Oskar MERIKANTO (1868-1924)
Valse à la Chopin, op.6/5 (1898) [1:58]
Valse Lente, op.33 (1898) [3:19]
Edith SOHLSTRÖM (1870-1934)
Elegia [3:31]
Axel von KOTHEN (1871-1927)
Andante con moto, op.6/4 (1906) [4:49]
Impromptu, op.12/1 (?1908) [2:38]
Toivo SAARENPÄÄ (1882-1948)
Sinikellot Haudalla ('Graveside Bluebells'), op.9/2
[3:13]
Toivo KUULA (1883-1918)
Häämarssi ('Wedding March'), op.3/2 (1908) [5:27]
Lampaanpolska (1915) [5:22]
Heino KASKI (1885-1957)
Pankakoski, op.48/1 [3:09]
Lapsi Äitinsä Sylissä ('A Child on his Mother's
Knee'), op.48/2 [4:19]
Walamo, op.48/3 [3:25]
Prelude in G flat, op.7/1 (1918) [3:24]
Armas MAASALO (1885-1960)
Hämärässä ('At Dusk'), op.1/1 [2:13]
Adieu, Amie, op.1/2 [3:41]
Chanson d'Amour, op.1/3 [1:49]
Two Dances, op.7 [4:10]
Carl HIRN (1886-1963)
Goldfisch, op.8 [1:42]
Aquarelle, op.60/2 [2:37]
Felix KROHN (1898-1963)
Vanhassa Puistossa ('In the Old Park') - Suite
(1943) [10:20]
Ilmari HANNIKAINEN (1892-1955)
Keskustelu ('Conversation') op.11/3 (1915) [3:54]
This is the second of five volumes in the series by Finnish
label FinnConcert (or FC-Records) entitled 'An Anthology
of Finnish Piano Music', all performed by Finnish soloist
Jouni Somero. The first volume was released in 2004 (FCRCD-9711)
and the last in 2008 (FCRCD-9722). All are widely available
on the internet.
This CD, which features half a dozen or so first recordings,
is subtitled 'Morceaux de Salon', at least with
partial justification: the average length of each track is only
three minutes. On the other hand, as Somero points out in his
notes, 'salon' is often used pejoratively, and
indeed, FinnConcert's choice of subtitle may be considered
rather self-defeating. In Finland no piano sonata tradition
emerged in the 19th century in the way it did in many European
countries - composers like Yrjö Kilpinen provided the odd exception
- the focus instead being on short pieces and suites, as the
five volumes in this series testify.
From Oskar Merikanto's opening Valse à la Chopin, it
is clear that these pieces are more than amateur-oriented frivolities:
for timeless, evocative lyricism, intimacy and sheer beautiful
melody, Somero's recital is a corker. Most of the featured
composers will very likely be unfamiliar to anyone outside Finland
- Merikanto is perhaps the only exception - but despite Finland's
geographical periphery, these pieces are very much in the European
mould more famously represented, as far as mellifluous piano
miniatures go, by Schumann, Grieg, Fauré, Tchaikovsky and Chopin.
Interestingly, all ten composers were born within thirty years
of each other, half within only four years. Similarly, many
of the pieces date back to the first two decades of the 20th
century. Inevitably then, the music may begin to sound familiar
after a while, and given the generosity of the timing, perhaps
this is a disc best heard in two or three sittings - to lose
interest on account of the relative lack of variety in the programme
would be to do the craftsmanship that has gone into all these
pieces a disservice.
According to the FinnConcert website - now at fcrecords.fi,
rather than the finnconcert.fi indicated on the back inlay -
Jouni Somero has given more than 2,400 concerts or recitals
all over the world, and has made more than sixty recordings,
from Bach to Bortkiewicz, though with an emphasis on Romantic
repertoire that makes him very well versed in the particular
demands of the type of music in this recital. On his Bortkiewicz
recordings from the same time as this anthology series, Somero
tends to be rather heavy-handed and sometimes perfunctory, but
although he does clearly have a penchant for forte dynamics,
there is also pathos in his playing that brings out the poignancy
and nostalgia inherent in these pieces.
Recording quality is good, if just a little quiet. FinnConcert
are never going to win prizes for their CD booklets - the tree
and bit of shed in the cover photo are not especially Finnish
or arty - but Somero himself supplies one or two paragraphs
on each of the composers, both in Finnish and English, turning
up some interesting biographical curiosities, such as the fact
that Toivo Saarenpää's composition teacher was Sibelius,
Edith Sohlström was not a professional composer or pianist,
but a gym teacher, and Axel von Kothen toured as a composer-singer
even though he had been confined to a wheelchair since boyhood!
Somero's own biographical note seems to be identical
in every CD he appears on. His trademark awkward 'family
snapshot' photo is at least small and relegated to the
back inlay.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at reviews.gramma.co.uk
Review
of the complete Anthology by Rob Barnett
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Jouni Somero (piano)