Einojuhani Rautavaara
12 Concertos
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Tapiola Sinfonietta
Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
Juha Kangas, conductor
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, conductor
Max Pommer, conductor
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor
Leif Segerstam, conductor
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
Reija Bister, harp
Patrick Gallois, flute
Ralf Gothóni, piano
Kari Jussila, organ
Esko Laine, double bass
Marielle Nordmann, harp
Elmar Oliveira, violin
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
Marko Ylönen, cello
Orchestral
Finnish contemporary
Boxed set of 4 CDs; booklet with liner notes in English and Finnish
CD
Released:
September 2009
Catalogue No.:
ODE 1156-2Q
EAN/UPC Code:
0761195115626
This superb box is a wonderful successor to Ondine's similar 4 CD venture for the eight symphonies on ODE1145-2Q. The two sets make ideal companions. Rautavaara's artistic journey is always powerful and often directly accessible, nuanced and patently sincere.
Rob Barnett, Musicweb-International, December 2009
The four CDs (...) will expand your love for the 81-year-old Finnish composer's oeuvre far beyond his wondrous, best-selling "Cantus Arcticus" Concerto for Birds and Orchestra.
Jason Victor Serinus, San Francisco Classical Voice, November 30, 2009
Every one of these pieces (...) are well worth getting to know. (...) the performances are all first rate (...) the orchestral accompaniments leave nothing to be desired either, and the engineering is uniformly excellent.
David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com, September 14, 2009, Disc of the Month
Like the German composer Paul Hindemith, Finish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara loves composing concertos with diverse instruments. You get to hear them all in this stimulating collection (...). This is the only collection of his concertos and it is splendidly performed.
Peter Bates, Audiophile Audition, September 14, 2009
Download a free podcast on this release by Raymond Bisha (courtesy Naxos)
This edition of twelve concertos by Einojuhani Rautavaara follows on the great success of the release of his eight symphonies, in a collectors' box set.
Ondine's long-time house composer is recognized as one of the greatest musical figures in Finland after Jean Sibelius. Between 1968 and 2001, he wrote solo works with orchestra for the violin, cello, double bass, harp, flute, clarinet, organ and the piano. Highlights include the Violin Concerto which won a Cannes Classical Award in 1998, the Concerto for Birds (on tape) and Orchestra "Cantus Arcticus" which remains Rautavaara's most popular and most frequently performed work of any kind, and the Third Piano Concerto "Gift of Dreams" which was commissioned, premiered and recorded by pianist-conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. The list of featured star performers also includes Patrick Gallois (flute) and Richard Stoltzman (clarinet).
These recordings were produced in collaboration with the composer between 1991 and 2005 and have been previously released to international popular and critical acclaim. The soloists are:
- Elmar Oliveira on violin with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam (Violin Concerto; originally released on ODE 881-2)
- Marko Ylönen on cello with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Max Pommer (Cello Concerto; ODE 819-2)
- Esko Laine on double bass with the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Jean-Jacques Kantorow (Double Bass Concerto; under license from BIS Records AB Sweden)
- Reija Bister on harp with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra under Juha Kangas (Ballad for Harp and Strings; ODE 983-2D)
- Marielle Nordmann on harp with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam (Harp Concerto; ODE 978-2)
- Leif Segerstam with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and a tape recording of arctic bird song (Cantus Arcticus; ODE 1041-2)
- Patrick Gallois on C flute / piccolo / alto / bass with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam (Flute Concerto; ODE 921-2)
- Richard Stoltzman on clarinet with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam (Clarinet Concerto; ODE 1041-2)
- Kari Jussila on organ with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam (Organ Concerto; ODE 869-2)
- Ralf Gothóni on piano with the Leipzig RSO under Max Pommer (Piano Concerto No. 1) and the Bavarian RSO under Jukka-Pekka Saraste (No. 2; ODE 757-2)
- Vladimir Ashkenazy who conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra from the piano (No. 3; ODE 950-2)
This compilation does not include the more recent Percussion Concerto (2008) and Second Cello Concerto (2008-09), released both on a later recording (ODE 1178-2).
