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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Aulis Sallinen - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7 (Ari Rasilainen)


Information

Composer: Aulis Sallinen
  1. A Solemn Overture (King Lear), Op.75
  2. Symphony No. 1, Op. 24
  3. Chorali
  4. Symphony No. 7, Op. 71 'The Dreams of Gandalf'

Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
Ari Rasilainen, conductor

Date: 2003
Label: cpo

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen’s reputation rests on his operas, particularly the first two (The Red Line and The Horseman) which, together with Kokkonen’s The Last Temptations, at one stroke put the Finnish National Opera on the world musical map and also offered composers a fruitful territory to explore–one that had not already been covered by Sibelius. Sallinen’s orchestral music, on the other hand, is something of a mixed bag. The notes to this excellent new release point out that his embrace of tonality in the 1970s was a radical step for a composer in his position, but it’s not surprising given that his music largely disdains traditional counterpoint and lives on coloristic and (above all) harmonic effects.

The string passage in A Solemn Overture that immediately follows eruptive brass fanfares quite clearly reveals how much mileage Sallinen is able to get out of simple major and minor chords. However, while this style of writing is excellent as a means of creating atmosphere in the theatre, it runs a risk of sounding static when taken on its own. This same Solemn Overture, the most recent work on the disc, shows a certain want of momentum despite its skillful deployment of tunes and resourceful orchestration for standard orchestra, with no exotic “extras” in winds, brass, or percussion. It’s very listenable, for sure, and quite attractive, but I find it difficult to shake the notion that as with so much film and stage music, it consists largely of atmospheric accompaniment to something else.

Fortunately, none of the other works here elicits any doubts. Symphony No. 1 evolves organically from the tiny motive played by winds and glockenspiel at the very opening in a sort of free rondo form that lasts barely 14 minutes. Chorali does much the same, and the title further emphasizes the importance of harmony, the simple contrast between consonance and dissonance, in the composer’s mature style. Symphony No. 7, subtitled “The Dreams of Gandalf”, arose out of music intended for a ballet based on The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps because the music was intended for the dance, it’s the most energetic and impulsive piece on the disc, full of captivating tunes cloaked in absolutely magical orchestration (Sallinen is particularly adept in his use of tuned percussion). It would be a hit at any concert and at 25 minutes it’s not a moment too long.

The performances under Ari Rasilainen have the imprimatur of the composer himself, and they equal or surpass previous recordings of this music in Symphony No. 1 and Chorali. Rasilainen knocks a couple of minutes off of Okku Kamu’s timing in the former (BIS), and it’s all to the good. The Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, not always the most reliable of the German radio orchestras, plays very well too, and as with all of these CPO productions the engineering is top-notch.

As the first in a projected series of Sallinen orchestral works, this couldn’t be more promising. In particular, I look forward to the chance to hear all of the symphonies with these forces. Despite the occasional reservation, Sallinen is a potent force in contemporary music and a composer with an entirely personal style. He deserves the attention.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Mar04/sallinen17.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Aulis-Sallinen-Symphonies-1-7/dp/B0000DB4YD

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Aulis Sallinen (born 9 April 1935) is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. He attended the Sibelius Academy and studied with Aarre Merikanto and Joonas Kokkonen, among others. Though Sallinen was a known teacher and was on many boards of directors, his compositions were not particularly noted until he was made "Artist Professor" by the Finnish government in 1976, letting him concentrate on composing. He has had works commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, and has also written 7 operas, 8 symphonies, concertos for violin, cello, flute, horn, and English horn, as well as chamber works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aulis_Sallinen

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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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