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Uljas PULKKIS (b.
1975) Enchanted Garden (2000) [19:38]
Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (2001) [20:32] Symphonic Dalí (2002) [36:46]
Jaakko Kuusisto
(violin) (Garden); Sharon Bezaly (flute) (concerto)
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra/Susanna Mälkki
rec. Stavanger Concert Hall, Norway, June, August 2005 BIS SACD1339 [78:26]
Now
in his early thirties, Uljas Voitto Pulkkis, as he was then
known, gained some earlier international recognition when
his Tears of Ludovico for piano and orchestra
was awarded the First Prize at the 1999 Queen Elisabeth Composition
Competition. As such this became the test work for the finals
of the 1999 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition. Later, Pulkkis’s
violin concerto Enchanted Garden won the first
prize at the 2001 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers;
no mean achievement for a composer under thirty. Since then,
he has expanded his output with some substantial works. These
include the Flute Concerto and Symphonic Dalí recorded
here, as well as another orchestral work On the Crest
of Waves and a pair of concertos.
Subtitled “a
musical tale in eight chapters for solo violin and orchestra”, Enchanted
Garden is laid-out in one large single movement,
albeit falling into several sections; these, however, are
not indexed, which would have been useful. The work is conceived
as a large-scale arch, ending with a varied restatement of
the opening. In between, the various sections explore various
moods and techniques, some of them harking back to the French
spectral school, but never extravagantly so. On the whole
this piece aptly evokes some mysterious and almost surreal
moods. Some otherwise unmentioned or uncredited electronics
seem to be part of the textures, although quite discretely,
thus emphasising the fantastic character of the music. For
all its complexity this music is strongly evocative and atmospheric.
Jaakko Kuusisto, a finalist in the 1997 Queen Elisabeth Violin
Competition, has all the technique to navigate almost effortlessly
through the fiendishly difficult solo part.
The Concerto
for Flute and Orchestra, dedicated to Sharon
Bezaly and BIS Records, is almost traditional, both in
its musical idiom and its three-movement layout. That
said, the music shares some characteristics with that
of Enchanted Garden, particularly in its
reliance on expressive scalic figures. The music might
be described as straightforward when compared to the
sophistication of the violin concerto. Actually, it sometimes
hints at Neo-classicism; the annotator even mentions
Honegger, Hindemith and Einar Englund. This characteristic
is evident in the third movement. The solo part is neatly
tailored for Sharon Bezaly who, true to herself, plays
magnificently throughout.
Symphonic
Dalí (“Three paintings for orchestra”) is a substantial work playing for
almost forty minutes. Here Pulkkis displays the full
measure of his remarkable gift for tellingly calculated
orchestral sound. This he obviously relishes. The three
movements are inspired in one way or another by canvases
by Dalí: The Colossus of Rhodes, Shades of
Night Descending and Dawn. The first movement
brilliantly evokes dazzling light as well as powerfully
swelling waves. As might be expected, the second movement
is a mysterious, almost mystical Nocturne, whereas the
third movement unfolds from darkness to light. The colourful,
lushly scored music often brings Respighi and Ravel to
mind. The annotator also mentions Rautavaara - late Rautavaara.
As
already mentioned, Pulkkis obviously has a remarkable instrumental
flair and handles his often large forces with a sure feel
for telling broad orchestral strokes. These works leave me
with some unanswered questions: is a personal voice at work
in these imposing works? To be frank, Enchanted Garden may
be the only distinctive work here and the later works lack
that personal identity. I nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed
the bright orchestral colours that Pulkkis conjures up. This
reservation on my part should not deter anyone who enjoys
Ravel or Respighi from investigating this superbly produced
release and coming to their own conclusions.
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