Pohjannoro, Hannu

(*1963)

Hannu Pohjannoro (born on 4 July 1963) has made a name for himself as a composer of restrained music reduced to the bare essentials and “engraved with a sonorous quill pen”, as someone once put it; and he is in thrall to pianissimo. The most interesting thing in music is, he says, being strange, not extreme: the encounter of the recognisable and unrecognisable, ambiguity. A confessed modernist, he also stresses the importance in composing of a familiarity with and understanding of (all kinds of) traditions: his musical thinking has been most influenced by such composers as Beethoven and Cage.

Pohjannoro, who holds a Doctorate in music, studied at the Sibelius Academy as a pupil of Einojuhani Rautavaara, Kalevi Aho and Paavo Heininen, at the Berlin University of the Arts with Dieter Schnebel, and in many masterclasses in Darmstadt, Viitasaari and elsewhere. His output comprises some fifty works: instrumental music from solo to orchestral, songs and choral works, and music for the stage. Music by him has been performed by many front-line musicians and ensembles at a number of festivals both Finnish and foreign.

Hannu Pohjannoro’s images, hommages for ensemble (fl/picc, cl/bcl, vl, vlc, pf) scored success at the 8th International Henri Dutilleux composition competition in 2017. Other works include Ecce homo (2008) for chamber orchestra, wind trail (tuulenpolku) for 12 players, time through light (valoa vasten aika) – concerto for horn quartet and orchestra (2011) and twilight whirl (hämäränpyörre) for clarinet and string orchestra.

In addition to composing, Pohjannoro has played an active role in such organisations as Korvat Auki (Ears Open), Ung Nordisk Musik, the Society of Finnish Composers and the Finnish Composers’ Copyright Society (Teosto). He has taught composition and music theory at the Sibelius Academy, the Helsinki Conservatory and the University of Helsinki, Department of Musicology and has been a senior lecturer at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences.

Ecce Homo

(2007-2008)

for chamber orchestra

1(+picc,+altfl).1(+c.ing).1(+cl.b).1-1.0.0.0-str(33221)

Duration: 20

eilisen linnut / the birds of yesterday

(1993-1994)

fl, ob, cl, hn, mar, vl, vla, vlc, cb

Duration: 8

the wind trail / tuulenpolku

chamber concerto (2000)

fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, perc, pno, 2vln, vla, vlc, db

Duration: 20

twilight whirl / hämäränpyörre

concerto for clarinet and string orchestra

str(66442)

Duration: 13

valoa vasten aika / time through light

concerto for horn quartet and orchestra (2010-11)

4 corni soli 3(I=picc)3(III=c.ing)3(II+cl.picc.III=cl.basso)3(III=c.fag-0331-13-str Percussione: I: Marimba, Cymbals (high, medium), Piatto sospeso, Gran cassa, Cow Bells II: Cymbals (high, medium), Crotali, 5 Temple Blocks, Gran cassa III: Tam-tam, 3 Cymbals (high, medium, low), 5 Temple Blocks, Triangolo, 5 Cow Bells

Duration: 20

Hannu Pohjannoro: images, hommages
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images, hommages ( YouTube)