Einojuhani Rautavaara - Cantus Arcticus; Piano Concerto No. 1; Symphony No. 3 (Laura Mikkola; Hannu Lintu)

Information

Composer: Einojuhani Rautavaara

1. Cantus Arcticus, Op. 61 (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra): I. Suo (The Marsh) -
2. Cantus Arcticus, Op. 61 (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra): II. Melankolia (Melancholy) -
3. Cantus Arcticus, Op. 61 (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra): III. Joutsenet muuttavat (Swans Migrating)
4. Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 45: I. Con grandezza
5. Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 45: II. Andante (ma rubato)
6. Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 45: III. Molto vivace
7. Symphony No. 3, Op. 20: I. Langsam, breit, ruhig
8. Symphony No. 3, Op. 20: II. Langsam, doch nicht schleppend
9. Symphony No. 3, Op. 20: III. Sehr schnell
10. Symphony No. 3, Op. 20: IV. Bewegt

Laura Mikkola, piano (4-6)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

Date: 1998
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554147

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Review

If there is any truth to the notion that only sensible pricing will guarantee future demand for CDs, then this excellent new disc ought help spread the gripping musical gospel of Einojuhani Rautavaara far and wide. No other new music stands to benefit more from extensive exposure, not so much because of its quality (which in my book is beyond question), as because of an almost tangible connection with nature. Throughout this well-chosen programme, one constantly senses the joy of a man alone with the elements: awe-struck, contented and inspired. Bird-song comes from all directions, quite literally in the case of the ‘Concerto for birds and orchestra’ or Cantus arcticus, an Oulu University commission that sets taped bird-song against a rustic though often peaceful orchestral backdrop. Vaughan Williams springs to mind, especially in the second movement, ‘Melancholy’, where the birds enter first and ethereal strings follow. The piece ends with the reassuring cacophony of ‘Swans Migrating’, excellently recorded here.

The Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu is still in his early thirties and directs a fine performance, though I thought the flutes at the beginning of ‘The Bog’ (Cantus’s first movement) rather overaccentuated. The bird-song tape blends well with the music, more prominently than on Max Pommer’s Leipzig recording for Ondine/Catalyst, but with just as much atmosphere.

Ondine also offers fine alternative versions of the First Piano Concerto and Third Symphony (out of seven) but Lintu’s performances stand up well, most notably of the Brucknerian Symphony, an impressive and often dramatic work that begins and ends in the key of D minor. Rautavaara’s orchestration incorporates four Wagner tubas, though some of the finest material is also the quietest – the string writing from 6'50'' into the first movement and the ravishing episode that grows out of it, for example. The slow movement is sullen but haunting, the scherzo occasionally suggestive of Nielsen or Martinu and the finale brings the parallels with Bruckner fully within earshot.

Rautavaara’s piano concertos now number three (the latest was written for Ashkenazy), but the First has a brilliance and immediacy that should please both orchestral adventurers and piano aficionados. The solo writing employs clusters and much filigree fingerwork, but it is the noble, chorale-like second movement that leaves the strongest impression. Laura Mikkola gives a good performance, though Ondine’s Ralf Gothoni (again under Pommer) – who also offers us the Second Concerto – is both more focused and more colourful. Still, Naxos provide a marginally fuller sound picture as well as half an hour’s worth of extra music (73'32'' as compared with Ondine’s 42'25'') at a far cheaper price; but those who care about the work should also hear Gothoni. Viewed overall, this is an excellent CD, concisely annotated by the composer.

-- Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND: QUALITY: 9
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/Apr99/rautavaara.htm
http://www.classicalmusicsentinel.com/THRONE/throne-rautavaara-compilation.html
http://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.554147&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Rautavaara-Cantus-Arcticus-Concerto-Symphony/dp/B00000I7RC

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Einojuhani Rautavaara (9 October 1928 – 27 July 2016) was a Finnish composer of classical music. He is among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius. Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. These include 8 symphonies, 9 operas and 12 concerti, as well as numerous vocal and chamber works. Having written early works using 12-tone serial techniques, his later music may be described as Neo-romantic and mystical. Almost all of Rautavaara's works have been recorded by Ondine. Some of his major works have also been recorded by Naxos and BIS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einojuhani_Rautavaara

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Laura Mikkola (born 3 February 1974 in Helsinki) is a Finnish pianist. Mikkola has studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and the University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. She studied with Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, Dmitri Baskirov, Tapani Valsta and attended master-classes of Ferenc Rados. She has performed internationally since the mid-90s. She is well known for her recordings of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Piano Concertos and piano works for Naxos Records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mikkola
http://www.naxos.com/person/Laura_Mikkola/512.htm

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Hannu Lintu (born 13 October 1967, Rauma, Finland) is a Finnish conductor. Lintu studied piano and cello at the Turku Conservatory and at the Sibelius Academy, and studied conducting with Atso Almila, Jorma Panula and Eri Klas. He was chief conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (1998-2001), Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (2009-2013) and is currently chief conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (since 2013). Lintu has conducted commercial recordings for such labels as Claves, Dacapo, Danacord, Hyperion, Naxos, and Ondine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannu_Lintu

http://www.hannulintu.fi/

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