo Eskelinen and the Lap-
land Chamber Orchestra. Also planned for
next year is a Concerto for Bass Clarinet for Mikko Raasakka. One for two bassoons and
orchestra has further been commissioned on
the initiative of bassoonist Bram van Sambeek.
Aho’s Sieidi, for percussion, has become one
of the most performed Finnish concertos. It has
already been played nearly 50 times across the
world, with soloists Colin Currie, Martin Gru-binger and Alexej Gerassimez.
Albert Schnelzer NewsA lot is going on for Albert Schnelzer right
now. BIS Records has just released the portrait
CD Tales from Suburbia , 13 July will see the
premiere of his opera Norrmalmstorgsdramat
(Th e Stockholm Syndrome) at Vattnäs Konsertla-
da, and during the 2018/2019 season he will be
composer-in-residence with the Västerås Sinfo-
nietta. Commissioned by the Swedish RSO, his
Piano Concerto No. 1 composed for American
pianist Conrad Tao, will have its premiere on 14
March 2019. On 11 April Ilya Gringolts will be
soloist with the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in
the fi rst performance of Schnelzer´s Violin Con-
certo No. 2 – Nocturnal Songs. Th e concerto is
jointly commissioned by the Swedish Chamber
Orchestra and Jönköping Sinfonietta.
Albert Schnelzer
Phot
o: M
ats L
undq
vist
Eero Sipilä centenaryA hundred years have this year passed since the
birth of Eero Sipilä (1918-1972), and music
by him can be heard at a concert of his works
in Helsinki on 28 October. Sipilä was an active
composer, teacher, organist and choir leader
whose core output consisted of choral, organ
and chamber music. Works by him are available
at the Fennica Gehr man web shop.
Hilma af Klint – chamber operaBenjamin Staern is writing a chamber opera for two singers, piano trio and electronics about the
artist Hilma af Klint (1862-1944), a pioneer in
abstract painting who did not became known un-
til long after her death, after an exhibition in Los
Angeles in 1986. Th e opera will have its premiere at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in the spring of
2019, but already now, in July, a short trailer can
be heard during the Halmstad Opera and Vocal Festival, as well as at the Guggenheim Museum in
New York in connection with the Hilma af Klint
Exhibition in October. Th e project was initiated
by the singers Mette and Fredrik af Klint, and the
libretto is being written in English by Mira Bartov.
Gabriella GullinGabriella Gullin is in the limelight as one of the
composers being presented by the Mikaeli Cham-
ber Choir and Anders Eby in the fi lm project
#swedishchoralmusic with her piece Tyst är det
rum to a text by Pär Lagerkvist. She has had
several choral works published by Gehrmans as
well as her Elegic Rhapsody for oboe and string or-
chestra. Two chamber pieces are now being added
to the catalogue, Les Ombres dans l´eau for viola
and piano and Sonata for Flute and Piano.
Tommie Haglund FestivalsTwo big festivals will be devoted to Tommie Haglund’s music during the 2018/2019 sea-
son. Haglund´s home town, Halmstad, is
organizing a festival on 18-21 October with
the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, vio-
linist Ilya Kaler, cellist Jacob Kullberg et al.
Th e conductor and artistic leader is Joachim Gustafsson. Haglund will also be festival
composer with the Royal Stockholm Phil-
harmonic at the Stockholm Concert Hall
Composer Weekend on 28-31 March 2019.
Soloists include soprano Miah Persson,
violinist Ilya Gringolts and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan. During the two festivals we
can listen to the violin concerto Hymns to the
Night, the cello concerto Flaminis Aura, the
string orchestral piece Serenata per Diotima,
and La Rosa Profunda for soprano and or-
chestra. Moreover, Tommie Haglund´s Sym-
phony No. 1 will have its premiere during the
festival in Stockholm, which will be rounded
off with a chamber music concert.
Phot
o: E
linor
Edv
all
Kalevi Aho
Phot
o: R
omai
n Et
ienn
e
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8
P R E M I E R E SMay–August 2018
PAAVO HEININENSonata for Violin and Piano Op. 134/2 and 3Ilosoitto for solo violinKaija Saarikettu, violin, Juhani Lagerspetz, piano4.5. Helsinki, Finland
Sonata for Piccolo and Piano Op. 116Hanna Kinnunen, piccolo, Emil Holmström, pianoSonata for Contrabassoon and Piano Op. 138Arvid Larsson, contrabassoon, Jouko Laivuori, pianoSonata for Bassoon and Piano Op. 122Jaakko Luoma, bassoon, Ilmo Ranta, pianoSonata for English Horn and Piano Op. 137Paula Malmivaara, English horn, Jouko Laivuori, piano5.5. Helsinki, Finland
FREDRIK HÖGBERGBaboon ConcertoGothenburg SO/Tung-Chieh Chuang, sol. Sebastian Stevensson, bassoon9.5. Gothenburg, Sweden
KARIN REHNQVIST Songs from the NorthSacred and Profane Chamber Chorus/Rebecca Petra Naomi Seeman11.5. Berkeley, USA
MIKKO HEINIÖSymphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concertante for Percussion and Orchestra)
Turku PO/Anja Bihlmaier18.5. Turku, Finland
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMSångens hus/The House of Song for choir and orchestraFalun Conservatory of Music/Dalasinfoniettan/Paul Mägi2.6. Falun, Sweden
KALEVI AHOBerliner BagatellePhilharmonisches Bläserquintett Berlin
Solo X for hornAnnu Salminen29.6. Musica Kalevi Aho Festival, Forssa, Finland
Piano Sonata No. 2Sonja Fräki1.8. Mänttä Music Festival, Finland
Solo XIII for tromboneRocco RescignoAugust 2018 Risuonanze Festival, Italy
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY/ARR: ROLF MARTINSSONSechs Walzergesänge MythenEnsembleOrchestral/Graziella Contratto, sol. Lisa Larsson, soprano30.6. Festival Musiksommer am Zürichsee, Switzerland
ESA PIETILÄThe Wind Wants 5parts Wind Quintet7.7. Helsinki Chamber Music Festival, Finland
ALBERT SCHNELZERNorrmalmstorgsdramat – att dö på sin post (The Stockholm Syndrome) OperaVattnäs Chamber Orchestra/Fredrik Burstedt, sol. Anna Larsson, alto, Göran Eliasson, baritone, Anders Larsson, baritone, Tobias Westman, tenor, Agnes Auer, soprano13.7. Vattnäs, Sweden
TUOMAS TURRIAGOSonata for alto Saxophone and PianoJoonatan Rautiola, saxophone, Cyrille Lehn, piano 20.7. Université de Saxophone 2018, Gap, France
Jansen plays
EliassonJanine Jansen will
once again perform
Anders Eliasson’s
violin concerto
Einsame Fahrt from
2010. Th ere will be
two performances
with the Gothen-
burg Symphony on
29 and 30 November and another two with the Ton-
halle-Orchester Zürich on 15 and 16 December, all
under the baton of Daniel Blendulf.
Phot
o: H
aral
d Ho
ff man
n
Agreement with Tuomas TurriagoFennica Gehrman has signed a publishing agreement
with Tuomas Turriago that includes Per Aspera for
chamber ensemble and the Concerto for Chamber
Ensemble premiered in Tampere early in 2018
(See: Reviews). Th e agreement also covers some in-
strumental works. Turriago has an ambitious project
aiming to compose a sonata for every instrument.
Th e most recent ones are for alto saxophone, to be
premiered at the Gap international saxophone festi-
val in July and for fl ute, to be heard for the fi rst time
in Helsinki in November. Read more about Turriago
and his music on the Fennica Gehrman website.
Focus on Harri ViitanenMusic by Harri Viitanen can be heard at a concert
on 26 August in the Helsinki Organ Summer series.
Th e programme will include Die Amsel in a version for solo fl ute played by Jenny Metsälä, Paratiisilinnun
rukous for harp, Images d’oiseau for organ, and the Ca-
thedral Fantasy and Ecumenical Bells for organ, positive organ and instrument ensemble premiered on 6 De-
cember 2017 as part of the Finland 100 celebrations.
Lotta Wennäkoski’s Flounce:
15 performances Lotta Wennäkoski’s Flounce was a BBC com-
mission for the last night of the Proms in September
2017. It has since been heard in Helsinki, Tampere
and Gothenburg, and is down for no fewer than 12
more performances. In the autumn season, Hannu Lintu will conduct it with the Finnish RSO at the
Turku Festival and give it its US premiere with the
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Flounce is also fi xed
for the opening concert of the Royal Scottish Na-
tional Orchestra’s season, with Th omas Søndergård
conducting, and for concerts by the Swedish Radio
Symphony and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Th e
Helsinki Philharmonic under Susanna Mälkki will
be taking it to the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Amster-
dam Concertgebouw and elsewhere during its Euro-
pean tour in April 2019.
Steampunk BlizzardGehrmans is pub-
lishing Daniel Nelson’s 7-minute
hit piece Steam-
punk Blizzard. It
was written on
commission from
Orchestre Nation-
al d´ile de France and the conductor
Enrique Mazzola, who premiered it in Philharmonie
de Paris last year.
Th e work has
subsequently been
performed by the
Swedish RSO, and the Gävle Symphony will play it in September. Santtu-Matias Rouvali has conducted
the piece with the Tampere Philharmonic and will per-
form it with the Gothenburg Symphony in October, and with the Oslo Philharmonic in December. In Feb-
ruary/March 2019 Rouvali and the Gothenburg Sym-
phony will take the work on their tour to Germany and
Austria.
Minifi ddlers
go to ChinaTh e Central Con-
servatory of Music
in Beijing has signed
an agreement with
Minifi ddlers on the
launching of the Co-
lourstrings teaching
method in China. Minifi ddlers is a
distance education
solution in violin
studies developed
by Caprice Oy. Th e
partnership became operative at the end
of April and included workshops given by Géza Szil-vay in Beijing and Huangqiao. More information is available at www.minifi ddlers.org.
Phot
o: Ja
ri Es
kola
Géza
Szilvay
Tuomas Turriago
Phot
o: N
ea Il
mev
alta
Janine
Jansen
Daniel Nelson
Phot
o: E
lla N
elso
n
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8
Phot
o: L
ouise
Mar
tinss
on
1You are often present at the perfor-mances of your works – with Ich denke Dein… most recently in Melbourne
and Mallorca, and you have told of the always very positive response on the part of audienc-es, irrespective of where it is performed. Has there been any especially memorable concert occasion?Th e Dutch premiere in the Concertgebouw,
sold-out concerts and standing ovations, a mem-
ory for life. Or the Italians’ resounding shouts
of bravo in Milan, the premiere with the Ton-
halle-Orchester Zürich or the Finnish premiere
with John Storgårds and the Helsinki Philhar-
monic Orchestra. Th e work is dedicated to Lars-
son, who has given brilliant interpretations at all these concerts. What more thanks could one
wish for than to get over 20 top performances?!
Th e Finnish reviews delighted me: ”…that some-
one dares to write so unashamedly enjoyable, sinful-
ly sexy music as the Swedish composer Rolf Mar-
tinsson and luckily he does not only dare to but he
also can do it…
2What do you think there is in your mu-sic that appeals to audiences?Shimmering timbres and tonal passag-
es. But a soloist is required who can make the
music come alive! Larsson with her personal charm on stage and musical communication
conveys the text in a way that deeply moves
the listener and apparently also the critics.“When the shockingly good soprano Lisa Larsson
performed Martinsson´s brand new song cycle Ich
denke Dein… the listener felt as if he was being
led into an enchanted garden, where an angel had
fallen from heaven…”
Seven questions for Rolf Martinsson
3Larsson sings a number of your song cy-cles, including Garden of Devotion and Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dick-
inson . Altogether, she has given around 100 performances of your works. Will your unique collaboration be documented?Everything that I have composed for Larsson will
be documented on CD by BIS and Challenge
Records, together with the Royal Stockholm
Philharmonic/Andrew Manze, the Malmö
Symphony Orchestra (MSO)/Paul Mägi and
the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra/Gordan Nikolic. It’s a dream coming true.
4One of your most frequently performed works is the trumpet concerto Bridge
from 1998, which Håkan Hard-enberger has performed about 60 times the world over. A tour is coming up in September with the renowned Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Andris Nelsons. Will you be in the audience?Absolutely! And this will also be a lifelong mem-
ory. Two brilliant musicians who bring some-
thing fresh to every new interpretation. Th e
collaboration with Hardenberger began in 1999
and has been of vital importance for my career.
And now the Norwegian trumpet player Ole Edvard Antonsen also has Bridge in his reper-
toire. A newly found friend and a wonderful mu-
sician with fantastic lyrical qualities. He has per-formed Bridge in Berlin, Aalborg and Katowice.
5Another work that has travelled around the world is the Double Bass Concerto with Edicson Ruiz with performances in Eu-
rope, Asia, Australia and South America, just lately by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. You went along on the European tour with the Youth Or-chestra of Caracas. Could you tell us about that?It was a moving experience with those fan-
tastic youngsters who make music with such
strong conviction. Th e concerto had its French premiere at Cité de la musique in Paris and its
Hungarian in the beautiful Grand Hall of the
Liszt Academy in Budapest. I met José Antonio Abreau, founder of El Sistema in Venezuela.
After the concert, photos were taken of myself
and the musicians, one by one, with iPhones.
6Your latest orchestral work is the concert opener Shimmering Islands, which was recently premiered by the Kristiansand
Symphony Orchestra. Here you enter into a new style. How is that?I go my own way as a composer and immerse
myself creatively in modern as well as traditional
styles, as in my latest vocal works. Now it was time
to seek new sonorities in Shimmering Islands.
7 What are you working on at the mo-ment? A semistaged work for Lisa Larsson with
MSO as main commissioner and Norrlands-
operan as co-commissioner. Th e ”libretto” by
Swedish director Elisabet Ljungar – derived
from William Blake’s ”Songs of Innocence and
of Experience” – is covering dramatic phases in
the life of a woman, her ”survival” thereof and
how she towards the end of her life fi nally man-
ages to make peace with life and herself…a beau-
tiful and emotionally dramatic libretto which
I’m very inspired to paint in music.Th e Tonhalle Orchester Zürich has invit-
ed Larsson for a collaboration in connection
with the orchestra’s 150th anniversary this au-
tumn. She has created Traumreise based on
songs of Franz Berwald (who died in 1868)
and which forms a musical journey through
Sweden-France-Germany. Larsson asked me to orchestrate the songs. Th e Tonhalle Orches-
ter Zürich will perform the world premiere in
November and the Helsingborg Symphony Or-chestra the Swedish premiere.
Larsson has also asked med to orchestrate
some songs by Alexander Zemlinsky, which
she will record on CD this summer.
Starting in 2019 I will compose a full-length opera, Amy, commissioned by the Royal Swed-
ish Opera in Stockholm. I am also hoping
to get a commission for a Symphony No. 1.
Kristina Fryklöf
I meet with Rolf Martinsson in connection with the Stockholm premiere of his song cycle Ich denke Dein… with the soprano Lisa Larsson, the Royal Stock-holm Philharmonic and Gustavo Gimeno. Th ree years have elapsed since the premiere in Tonhalle Zürich, and Larsson has performed the songs more than 20 times in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Finland, Iceland, Swe-den and Australia.
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8
The Finnish RSO is to premiere
your fi rst symphony in December
2018. How would you describe its
composition process?
Th e symphony has been a diffi cult genre for me. I
put off composing my fi rst symphony and calling
a work a symphony until very recently. I’ve got a
few works I thought I would call a symphony, but
I wanted to wait for my aesthetics of the genre to
mature. Th is phobia may well have been overdone,
but the door is now open and symphonic thinking
will in future occupy a central role in my work.
Writing concertos has been like a red line run-
ning through your career.I have written my concertos for musicians whose
art has deeply spoken to me. It’s been a case of
mutual enthusiasm, I think. I wrote my Clarinet
Concerto, for example, for Kari Kriikku, my
Violin Concerto for violinist-conductor John Storgårds, and my recent Double Concerto for Vio-
lin and Viola for Minna Pensola and Antti Tikka-nen. Th e soloist, his or her charisma and mastery,
is always the source of inspiration for my concer-
tos. Th is explains their diff erent modes of expres-
sion. I can also relate to the way my soloists make
music; I get a strong sense of our being kindred
spirits that has then brought us closer together.
Your works often have some surprising ele-
ments. It might be a Mongolian folk melody, or
Klezmer fi reworks – but always cleverly inte-
grated with the work as a whole. Do you delib-
erately aim at surprise and excitement?
When I was younger, surprise was maybe a sort
of additional dramaturgical dimension for raising
the music as an experience to a new unpredicta-
ble level. All in all, I’ve tried to create music the
behaviour of which is not obvious from the fi rst
moment. Th ings like controlling the perception
of time and guiding the listener’s observations.
Some might say there are game-theory structures
in my composing. Perhaps, but I’m also interested
in perceptual psychology. I nevertheless want to
stress that music is freedom: the perceptions and
experiences of every listener are “right”.
Where do you fi nd the ideas and inspiration for
your music?
I draw inspiration from everything imaginable. I
view the world through the eyes of an endlessly
curious child. I examine and study things, phe-
nomena, and allow these adventures plenty of
time. Sometimes I call an expert in the fi eld I’m
studying to ask why a problem that’s been puz-
zling me hasn’t been solved in the way I thought.
Th ese discussions have been the salt of my life.
Which of your works would you particularly
single out?
My opuses number about 100 at the moment. Th e
public and music gatekeepers have chosen some as
their favourites and these are played a lot. It’s of-
ten the way that new gems are discovered hidden
among a composer’s works only after his or her
death. Th at’s just the metabolism of musical life. I
don’t want to guide this process. All my works are
dear to me. It’s most important for the composer
and the publisher to put the composer’s works in
some sort of order while he’s still alive, so that fu-
ture generations can fi nd all the necessary informa-
tion about them – and for the material of works to
be fi nalised. On the other hand, I don’t know of a
single composer who’s had such good fortune.
Looking back over your career as a composer,
what advice would you give your young self?
Th ere are certainly things I could have done dif-
ferently. I’m a perfectionist, and I went through
a period of very severe self-criticism when I was
young; looking back, those years were very ex-
hausting, but important to later stages in life. I
knew so early in life that I wanted to be a com-
poser that I never seriously considered doing any-
thing else. Th is explains why I’ve withstood many
diffi cult things in the job.
It’s no good trying to be a composer for ex-
tra-musical reasons. You can model yourself
on trends and your teacher’s music when you’re
training, but if you don’t later discover a genuine
language of your own, your artistic work may
cease to have any sense and future.
I’ve been lucky in that my music was under-
stood and my career supported early on. I also got
a publisher when I was only just staring out: that,
too, meant a lot for my professional autonomy.
What sorts of things do you value in life?
Physical and mental wellbeing are of the utmost
importance to me if I am to survive in everyday
life, manage my time and the sometimes hectic
pace of life, and I actively work to achieve them.
Phot
o: K
aapo
Hak
ola
Warm relations with the people dear to me also
give me strength. I try to look at myself from time
to time, and to learn from my mistakes. And I’m
a listener: many of my friends appreciate the fact
that I will if necessary give them my full attention.
I don’t really comment or advise; it means focus-
ing as equals on the things that really matter.
What is your relationship to chamber music?
Chamber music is an important genre for me. I’ve
fi rst tested many new musical, technical and sty-
listic ideas in chamber music. My four string quar-
tets are, you could say, aesthetic manifestos. My
teacher, Einojuhani Rautavaara, used to claim
that string quartets are a composer’s philosophy.
I notice that in the Piano Quintet I’m working on
right now, the blending and separating of piano
and strings simply conjures up orchestral ideas.
What are your plans for the future? Will we be
hearing any of your works when you celebrate
your 60th birthday later this year?
In the past few years I’ve devoted a rather large pro-
portion of my time to committee and other admin-
istrative work – I’ve become a sort of professional
sitter-on-boards. It’s been an important phase in
my life, and I’ve been able to put into practice and
develop fi elds of expertise in a way I would never
have had a chance to do if I’d just been an artist.
As a composer, I’ll be concentrating on sympho-
nies – now that I’ve made a start on this genre and
feel I’m suffi ciently mature to be a symphonist.
And I’ve long been planning to do an opera mak-
ing greater use of my visual and textual knowhow
as an all-round work of art.
Scheduled to be premiered towards the end of
the year are both the symphony and another or-
chestral work, and I’ve got a focus concert coming
up at which I’ll be playing the piano part in the
premiere of my Piano Quintet and conducting a
new piece for ensemble.
Henna Salmela
An interview with HakolaKimmo Hakola views the world through the eyes of an endlessly curious child. He speaks here of how he shook off his symphony phobia, of the me-tabolism of musical life, of his plans for compositions, and of the advice he would give his young self.
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8
DANIEL BÖRTZA Portrait (1993) Dur: 14´ for guitar and chamber ensemble: fl -cl-perc-pf-string trioA subtle and original concerto, written in one movement that is
divided into a number of contrasting episodes: Energico, Romanza, Furioso, Tumultoso, Romanza and Misterioso. Börtz lets the lyrical moods dominate, but there are some violent attacks here, especially from the percussion (xy-lophone, marimba and tom-toms) and the piano, which contrast with what is beautiful and melodious in the guitar part.
KIMMO HAKOLAGuitar Concerto (2008) Dur: 35’ 2222-2220-12-hp-strThis sister work to Hakola’s pop-ular Clarinet Concerto draws on the Sephardic Jewish tradition.
Woven into the second movement is the enchanting melody of the ancient Adio Querida. The third has a cin-ematographic feel. Babbling voices comment on what has been heard and spur the soloist on to more and more experiments. From time to time the air is fi lled with jubi-lant Balkan-tinged sounds adapted to diff erent fl amenco moods.
ERLAND VON KOCHConcerto for Guitar (1982) Dur 22´ 1111-0000-strA three-movement guitar con-certo in Swedish folk tone. The second movement is based on
the well-known Swedish ”Emigrant Song”, the melody of which appears in various shapes, keys and variations throughout the movement. The concerto is concluded in a dancing style with a theme inspired by the polska.
TOMMI KÄRKKÄINENTener Tempestas (2008) Dur: 16’for silent guitar, eff ects and orchestra: 2222-2000-01-str Together with the orchestra, the digitally amplifi ed and
coloured guitar in this concerto produces some exciting combinations and worlds of timbre. The concerto was a commission from Janne Malinen and is probably the fi rst to be written for this instrument without a sound box. The sound can, alternatively, be channelled to loudspeakers.
KIRMO LINTINENGuitar Concerto (2011) Dur: 25’1111-1000-0-strLintinen’s concerto bubbles on with an unresisting power. The elegant whirls of a waltz lead
to a dreamy middle movement that, according to the composer, includes perhaps some of the most beautiful music he has ever composed. The fi nale takes its quasi folk material to the brink. A piano reduction prepared by the composer is also available.
KAI NIEMINEN“If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller” (2009) Dur: 25’Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra: 1211-1100-01-strThe title refers to the book by Italo Calvino that inspired the
concerto’s mysterious atmosphere. The fi rst movement is a homage to Villa-Lobos, as refl ected in the cadenza. The second shows Nieminen’s love of folk music and the third is a kind of lullaby. The music also has a nostalgic feel and assumes a refl ective and lyrical nature.
REPER TOIRE T IPS R E V I E W S
HERMAN RECHBERGERGolpe de Corazón / Heartbeat Concerto (1992) Dur: 17’1111-0000-02-strRechberger has a reputation for being a pioneer in Finnish gui-
tar music – the guitar is his own instrument and he has composed several works for it. His ‘Heartbeat Concerto’ includes minimalistic features. It is softly Neoromantic, making use of diff erent stylistic influences, with long, melodic lines that are rewarding for the soloist.
BENJAMIN STAERNAir-Spiral-Light (2014-16) Dur: 25’for solo guitar, seven instrumen-talists and electronicsStaern brings out the whole potential of the guitar and
displays everything from high-energy outbursts to sen-sitive, searching fl ageolets. In addition, the soloist plays with shot glasses on the strings. The work starts out with the sounds from musical glasses which together with the guitar create an almost unearthly atmosphere. There are also some lively sections here that really swing, with vibraphone, African djembe drums and a bullroarer. The work won the Music Publishers´ Prize 2017.
Arpalinea (2007) Dur: 15´ for solo guitarThe starting point for Arpalinea was J. S. Bach´s Chaconne in D minor, but a sojourn in Italy provided further inspira-tion for the music. The piece opens with arpeggios, and gradually takes on a more rhythmic character with Span-ish infl uences and taps on the guitar body. The second movement is freer in pulse and more intimate, with fl a-geolets. The concluding fi nale is full of energy, the tones gush forth in a torrential fl ow, and the work is rounded off with slapped strings and super-rapid tremolos that rise higher and higher.
HARRI VUORICthulhu’s Dreams (2016) Dur: 23’ Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra: 1111-2000-03-hp-strMusic that captures the mood of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythol-
ogy. A certain sense of mystery and rich, brilliant colours are typical of Vuori. The guitar leads, initiates and acti-vates the orchestra, but in between there are also some sharp contrasts. The second movement aff ords, as if in a fractured mirror, a refl ection of Debussy’s Clair de lune.
LOTTA WENNÄKOSKISusurrus (2016) Dur: 15’for guitar and orchestra: 2222-2200-perc-strWennäkoski’s recent concerto is a fund of action and playful moments. The soloist strums,
twangs and scrapes the strings while members of the orchestra get their share of the fun. The work is not, however, lacking in lyrical melody. Described as fresh, easy-going and at the same time slightly melancholy, it is a little universe in fi fteen minutes.
DAG WIRÉN Little Serenade (1964) Dur: 10´ for solo guitarThis is a Swedish guitar classic and a repertoire work that Wirén wrote for his daughter. It con-
sists of six short movements and begins and ends with a Marcia reminiscent of Wirén´s popular Serenade for Strings. Other movements include a Prelude, an energetic Solo, a virtuoso and lively Intermezzo and a meditative Duo Lente.
Nordic works for guitar
Moments of great beauty Kortekangas’s music serves the drama well and includes moments of
great beauty… The chorus had a major role which it performed im-
pressively, especially in the church scene as they sang a cappella about
the sorrows of war. Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducted the Tampere
Philharmonic Orchestra and ensured that Kortekangas’s score was per-
formed with the passion and precision it deserved. Opera Magazine June 2018
Olli Kortekangas: Veljeni vartija (My Brother’s Keeper) Opera
World premiere: Tampere Opera, Tampere PO/Santtu-Matias Rouvali, sol. Tuuli Takala, Ville
Rusanen, Tuomas Katajala etc., 16.2. 2018 Tampere, Finland
Phenomenal StaernThe programme opened with the epoch-making work Jubilate… This stirred
the audience´s senses to alertness and brought out the power and expres-
siveness in the orchestra… Staern´s phenomenal ability to orchestrate was
manifest in this exemplary performance of the work, in which Oramo´s en-
thusiastic conducting entered into every detail with such natural technical
self-assurance that it felt as if it were a piece from the standard repertoire…
El Mundo 6.5.
Benjamin Staern: Jubilate
Spanish premiere: Royal Stockholm PO/Sakari Oramo, 3.5.2018 Madrid, Spain
Pettersson in a new lightWhen they [Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg] have now come to the Fifth
(1962) and the Seventh (1967), we can only wonder how they managed
to get this incomparable music to expand purely spacially, without losing
any of its intensity. Moreover, I am more and more taken by how they bring
about a new kind of fi ltered light in Pettersson´s music that links him sound-
wise to a Nordic tradition – and it really sings. Dagens Nyheter 23.3.
Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos 5 & 7
CD: Norrköping SO/Christian Lindberg (BIS-SACD-2240)
Benjamin Staern
Phot
o: S
tefa
n So
lyom
Phot
o: P
etri
Nuut
inen
H I G H L I G H T S 2 / 2 0 1 8
A feast of percussionHis Symphony No. 3 is a milestone in the career of
Heiniö, now celebrating his 70th birthday, and a fi ne
summation of his artistic ambitions. Once again he
tests generic limits: the symphony is also a concerto
with percussions, piano, celesta and harp playing the
leading role… The young German conductor Anja
Bihlmaier extracts from the orchestra a rich sound
and intoxicating percussion rhythms. …A percussion
cadenza led the last movement, Run, to a familiar,
characteristic Heiniö canter, the inventiveness of its
orchestration persisting right up to the brilliant fi nal
thumps.
Turun Sanomat 20.5.
Mikko Heiniö: Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concer-
tante for Percussion and Orchestra)
World premiere: Turku PO/Anja Bihlmaier, 18.5. Turku, Finland
Grubinger delights in Aho
concertoAho’s work is a sort of world music in which the soloist
roams between the instruments…It comes alive in the
quality of the performance, distinctive impulsiveness
and rhythms, but also selected moments of calm.
Dresdner neueste Nachrichten 29.4.
Kalevi Aho: Sieidi (Concerto for Percussion and
Orchestra)
Dresdner Philharmonie/ Michael Sanderling, sol. Martin Grubinger,
15.4.2018
Captivating PuumalaPuumala’s Angular Objects in Liquid Time was truly
angular, edgy, rough and complex, but also captivat-
ingly intensive. Rondo 5-2018
Veli-Matti Puumala: Angular Objects in Liquid Time
World premiere: Defunensemble, 12.4.2018 Tampere, Finland
Focus on HeininenHeininen writes inventively for both violin and pi-
ano, but his piano writing is especially refi ned, full
of glittering fi gures and fi ne sounds.
Hufvudstadsbladet 6.5.
Carefully weighed-up musical art lent impetus
by modernism and brimming with detail, and re-
quiring full immersion. If the listener is prepared
to work, i.e. to be present and curious, the reward
is incomparable musical fl ashes of insight.
Helsingin Sanomat 6.5.
Paavo Heininen: 80th birthday concert (See:
Premieres)
Kaija Saarikettu, violin, Juhani Lagerspetz, piano, 4.5.2018
Helsinki, Finland
A sunny concerto by TurriagoTurriago’s sunny concerto awakens programmatic
thoughts, which is not surprising in the case of his
music…Basically minimalistic, his music nevertheless
turns briskly in new directions and is easily accessible,
melodic, rhythmically clear, and well-controlled. Once
he has had his say, Turriago closes the score at pre-
cisely the right moment. Aamulehti 27.2.
Tuomas Turriago: Concerto for Chamber Ensemble
World premiere: TampereRaw/Tuomas Turriago, 25.2.2018 Tampere,
Finland
Seriously enjoyable musicDag Wirén’s music is an experience to be recommend-
ed to anyone… his 1937 Serenade for Strings is seri-
ously enjoyable music – unpretentious, immaculate-
ly scored and not a note too long… What a superb
beginning this piece [Symphony No. 3] has, its wind
writing lifted from late Sibelius, though the brassy,
percussive writing is highly individual… Where has
this music been hiding? Rumon Gamba secures en-
thusiastic, colourful playing from the Iceland Sym-
phony Orchestra… Wirén’s 1953 Divertimento has a
weight and seriousness which belies its title, whereas
a youthful Sinfonietta is frothy fun from start to fi nish.
Theartsdesk.com 31.3.
An eminently recommendable disc.
Gramophone March 2018
Dag Wirén: Symphony No. 3, Sinfonietta, Serenade
for Strings, Divertimento
CD: Iceland SO/Rumon Gamba (Chandos CHSA5194)
Hypnotic AphroditeIt is an orchestrally striking work. Mezzo-soprano Kati-
ja Dragojevic sings a calm and balanced invocation of
the goddess of love: ”Aphrodite, be now my sister in
battle”. But under the surface the music is bubbling
with gnawing restlessness and carnal passion… for
the most part it is hypnotic.
Göteborgsposten 6.5.
Marie Samuelsson: Aphrodite – Fragments by
Sappho – Love Trilogy No. 1
Gothenburg SO/Mei-Ann Chen, sol. Katija Dragojevic, mezzo-soprano,
4.5.2018 Gothenburg, Sweden
Riveting choral musicThis is one of the most riveting choral discs I’ve ever
come across! Based mainly on folk music and other
traditional sources but dressed in modern outfi t and
with sometimes disrespectful accessories, the music
is challenging, entertaining, often great fun and all
the time inspirational.
MusicWeb International April 2018
Choral works by Erland von Koch, Bengt Ollén, Jan
Sandström, Sven-David Sandström, etc.
CD: 441 Hz Chamber Choir/Anna Wilczewska (DUX 1405 ‘Song of the
North’)
Acclaim for Karlsson’s BIS releaseLars Karlsson’s fi rm, aesthetic grasp on his new disc is
easy to admire… Hufvudstadsbladet 31.1.
Karlsson is a natural
composer of vocal
music with a knack for
writing easily fl owing
melodies. Suovanen’s
sumptuous baritone
is simply perfect for
the declamatory ex-
pression in the Seven
Songs…a fi ne work, a
fi ne performance. Melodiousness is also a salient fea-
ture of the Clarinet Concerto.
www.yle.fi 20.2.
Lars Karlsson: Seven Songs, Clarinet Concerto
CD: Lapland CO/John Storgårds, sol. Christoff er Sundqvist, clarinet,
Gabriel Suovanen, baritone (BIS-2286)
Mühlrad’s KataComposer stripling Jacob Mühlrad advanced toward
further clarity with ”Kata for Two Cellos and Percus-
sion”… It starts out with seasick and distorted strings
and gongs. Then dreamcatcher-like music seeks the
inner balance of martial art and goes to attack with
riffi ng cello tones… the sonorities are exquisite.
Dagens Nyheter 17.4.
Jacob Mühlrad: Kata
World premiere: Astrid Lindell, cello, Marie Macleod, cello, Mika
Takehara, percussion, 16.4.2018 Stockholm, Sweden
Marie
Samuelsson
Phot
o: Jo
sef D
oukk
ali
Jacob Mühlrad
Phot
o: E
lisab
eth
Ohls
on W
allin
Phot
o: Tu
rku
PO/S
eilo
Rist
imäk
i
Mikko HeiniöPaavo Heininen
Phot
o: M
usic
Fin
land
/Saa
ra V
uorjo
ki
N E W P U B L I C AT I O N S
DANIEL BÖRTZTre operakörer (Three Opera Choruses)for mixed choir1. Backanternas kör from the BacchaeText: Euripides (Sw)2. Aphrodite from MedeaText: Euripides (Sw)3. Käre, det är dags att gå in from Magnus GabrielText: Iwar Bergkwist (Sw)GE 13293
LARS KARLSSONSom en vågfor mixed choirText: Pär Lagerkvist (Swe)FG 979-0-55011-417-3
Mina källor for mixed choirText: Karl-Erik Bergman (Swe)FG 979-0-55011-418-0
ROLF MARTINSSONClavis paradisifor soloists and mixed choirText: from Analecta hymnica (Latin)GE 13180
JAN SANDSTRÖMVuojnha bieggafor mixed choirText: Johan Märak (Sami)GE 13381
J. S. BACH/MATS BERGSTRÖM
ARRSei solo, Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001-1006transcribed for guitarGE 13291
MATS LARSSON GOTHEIn modo lidicofor string quartetGE 13258 (score and parts), GE 13259 (study score)
LARS KARLSSONSonata da camerafor double bass and piano FG 979-0-55011-416-6
Koralmetamorfoser/Chorale-metamorphosesfor fl ute, viola and harpFG 979-0-55011-419-7 (score and parts)
KIRMO LINTINENConcerto for Guitar FG 979-0-55011-413-5 (piano reduction with solo part)
OSKAR MERIKANTO/
ED. JAN LEHTOLA Collected works for organ (URTEXT)This critical edition presents for the fi rst time Merikanto’s complete works for organ: the earliest extensive concert pieces written in Finland.FG 979-0-55011-409-8
KAI NIEMINENHymnos IIfor solo hornFG 979-0-55011-425-8
Ariosofor solo horn FG 979-0-55011-426-5
Elegy (for Philip Milton Roth)for horn and harp FG 979-0-55011-427-2
Ancient Songs … (Dreaming of Queen of Sheba)for horn and piano FG 979-0-55011-428-9
THOMAS NIKLASSON Småländsk suitefor organGE 13370
HANNU POHJANNOROimages, hommagesfor quintet : fl , cl, vl, vcl, pfThis work was awarded with the second prize at the VIII International Henri Dutilleux Composition Contest in 2017. FG 979-0-55011-415-9 (score for one musician)
JEAN SIBELIUS/
ARR. ESA YLÖNENAndante festivoArrangement for organFG 979-0-55011-420-3
MARTIN SKAFTETwelve Preludes, Book 2for pianoGE 13246
ORCHESTRALCHAMBER & INSTRUMENTAL
CHORAL
N E W C D s
GÖSTA NYSTROEMSinfonia Concertantefor cello and orchestraGE 13395 (score), GE13396 (study score)
ALLAN PETTERSSONSymphonic MovementGE 11980 (score), GE13399 (study score)
MARIE SAMUELSSONAphrodite – Fragments by Sappho (Love Trilogy No. 1)for mezzo-soprano and orchestraGE 12476 (score), GE 12685 (study score)
JAN SANDSTRÖM/
ORCH: JOHAN DENKEFrån evighet till evighetfor soloists, mixed choir and orchestraGE 12708 (score), GE 12710 (vocal score with organ)
BENJAMIN STAERNHistorien om en prinsessa/The Princess’ Talefor actors, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, percussion, violin and double bassText: Mi Tyler (Sw/Eng)GE 13229 (score), GE 13231 (study score)
KALEVI AHOConcerto for Timpani and Orchestra, Concerto No.1 for Piano and OrchestraTurku PO/Erkki Lasonpalo, Eva Ollikainen, sol. Ari-Pekka Mäenpää, timpani, Sonja Fräki, pianoBIS-SACD 2306
KALEVI AHOSolo I (Tumultos), In Memoriam Pehr Henrik Nordgren
PEHR HENRIK NORDGRENSonata for violin solo Op. 104
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARAVariétudeRenate Eggebrecht, violinTroubadisc TRO-Cd 01452
HUGO ALFVÉNSymphony No. 1Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Lukasz BorowiczCPO 555 043-2
ERLAND VON KOCHI-i-o-hi-ho
BENGT OLLÉNTrilo, I denna ljuva sommartid
JAN SANDSTRÖMBiegga luohte
SVENDAVID SANDSTRÖMFour Songs of Love441 Hz Chamber Choir/Anna WilczewskaDUX 1405 (“Song of the North”)
ROLF MARTINSSONOpen Mind, Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson, A. S. in Memoriam, Concerto for OrchestraRoyal Stockholm PO/Andrew Manze/Sakari Oramo, sol. Lisa Larsson, sopranoBIS-SACD-2133 (“Presentiment”)
ALLAN PETTERSSONSymphonies Nos 5 & 7Norrköping SO/Christian LindbergBIS-SACD-2240
ALBERT SCHNELZERTales from Suburbia, Cello Concerto – Crazy Diamond, Brain Damage – Concerto for OrchestraGothenburg SO/Benjamin ShwartzBIS-SACD-2313
BENJAMIN STAERNOpposing DanceHaga Duo (Sareidah Hildebrand, fl ute, Joakim Lundström, guitar)Haga Musikproduktion (”Colours of Sweden”)
DAG WIRÉNSymphony No. 3, Serenade för Strings, Divertimento, Sinfonietta,Iceland SO/Rumon GambaChandos CHSA5194
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, SwedenTel. +46 8 610 06 00 • Fax +46 8 610 06 27www.gehrmans.se • info@gehrmans.seHire: hire@gehrmans.seWeb shop: www.gehrmans.seSales: sales@gehrmans.se
Fennica Gehrman Oy Ab
PO Box 158, FI-00121 Helsinki, FinlandTel. +358 10 3871 220 • Fax +358 10 3871 221www.fennicagehrman.fi • info@fennicagehrman.fi Hire: hire@fennicagehrman.fi Web shop: www.fennicagehrman.fi Sales: kvtilaus@kirjavalitys.fi (dealers)
BOOKS & TUTORSSAMI JUNTUNENGettin’ into Groove - Rytmi-musiikin etydejä (Etudes for piano) A delightful tutor and repertoire com-pendium, exploring the Afroamerican popular music genre. This version of the book is in Finnish. FG 979-0-55011-396-1
GÉZA SZILVAYColourstrings Violin ABC: Hand-book for Teachers and ParentsA new, completely revised English version off ering expert advice and support to teaching with the Colourstrings® method.FG 979-0-55011-249-0
ARJA SUORSARANNANMÄKIColour Keys – the Piano ABC: Opettajan opas B-kirjaan (Teacher’s Guide for Book B in Finnish).FG 979-055011-414-2
J
O
foGs
GSfGG
ASG(
Tre operakörer
För mezzosopran och blandad kör a cappella
HTfcvTG(
T
Sinfonia concertante
S C O R E
Gösta Nystroem
for violoncello and orchestra
TrOfo1thTe2Te3inTeG
Allan Pettersson
SYMFONISK SATSSymphonic Movement
(1973)
Score
(1973)
för alt/mezzosopran och orkester
S C O R E
Marie Samuelsson
AfroditeFragment av Sapfo
Kärlekstrilogi – nr 1
P A R T I T U R
för solister, blandad kör och orkester
Från evighet till evighet
Jan Sandströmorkestrering: Johan Denke
Historien om en prinsessaThe Princess’ Tale
S C O R E
Benjamin StaernMi Tyler
en pendang till ”Historien om en soldat”
a companion piece to “The Soldier’s Tale”
In modo lidico(Ein Heiliger Dankgesang)
for string quartet
S C O R E
Mats Larsson Gothe
CfcThG
JVfT(G
SMÅLÄNDSK SUITEMelodier ur Matthias Silvius Svenonis notbok
Arr: Thomas Niklasson
130
Tolv preludier, bok 2
Twelve Preludes, Book 2
for piano
Martin Skafte
inspired by
Claude Debussy’s Préludes: deuxième livre
Recommended