Hello all Just a very informal recommendation of the new BIS release of
Rautavaara's "Cantus Arcticus," "Angel of Light," and his Flute Concerto,
"Dances with the Winds."

I've been a Cantus Arcticus fan, bird chirping and all, since its release
on the Ondine label, (re-released on Catalyst), with Pommer and the Leipzig
RSO.  Cast in three movt's, the melodies are long-limbed, gratifying, and
simple; the orchestra plays against a background of bird-song recorded by
the composer himself.  Though I liked the Pommer, there were some wayward
horns in the 3rd mov't that spoiled the performance for me.

A Naxos release of "Cantus Arcticus" features the Scottish National
Orchestra under Hannu Lintu.  In this case the orchestra was fine but the
balance between the orchestra and the birds seemed a little off to me.
And the bird recording contained a marked amount of tape hiss.  (Oh, how
the future historians will weep for us and our tribulations.)

The new BIS features the Lahti Symphony with Osmo Vanska *and* a new and
improved tape recording by the composer that is instantly more satisfying
to me in terms of both balance and sound.  Horns are well behaved and
strings glow appropriately.

A surprise on the CD was the "Angel of Light." I have always been a
sucker for Rautavaara's signature "orchestral billowings," which can be
found in any number of works from the Violin Concerto to the "Angels"
series--imposing and mysterious brass chorales underpinned by rushes of
bells, harps, strings, celestas; you name it--very effective and dramatic
for me.

What is so nice about "Angel of Light," is that for the first time I'm
sensing an overall tightness of structure and a sustaining of pathos
that I've missed in other Rautavaara works, good as they are.  And in the
finale of Light, I've got to say that he outdoes himself in the ecstasy
department, delivering some amazing rushes of sound that are tonally based
but definitely new and fresh.

Maybe this is some of the good "C Major" music Schoenberg was talking
about.

John Smyth