Ron Chaplin wrote:
>On the back of the Naxos Einar Englund disc, (8.553758), is a short
>description of the composer. The description states that the Englund
>was the first to "seriously challenge the status of Sibelius and Madetoja."
>This the first I've heard of Madetoja and I'm wondering if any list members
>have heard his music and what they think of it.
While I wouldn't compare Englund and Madetoja stylistically, I do think
Madetoja's music is very worthwhile. As already mentioned, Madetoja was a
generation later than Sibelius, and belongs to a group of talented Finnish
composers who were born in the last quarter of the 19th century. These
composers are:
Erkki Gustav Melartin (1875-1937)
Leevi Antti Madetoja (1887-1947)
Yrjo Henrik Kilpinen (1892-1959)
Aarre Merikanto (1893-1958)
Uuno Kalervo Klami (1900-1961)
I only know Kilpinen from his cello sonata (Vox Cum Laude MCD10050, NLA),
though he was primarily a composer of nearly one thousand songs.
Madetoja was a student of Sibelius at the Helsinki Music Institute.
Here's what Hannu Lampila has to say in the New Grove:
Madetoja was a leading member of the Finnish national romantic
movement which followed Sibelius. He made use of the folktunes of
Ostrobothnia, dark and heavy melodies tinged by church modes; at
the same time he was influenced by contemporary French music. His
orchestration was particularly skillful, approaching the clarity of
chamber music.
I came to Madetoja first through the Finlandia recordings from the early
1980s by Leif Segerstam with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Jorma
Panula with the Helsinki Philharmonic, all long since deleted. There are
apparently seven major symphonic works on CD so far, and they are (in
chronological order):
Symphonic Poem "Kullervo", Op. 15 (1913)
Symphony #1 in F Major, Op. 29 (1916)
Symphony #2 in E Flat Major, Op. 35 (1918)
Opera Suite "The Ostrobothnians", Op. 52 (1923)
"Comedy" Overture, Op. 53 (1923)
Symphony #3 in A Major, Op. 55 (1926)
Ballet Suite "Okon Fuoko", Op. 58 (1927)
All seven were available on Finlandia at one time, and there is a more
recent recording on Finlandia by Jukka-Pekka Saraste, once again with
the Finnish RSO, which I have not heard. But I can urgently recommend
the complete symphonies by Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra
on Chandos. I bought them when they are available as individual releases,
but they are about to be re-released this month as a mid-priced 2CD set
(CHAN6626). Oddly, Chandos is still offering the same set released two
years ago (CHAN7097), for only $3 more. Here are the corresponding links
to Amazon:
New set:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004W3JF/classicalnetA/
Old set:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000009QB9/classicalnetA/
It should be noted that Chandos only recorded six of the seven works above,
so the set does not include the short (15 minute) symphonic poem on the
Kullervo, which is a gem. The New Grove also lists another half dozen or
so orchestral suites, so perhaps another disc in the future would not be
out of the question. I've heard none of his chamber works, though there
are a number of works for violin listed, as well as his first published
work, the piano trio Op. 1.
Let's back up for a minute and talk abut Melartin. I would characterize
Melartin and Madetoja as very similar in style. He was also trained in
Helsinki in the shadow of Sibelius, and later returned as director from
1911 to 1936. During his lifetime, his most popular works were his
numerous piano pieces, many of a salon character.
On a whim a few years back, I picked up the Ondine disc with his second
and fourth symphonies (ODE822). It made such an impression I returned
the very next day to buy the fifth and sixth symphonies (ODE799). I would
have gotten the third symphony disc as well (ODE841), but it took over two
years for me to find a copy. Since then, Ondine has also released a disc
containing the violin concerto, and another disc of piano music. Alas, I
was never able to find the piano music disc, and it's not currently listed
at the Ondine site. The availability of the symphonies has improved this
last year with a re-release by Ondine of all six symphonies in a 3CD set
priced as 2CDs (ODE921).
The violin concerto has actually received two recordings I'm aware of,
both on Ondine. The one I have is by John Storgards and the Tampere
Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Segerstam (ODE923, coupled with the
suites listed below), and the other is by Jorma Hynninen also with the
Tampere Philharmonic this time conducted by Ulf Soderblom in an anthology
set titled "Summer Moods" (ODE880)
This gives us nine major symphonic works on CD so far, and they are (in
chronological order):
Symphony #1 in C minor, Op. 30 (1902)
Symphony #2 in E minor (1904)
Symphony #3 in F Major, Op. 40 (1907)
Suite "Sleeping Beauty", Op. 22 (1911)
Symphony #4 "Summer" in A minor, Op. 80 (1912)
Suite lyrique #3 "Impressions of Belgium" (1914)
Symphony #5 "Sinfonia brevis" in A minor, Op. 90 (1916)
Symphony #6, Op. 100 (1924)
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 60 (1930)
The New Grove lists another four symphonic poems or suites, including a set
of Karelian Pictures, which should fill out another disc nicely. There's
also four string quartets waiting to be recorded, but alas no piano trios.
Here are the Amazon links for the CDs discussed above:
Complete symphonies:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001W08G/classicalnetA/
Symphonies #2 & 4:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000377Y/classicalnetA/
Symphonies #5 & 6:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000377O/classicalnetA/
Violin concerto & suites:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000J8R7/classicalnetA/
"Summer Moods":
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003796/classicalnetA/
Forward nearly a generation, we come to Aarre Merikanto. I'm relatively
new to Merikanto, having had my first exposure to his music this summer.
Based on my limited exposure so far, I would characterize Merikanto's music
as being the most "modern" of the five composers listed. His father, Oskar
(1868-1924) was a composer and conductor trained in Leipzig and Berlin had
the distinction of composing the first opera in Finnish, "Pohjan neiti"
(Maid of the North). The younger Merikanto studied in Helsinki with
Melartin, and then in Leipzig with Max Reger and Sergey Vasilenko in
Moscow. Here's what Erkki Salmenhaara wrote of his music in the New Grove:
In Leipzig he developed his contrapuntal technique, but it was in
Moscow that he was most decisively influenced - by the harmonic and
orchestral effects of Skryabin. His mature style may be seen as a
fusion of chromatic polyphony, Russian "mystical" colour and Finnish
folkdance rhythms; he was one of the pioneers of highly chromatic,
and highly coloured, writing in Finland, and for years, even decades,
his endeavors were not understood. Many works remained unperformed
at his death...
As far as I can tell, there are ten major symphonic works on CD so far, and
they are (in chronological order):
Tone Poem "Lemminkainen", Op. 10 (1916)
Tone Poem "Pan", Op. 28 (1924)
Four Compositions for Orchestra (1932)
Andante religioso for Orchestra (1933)
Scherzo for Orchestra (1937)
Piano Concerto #2 (1937)
Two Pieces for Orchestra (1941)
Cello Concerto #2 (1944)
Piano Concerto #3 (1955)
Two Studies for Small Orchestra (1958)
The cello concerto performed by Jan-Erik Gustafsson with, who else,
the Finnish RSO led by Sakari Oramo is on Ondine (ODE861) coupled with
Prokofieff's Sinfonia Concertante, and I have not heard this CD. There's
another early cello concerto from 1919, four violin concertos, the first
piano concerto (1913) as well as four symphonies yet to be recorded. Go,
Ondine, go. The two disc I have are his earlier orchestral works (the
first five works listed above on ODE905), which I would recommend to the
uninitiated, and the piano concertos with later orchestral works (ODE915).
There's also a disc of chamber music and choral works, containing the
concerto for violin, clarinet, horn and string quartet (1925) and the nonet
for flute, English horn, clarinet, piano and string quintet (1926) that I
have not heard (Ondine ODE703), though I wasn't too impressed by the
samples available online.
Here are the Amazon links for the CDs discussed above:
Orchestral works:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007NG0/classicalnetA/
Piano concertos #2 & 3, etc.:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DMKZ/classicalnetA/
Cello concerto #2 (w/ Prokofieff):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000378S/classicalnetA/
Chamber & choral works:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000376P/classicalnetA/
Merikanto's contemporary Uuno Klami was likewise a longtime student of
Melartin in Helsinki, and studied abroad with Ravel in Paris, and Willner
in Vienna where he learned to write Straussian waltzes. Unlike the other
composers mentioned in this post, he generally eschewed nationalistic
influences in favor of impressionism. Once again I'll quote from the New
Grove, this time from an article by Ilkka Oramo:
When Klami had completed his studies, his interests were focussed
on contemporary European trends, and above all the French school;
according to his own statement, he felt at this time little sympathy
with nationalist music, and attitude that was in part a reaction
against the prevailing Finnish taste for decidedly Romantic nationalism
in music. [Works from the early 1920s] clearly illustrate his
connections with impressionism in general and his admiration for
Ravel in particular. ...
Yet in 1927 Klami had composed a Karelian Rhapsody based on Finnish
folktunes. His approach to folk music was, however, quite different
from that of the older generation of nationalists, who often contented
themselves with a simple chorale-like harmonization of traditional
melodies. Klami's strength was that he understood the national
heritage within a wider context: he used folk music because of its
appeal as music, and not because of its national provenance, and so
the place of the Finnish element in his work can be compared with
that of the Spanishness in Ravel, or better with that of the Russian
quality in early Stravinsky. ...
In the early 1930s Kajanus suggested to Klami that he should write
an orchestral composition on episodes from the Kalevala. The result
was the Kalevala Suite [1933, thoroughly revised in 1943, that was
to] become the most widely known of his compositions. Initially
planned as a ballet score, it is the work that most evidently
demonstrates Klami's debt to the Stravinsky of the Russian ballets,
even if its orchestration and thematic treatment also recall Sibelius
and sometimes Debussy. The scoring is marked by transparency, a
sense of colour and virtuoso writing, and Klami's excellent orchestral
technique enabled him to throw new light on national themes and folk
melodies that earlier composers had used less convincingly. But he
was not just a folklorist. In the most important works after the
Kalevala Suite he turned away from Finnish materials. ...
You could say that Klami's music represents maturation of an
international Finnish style begun by Sibelius. Of the five composers
discussed here in depth, I tend to enjoy Klami's music the most. It's
evocative, imaginative, full of joy, and much of it is just plain fun
without a trace of silliness. Among the composers discussed here, Klami's
music is the best represented on CD, and as far as I can tell there are at
least eighteen major symphonic works recorded so far. They are (in
chronological order):
Karelian Rhapsody, Op. 15 (1927)
Symphonie enfantine, Op. 17 (1928)
"Hommage a Haendel" for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 21 (1931)
"Sea Pictures" Suite (1932)
Symphonic Poem "Lemminkainen's Island Adventures" (1934)
"Sarja jousiorkesterille" Suite for Strings (1937)
Symphony #1 (1938)
"Suommenlinna" Overture, Op. 30 (1940)
"Kalevala" Suite, Op. 23 (1933/1943)
Violin Concerto, Op. 32 (1943/1954)
"King Lear" Overture, Op. 33 (1945)
Symphony #2, Op. 35 (1945)
"Pyoralilija" (The Cyclist) for Orchestra (1946)
"Sarja pienelle orkesterille" Suite for Small Orchestra, Op. 37 (1946)
"Aurora Borealis" for Orchestra (1946)
"Karelian Marketplace" for Orchestra, Op. 39 (1950?)
Theme, 7 Variations & Coda for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 44 (1954)
"Pyorteita" (Whirls), Ballet & Suites, Act 1 (1957-1960)
There are too many available recordings for me to list them here. BIS
has planned a complete cycle of all of Klami's orchestral music, and they
appear to be about halfway complete with five releases (BIS-CD-575, 656,
676, 696 & 806). Unfortunately, none of the online sources I checked seem
to be listing these discs. Any of them. Very odd. Therefore, though I
think BIS's releases are excellent and worth seeking out (I have two of
them), I'll instead recommend first the excellent Naxos release containing
"Sea Pictures", "Lemminkainen's Adventures", "Kalevala" Suite, and
"Suommenlinna" Overture played by the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra led by
Jorma Panula (8.553757).
This Naxos disc is definitely the best introduction to Klami's music.
Next I'd recommend the two Ondine releases performed by Tuomas Ollila and
the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra: Symphony #1 and "King Lear" Overture
(ODE854); and Symphonie enfantine and Symphony #2 (ODE858). Also available
is a disc with the "Sea Pictures", "Karelian" Rhapsody, and "Kalevala"
Suite performed by Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on
Chandos (CHAN9268). I have not heard this last, but given the performers
(same as on the Madetoja set above) and the contents, it is probably
self-recommending.
Naxos:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007N5Z/classicalnetA/
Symphony #1, etc.:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000378M/classicalnetA/
Symphony #2, etc.:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000378P/classicalnetA/
Chandos:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000000AUF/classicalnetA/
A word on these links: I included them for two reason. First, the
Amazon database (and many such databases) is not completely consistent,
and searching on a composer name does not always bring up all releases
(sometimes they put the composer name in the "title" or "performer"
fields). Second, I get a small commission for pointing people towards
Amazon.
One final comment. Jane Erb earlier gave a strong recommendation for
Madetoja. My advice is to heed her word on this. Such is my general
distrust of music written this century that I lived for nearly two years
without the wonderful music of Peterson-Berger, a composer similarly
recommended by Jane way back when. Though it may be hard to find, there
is some great music from this century beyond the handful of best-known
composers.
Dave
[log in to unmask]
http://www.classical.net/
|
