Ahmet Adnan Saygun - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Ari Rasilainen)

Information

Composer: Ahmet Adnan Saygun

1. (01) Symphony No. 1, Op. 29
2. (05) Symphony No. 2, Op. 30

Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
Ari Rasilainen, connductor

Date: 2002
Label: cpo

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Review

Turkish composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-91) speaks in a very powerful, ethnically inflected language that shares many characteristics with that of Bartók. His melodic style clearly derives from the folk music of his homeland, but Saygun employs elements that permit him to expand his harmonic vocabulary rather then emphasizing "cute", primitive, or merely nationalistic traits. He also exercises strict formal control over his materials, and these two symphonies (he composed five in all) share a concern with brevity, economy of means, and well-constructed musical sentences and paragraphs.

The First Symphony requires small orchestral forces but never sounds inhibited because of the fresh way that Saygun uses his carefully chosen instruments, with particularly bold writing for horns and solo woodwinds. The opening has a modal quality that recalls Nielsen or Holmboe, but the heart of the work is the haunting second-movement Adagio--austere but also very expressive. The Second Symphony enlarges the orchestral palette to take in some extra winds and percussion, and concludes with a fascinating, swift, and whispery chromatic fugue for strings and celesta (shades of Bartók indeed!) that gradually works its way up to a shocking, resounding minor-key ending.

Koch already has released a fine performance of the First Symphony, coupled with a shorter string orchestra piece, but this disc offers better value alongside equally fine interpretation and recording. Ari Rasilainen has made numerous excellent discs for CPO, most notably his series of Atterberg Symphonies, and he gets fine playing from the Rheinland-Pfalz orchestra here. Hopefully, this release will mark the beginning of a more systematic exploration of an important, gifted 20th century composer, and of the Turkish school in general.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Oct02/Saygun_Ahmed_Adnan.htm
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ahmed-adnan-saygun-symphonies-1-2-mw0001399602

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Ahmet Adnan Saygun (7 September 1907 – 6 January 1991) was a Turkish composer, musicologist and writer on music. One of a group of composers known as the Turkish Five who pioneered western classical music in Turkey, his works show a mastery of Western musical practice, while also incorporating traditional Turkish folk songs and culture. His extensive output includes five symphonies, five operas, two piano concertos, concertos for violin, viola and cello, and a wide range of chamber and choral works. Saygun was known not only as a composer but also as a scholar, an ethnomusicologist, and a teacher.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmet_Adnan_Saygun

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Ari Rasilainen (born 18 February 1959 in Helsinki) is a Finnish conductor. Rasilainen studied under Jorma Panula (conducting) at the Sibelius Academy, and later under Arvid Jansons (conducting) and Alexander Lobko (violin) in Berlin. He started his career as a violinist and was leader of the 2nd violins with the Helsinki Philharmonic (1980-1986). Rasilainen was Chief Conductor of the Lappeenranta City Orchestra (1984-1989), the Norwegian Radio Symphony (1994-2002), and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (2002-2009). He has recorded More than 50 recordings for various labels.
https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Rasilainen
http://www.arirasilainen.fi/

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