For such a small country, Finland has produced a disproportionate number of the most prominent composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including Einojuhani Rautavaara, Aulis Sallinen, Jukka Tiensuu, Kalevi Aho, Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Aho, born in 1949, is one of the most prolific of the bunch, with a catalog of dozens of major works, including symphonies, concertos, and operas. While his voice doesn't have the distinctive individuality of Rautavaara or Saariaho, his music is ...
Read More
For such a small country, Finland has produced a disproportionate number of the most prominent composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including Einojuhani Rautavaara, Aulis Sallinen, Jukka Tiensuu, Kalevi Aho, Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Aho, born in 1949, is one of the most prolific of the bunch, with a catalog of dozens of major works, including symphonies, concertos, and operas. While his voice doesn't have the distinctive individuality of Rautavaara or Saariaho, his music is imaginative and skillfully crafted, with an appealing directness and expressiveness. The concept behind this BIS album is intriguing: the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland commissioned him to write the pieces for an entire concert, to be recorded on a single CD. The focal point is his Symphony No. 14, "Rituals," preceded by a song cycle, The Book of Questions, for mezzo-soprano, and a Viola Concerto. The songs, with texts by Neruda, consist entirely of questions, mostly unanswerable, grouped...
Read Less
