Aho, Kalevi

Aho’s Quartet for flute, alto saxophone, guitar & percussion (1982) was written for Cluster ensemble, which is the reason for the particular combination of instruments. Dramatic and tragic evolution of the three-movement 22-minute work culminates in the wild percussion cadenza, which is followed by a quiet epilogue. Buy now

Kalevi Aho wrote the hilarious, virtuosic and compact "Berliner Bagatelle" in winter 2018 at the request of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet as a sort of concert encore. Duration 5 minutes.

The latest addition to Aho’s sequel for solo instrument pieces: Solo XVII takes a notice to the special features of the clavichord, which is different from that of a piano or harpsichord. The piece was premiered by Michael Hasel in October 2021.

Among the ambitious composition projects by Aho has been to write a concerto for each of the main instruments in the Romantic symphony orchestra. In 2011 the Horn Concerto was completed. The speciality of the work is that the soloist moves around the concert hall during the course of the work. Duration 27 minutes.Solo horn…

Kalevi Aho’s guitar concerto (2018) is in seven movements performed without a break and each using the guitar in a different way. Duration ca. 30 minutes. Solo part 55011-710-5, 24,90 € Buy now

Kalevi Aho composed this piece for oboe in 2015 for the 60th anniversary of his brother Keijo Aho, who also premiered the work. The 10-minute work has five movements and is suitable also for advanced students. Each movement portrays a muse of the Greek mythology. 55011-493-7, € 13,90

Kalevi Aho composed ER-OS in 2015 as a wedding gift for conductor-clarinetist Osmo Vänskä and violinist Erin Keefe and named the work with the initials of their names. The virtuosic work is divided in three parts, the overall duration c. 11 minutes. 2 Playing scores: 55011-687-0, € 18,90

In spring 2020 the coronavirus began to spread throughout the world and in many places people were subjected to quarantine. It was then that the Japanese violist Hiyoli Togawa proposed to the record label BIS to release a viola disc entitled Songs of Solitude of short pieces by different contemporary composers as a reflection of…