Puumala / Juntunen / Tapiola Sinfonietta - Anna Liisa - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Conductor Robert Trevino's fourth album on Ondine is focused on the late works of composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016), one of Finland's most celebrated composers after Sibelius and known worldwide for his Neo-Romantic, even mystic compositions. Together with violinist Simone Lamsma and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra the artists are presenting four final orchestral works by the celebrated composer. Two of the works are world première recordings. In his late period, Rautavaara received several communications from the world's leading violinists requesting him to write works for them. He was able to oblige them, creating several extensive works featuring solo violin. Fantasia (2015) for violin and orchestra is a work of soft Neo-Romantic harmonies and soaring melodic lines. In 2014, Rautavaara was asked to write a new Violin Concerto. This commission resulted in Deux Sérénades for violin and orchestra which remained unfinished at Rautavaara's death the second movement was sketched out, but only it's beginning was orchestrated. Kalevi Aho (b. 1949), an accomplished composer of symphonies and concertos who studied composition with Rautavaara at the turn of the 1970s, fleshed out the orchestration in 2018. Lost Landscapes (2005/15) was originally written as a violin sonata, but Rautavaara began orchestrating the work in 2013. The first movement was premiered at the contemporary music festival at Tanglewood in July 2015, but the full premiere of the work took place in Malmö in March 2021, with Simone Lamsma as soloist. In the Beginning (2015) is a concise overture-type work commissioned for a concert opener. The titles of his works were important for the composer, forming part of the 'aura' of the work and often even constituting the initial impulse for writing the piece in the first place.

Album Tracks 1. Hohe Pfalz Fanfare / la Fanfare Du InchHohe PfalzInch / Hohe Pfalz-Fanfare 2. St. George Hymn for Parforce Horns in D / St. Georgs Hymne Pour Cors de Chasse en Re / St-Georgs-Hymne FÜR Parforcehörner in D 3. Rügheim Requiem / Requiem de Rügheim / Rügheimer Requiem

Album Tracks 1. Allegro Con Moto 2. Adagio Molto Ed Assai Espressivo 3. Maestoso - Allegro 4. Lied Der Soldaten 5. Bauer Unter Der Linde 6. Branders Lied 7. Lied Des Mephistopheles ('Es War Einmal Ein Konig') 8. Lied Des Mephistopheles ('Was Machst Du Mir Vor Liebchens Tur') 9. Gretchen Am Spinnrade 10. Melodram 11. Allegro Con Brio 12. Larghetto 13. Menuetto Allegro 14. Finale Allegro Vivace