1. Quintet for Clarinet & String Quartet: 1. Quarter note = 72 - Presto e leggierissimo
2. Quintet for Clarinet & String Quartet: 2. Quarter note = 116 - Andante
3. Quintet for Clarinet & String Quartet: 3. Quarter note = 80 - Cadenza
4. Quintet for Clarinet & String Quartet: 4. Furioso, prestissimo
5. Quintet for Clarinet & String Quartet: 5. Epilogue. Andante
6. Trio for Clarinet, Viola & Piano
7. Sonata for 2 Accordions: 1. Prelude (Molto rubato) and Passacaglia
8. Sonata for 2 Accordions: 2. Prelude (Leggiero) and Fugue (Andante - Più mosso - Leggiero)

Osmo Vänskä (clarinet), 
Sarah Kwak & Gina DiBello (violins), 
Thomas Turner (viola), 
Anthony Ross (cello), 
Susan Billmeyer (piano) 
Veli Kujala & Susanne Kujala (accordions)

Renowned for his rich production in the field of orchestral music, Kalevi Aho is also a prolific composer for chamber forces. On this disc, three works spanning two decades have been combined.

Opening the disc is the large-scale Clarinet Quintet, composed in 1998. Osmo Vänskä, better known as a conductor, began his career as principal clarinet in the Helsinki Philharmonic and appeared in the premiere performance of the quintet.

The Sonata for two accordions was written in 1984 as a Sonata for solo accordion described by the composer as ‘comparable in aspiration with Liszt’s most virtuosic piano works’. It was premièred as late as 2002 by Veli and Susanne Kujala, who also perform it on this recording.

The Trio for clarinet, viola and piano was commissioned to be the set chamber music work of the 2006 Tampere Viola Competition. --- prestoclassical.co.uk

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1 	Symphony No.2 (1970/1995) in one movement 	21:14

Symphony No.7 (1988) 'Insect Symphony' / 'Hyönteissinfonia'
2 	I Kulkuri, Loispistiäinen Ja Sen Toukka /
 The Tramp, The Parasitic Hymenopter And Its Larva 	7:04
3 	II Perhoset (Perhosten Foxtrot Ja Tango) /
 The Butterflies (The Foxtrot And Tango Of The Butterflies) 	4:33
4 	III Sittiäiset (Suru Varaustetusta Sontapallosta) /
 The Dung Beetles (Grief Over The Stolen Ball Of Dung) 	3:52
5 	IV Heinäsirkät / The Grasshoppers 	6:11
6 	V Muurahaiset (Muurahaisten Työmusiikki Ja Sotamarssit I Ja Ii) /
 The Ants (The Working Music Of The Ants And War Marches I And Ii) 	11:13
7 	VI Päivänkorennot (Päivänkorentojen tanssi ja kehtolaulu kuoleille päivänkorennoille) /
The Dayflies and Lullaby for the Dead Dayflies

Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä – conductor

The Second Symphony is a youthful work – the composer was just 21 at the time – but it differs from the First in that it’s cast in a single movement. After the premiere in 1973 Aho decided to rework the middle section, a task he didn’t attempt until 1995. The result is a compact, tightly structured piece – it’s a triple fugue – which the composer candidly admits was intended as an antidote to some of the more ‘difficult’ music of the 1960s.

As with the fugues in the First Symphony there’s no hint of dutifully reconstructed baroquerie or dry didacticism; instead, Aho uses fugues to create a remarkably dramatic and cohesive symphonic whole.

And despite the echoes of Shostakovich in the First Symphony it would be wrong to think of Aho’s early musical style as ‘Shostakovich-lite’. Yes, DSCH could be the model for the brooding theme that ushers in the Second Symphony but there is enough in this unfolding music to suggest the composer is finding his own ‘voice’. Just listen to that extraordinary sustained passage that begins at 10:03, excerpt where we enter a more individual, more rarefied soundscape altogether.

There is a pleasing directness to Aho’s musical utterances that will appeal to those who find much late-20th-century music too dry or relentless. Even though this symphony may only last 20 minutes there is much to discover and enjoy here. As always Vänskä and his Lahti band – the mainstays of this cycle – are very well recorded, especially in the symphony’s final, more spectral, moments. excerpt

This well-filled disc also offers a splendid performance of Aho’s Seventh Symphony, penned after the composer took a break to concentrate on his concertos and other works. The intriguing subtitle, ‘Insect Symphony’, is derived from the composer’s opera Insect Life, which he entered for a Savonlinna Opera Festival competition in 1988. The work was rejected at the time, so rather than abandon it altogether Aho decided to recast it as a symphony. Incidentally, Savonlinna’s loss was Helsinki’s gain, as Insect Life was given a triumphant premiere by Finnish National Opera in 1996.

The result is a set of six pieces that contain conventional musical forms, including a foxtrot, tango, marches and lullaby. The first movement, ‘The Tramp, the Parasitic Hymenopter and its Larva’, takes its cue from the opera’s only human character, a drunk vagrant who anthropomorphises the insects he encounters. Investing them with human feelings and foibles is not as twee or Disneyfied as it may seem; indeed, Aho provides music of considerable wit and character here.

The tipsy brass and bass-drum pratfalls of the first movement are nicely done, excerpt and despite the episodic nature of this work Aho manages to weld the sections into a fairly convincing symphonic whole. There is music of real virtuosity throughout that calls for contributions from solo piccolo, flute, trumpet, tuba and cello. Naturally, the deliciously louche ‘Foxtrot and Tango of the Butterflies’ demands an alto sax, stylishly played by Hannu Lehtonen. It’s infectious stuff, the rhythms as sharp as a razor. excerpt The tango especially has a sultry charm that is most enjoyable, the players clearly relishing the chance to let their hair down a little.

The somewhat ungainly sounds of the next movement manage to suggest the squat shape of the hard-working dung beetles. I suppose one could argue that this is the kind of workaday accompaniment one might expect from an Attenborough documentary but really you’ll find nothing there that is as accomplished as this. You won’t hear crude musical imitation in ‘The Grasshoppers’ either; even though there is an appropriate chirpiness to the writing here.

The martial rhythms of the working ants are subtly done, with fine contributions from the Lahti brass and percussionists. It’s strong, muscular music that never breaks its stride, the sheer range of Aho’s colour palette very impressive indeed. And there’s a satirical edge to these marches that Shostakovich would surely have enjoyed. Just listen to the gong’s long, slow decay into silence at the end of this movement, a simple device but hair-raising nonetheless.

Aho is in a much more reflective mood when it comes to the short-lived dayflies. Is there a philosophical dimension to this movement? Perhaps; the music certainly has a fleeting, evanescent quality that is most apt. Aho’s melodic strengths are very much in evidence here, the music unfurling like the passing hours. It’s not all wistfulness – there are some splendid climaxes too – but the symphony does draw to a gentle, reflective close. Aho provides music of great tenderness and beauty here, an extended lament, moving in its simplicity. excerpt

Even though the composer can’t quite disguise the ‘bitty’ nature of this score – one could argue that it’s more of a suite than a symphony – it is bound together by music of great originality and charm. Kudos to all involved, especially the BIS engineers, who have produced another astounding disc. Not to be missed. ---Dan Morgan, musicweb-international.com

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1.Samaanit (The Shamans) 	13:16 	
2.Kaamos ja keskikesä (Winter Darkness and Midsummer) 	14:00 	
3.Laulu tunturissa (Song in the Fells) 	9:36 	
4.Myrsky tunturissa (Storm in the Fells) 	11:06

Lahti Symphony Orchestra
John Storgårds – Conductor

To say the least, Kalevi Aho's Twelfth Symphony is unique in musical history. Like Wagner's Parsifal, it was written to be performed in a specific acoustic environment. But while Parsifal was composed for Wagner's six-year-old Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Aho's Twelfth was composed for Finland's million-year-old Luosto Mountain in Lapland, hence the sobriquet Luosto Symphony. Commissioned by Soldankylä, the city at the base of the mountain, Aho wrote his Twelfth after carefully exploring the mountain slopes' acoustical properties and many of his artistic decisions were dictated by his findings. Given that vast stage, for example, the work would contain no fast sections requiring precision ensemble playing. And because it would be played outside, the possibility of an audible wind had to be taken into account.

Like Nielsen's Fourth, Aho's Twelfth includes parts for antiphonal percussionists. But while Nielsen's work features two percussionists at opposite sides of the stage, Aho's work features four percussionists on opposite corners of the mountain, plus six brass players in a wide ring around the orchestra. And like Nielsen's Third, Aho's Twelfth includes wordless soprano and tenor parts to one of the work's four movements adds a saxophone obbligato. Beyond these additions, Aho's work is scored for large orchestra arranged on the mountain's lower slopes and a chamber orchestra on its upper slopes.

Fortunately or unfortunately, this world-premiere recording of the Luosto Symphony with John Storgårds leading the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland was not recorded at Luosto Mountain but rather at Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland. Though some might regret the loss of acoustic authenticity, more will be delighted that this 2007 BIS disc is one of the most sonically spectacular recordings ever made. Recorded in super audio sound, the experience of Aho's Twelfth as it comes at the listener from all sides is absolutely overwhelming. The percussion at the start of the opening movement is frightening. The brass at the climax of the second movement is crushing. The soprano, tenor, and saxophone trio in the third movement is tactile. And the sound of both orchestras and all the off-stage brass and percussion going full tilt at the climax of the closing movement is beyond description.

Whether in the view of musical history the Luosto Symphony is more of an updated rewrite of Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie than a timeless classic like Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony remains to be seen. But in the meantime, any listener with super audio playback system and four or more speakers will probably enjoy taking it out for a spin. ---James Leonard, All Music Guide

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Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra (2014–15)	(23:34)
1 	I. Invocatio– Presto–Cadenza 	11:47
2 	II. Misterioso, largo 	4:4
3 	III. Allegretto marcato – Presto– Quasi epilog 	6:58

Quintet for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano (2013)	(24:20)
4 	I. Tranquillo – Allegretto ondeggiante 	9:04
5 	II. Toccata 	4:39
6 	III. Nocturno 	5:42
7 	IV. Burlesco 	4:46

8 	Solo I for violin (1975)	9:46

Sopranino Saxophone – Anders Paulsson
Jaakko Kuusisto - Violin
Antal Mojzer - Bassoon
Pekka Niskanen - Clarinet
Ilkka Puputti - Horn
Markku Moilanen 0 Oboe
Väinö Jalkanen - Piano
Lapland Chamber Orchestra
John Storgårds - Conductor

The BIS label is to be commended on its continuing support for Finnish composer Kalevi Aho’s consistently well-crafted and often inspiring output. A search of this site will reveal quite a considerable catalogue of works in a variety of instrumental genres, and Dan Morgan’s survey of his music.

The Saxophone Concerto was written for soloist Anders Paulsson and commissioned by the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. Paulsson had heard and liked Aho’s Clarinet Concerto (review), and after suggesting a new work for soprano saxophone and strings the work was completed within two months. The opening to the first movement is a lyrical and ruminating Invocatio that eventually resolves into a virtuoso Presto. Aho’s restless creativity to me often suggests a dramatic narrative of some kind, and this is the case here, the soloist at times heroically riding the orchestra as if it were a rather discomforting means of transport, at others leading it into or away from danger. A dark tranquility is reached towards the end of the movement, over which the soloist explores multiphonics in an intriguing cadenza. The Misterioso second movement lays down a quiet and atmospheric bed of sustained strings over which the saxophone weaves a quasi-improvisatory ‘never-ending’ melody that uses unearthly microtonal intervals. After a little surprise coda to this slow movement, the ritualistic march with the strings ‘knocking’ col-legno suggests a slow march into which the free spirit of the slow movement is now imprisoned. Aho winds up the tension gradually, the high notes of the saxophone eventually rising above the strings, who retreat. An urgent but secretively quiet Presto section follows, and the last two minutes or so disperse into a Quasi epilogo in which elements of preceding material and performance techniques are further transformed, the end giving the impression that the music continues underground somewhere; unheard, but like the invisible spectrum of light, full of boundless resource.

The Quintet for four wind instruments and piano was written to share a programme with Mozart’s quintet for the same setting. Conventional in concept, this is well crafted music that makes the most of a challenging instrumentation. The first movement is the most substantial, Aho describing it as “lyrical, slightly melancholy… the central part of the movement [rising] to a powerful climax.” The second movement is a fast toccata, with the winds stabbing and winding around a virtuoso piano part with plenty of repeated notes and dramatic rhythms. A quiet Nocturno follows, the dreamy atmosphere of which is also not safe from the occasional moment of drama. Aho applies the word “mischievous” to the finale, which surfs on potent rhythms that sometimes hint at Stravinsky. “At the end, the tempo increases as much as possible.”

Solo I for violin is a much earlier piece. The violin is Aho’s own main instrument, and this technical familiarity resulted in something so virtuosic that the work waited 11 years for its first performance. It became the launch for a series of solo works, the composer’s lifelong project being to create solo works for all of the main orchestral instruments and beyond, all exploring each instruments’ capabilities. Solo I makes considerable use of double-stopping, and indeed puts both player and instrument to its limits. Plaudits go to Jakko Kuusisto for a recording that retains musicality and wit to go along with these stresses. His album Glow on BIS-2192 is also worth exploring (review).

With BIS’s usual high recording standard and another intriguing programme of worth and substance from Kalevi Aho’s pen, this is another good one to add to your contemporary music collection. If you are new to this composer then you might prefer to start with the symphonies, but this rather mixed bag of works can also serve as an introduction, especially the rather special Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra. --- Dominy Clements, musicweb-international.com

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