Aho’s song cycle is set to poems of a Finnish modernist Tuomas Anhava (1927-2001). The composer tells: “I tried to create a work in which the words and the music were organically one. These autumnal poems immediately began to sound as music in my mind since they have a very beautiful musical ring and rhythm.”…
Scored for piano left hand and string quartet, Mysterium (2019) consists of four movements performed without a break. Inspired by the last, unfinished work, by Alexander Scriabin, Mysterium is a piano quintet dedicated to pianist Izumi Tateno. It is founded throughout on six-part Scriabin-like harmonies that also served as a basis for the melodic material….
A large-scale work in four movements lasting over half an hour, Kalevi Aho’s Sonata for violoncello and piano (2019) in four movements is furios, virtuosic and poweful, with a lyrical second movement. The third movement is a cello cadenza, provided in two versions: with and without throat singing. 55011-673-3, € 29,90
The Viola Concerto is part of an entire concert, which Kalevi Aho composed for the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland to be premiered in 2007. Concerto is in a single movement, but it nevertheless contains slower and faster episodes of varying or contrasting character. The piece also includes a demanding cadenza. Duration 24 min. Solo part…
The guitar miniature Törö (2007) is dedicated to the guitarist Petri Kumela. Törö is Finnish for Gudgeon (Gobio gobio), a species of fish living in fresh-water streams. It communicates with special creaks, also heard in the composition. 55011-351-0, € 11,90
This work is scored for a string orchestra of twenty players. The piano part is honouring the ‘Beethovenian-Lisztian-Brahmsian’ pianistic tradition. At times it is lean and linear, but the work also contains multi-layered, full-toned piano textures and massive rolling octaves. The 30-minute concerto requires great artistry on the part of the performer. It comprises 3…
In spring 2006 Kalevi Aho came across the posthumously published The Book of Questions (1974) by Pablo Neruda. It consists of short, exquisite questions which force the reader to look at things from an entirely new perspective. Aho selected some of the texts for this 24-minute song cycle (2006) and combined their Finnish translation (by…
La Violina for 4 violins introduces technics used in modern music and it is challenging yet not overly difficult for young musicians who are about to start their professional studies. All the four parts of this 8-minute piece are equally important. Two fast movements frame the slower, cantabile-like middle movement.Score & parts 55011-616-0, € 27,50
Kalevi Aho composed the second violin concerto in 2015 for the Finnish violinist Elina Vähälä. The 32-minute concerto is a large-scale virtuoso work dominated by the soloist. The piano reduction is made by Kari Vehmanen. Solo part & piano reduction 55011-615-3, € 43,50
Halla (1992) was made as the compulsory piece for a Nordic violin and piano duo competition in Vaasa 1992. For some reason the competition was however cancelled so the piece was not premiered until 1994 by Semmy Stahlhammer and Juhani Lagerspetz at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. Duration 8 minutes. 55011-496-8, € 13,50
