Peteris VASKS (b. 1946)
Concerto for flute and orchestra (2007-08, rev. 2011) † [33:30]
Sonata for flute and alto flute solo (1992) [11:53]
Aria e danza for flute and piano (1972, rev.2010) † [11:13]
Landscape with Birds for flute solo (1980) [8:19]
Michael Faust (flute, alto flute), Sheila Arnold (piano)
Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä/Patrick Gallois
rec. Hankasalmi Church, Jyväskylä, Finland, 5-6 May 2010 (Concerto); The Loft, Wißmannstrasse, Cologne, Germany, 13 January 2012
†World première recordings
NAXOS 8.572634 [64:55]
If I hear a piece of music on the radio that I don’t immediately
recognise I try to guess first of all roughly when it was written.
Then I try to identify the part of the world it is from. I do this
before trying to determine any traits that might indicate who it might
be by. In this way I can at least narrow down a few possibilities
before waiting to find out the answer.
I don’t know enough of Latvian composer Peteris Vasks’
music to be able to identify it precisely as being by him. On the
other hand I might have managed the rest of my own criteria and narrowed
down the part of the world in rough terms. There does, after all,
seem to be a commonality of sound world shared by composers from the
Baltic States and Finland. I find that there is a wonderfully ethereal
quality to the music of composers from that area of Europe that is
so very descriptive. I first heard this in the music of Sibelius and
it seemed and seems to me to describe perfectly the cold, clear air
and snowy tree-filled landscape.
In his Concerto for flute and orchestra Vasks’ also has
that precise quality for which the flute, with its bright, clear tone,
is a perfect vehicle. This is a seriously brilliant work of almost
indescribable beauty. It works its magic on the listener from the
very opening and is so captivating it is difficult to leave it for
another work without wanting to hear it again immediately. No one
could fail to be mesmerised by its fabulous tonal quality. Also fascinating
are the extraordinary abilities of flautist Michael Faust for whom
the concerto was written.
The art of flute playing is again amply demonstrated in the Sonata
for flute and alto flute solo. It’s in three movements,
the central one for flute and the outer ones for alto flute. It is
an object lesson in flute virtuosity in which Vasks has the instruments
mimic the calls of animals or birds. None of this presents any challenge
at all to Faust whose artistry seems boundless.
Aria e danza for flute and piano is less identifiable in terms
of geographical origin. That in no way detracts from its qualities.
It was written ostensibly for teaching purposes but I can imagine
that any would-be flautist who could achieve a convincing performance
of it would be considered as being on their way to achieving their
aim.
The final work Landscape with Birds for flute solo is another
composition that would test all but the most skilled musicians. It
calls for almost every facet the instrument can produce.
It was no surprise to read that Vasks is passionate about environmental
issues. He incorporates his concerns about the fragile relationship
between Man and Nature into his music as well as implying the risks
we run if we don’t keep this at the forefront of our minds in
our dealings with nature. These concerns, which are so well expressed
in the flute concerto, are of greater importance to him than a simple
statement about the beauty of nature though obviously that also comes
through.
The concerto (in its revised form) and the Aria e Danza are
both world première recordings. The sound is superb. South
Indian-born pianist Sheila Arnold is an utterly sympathetic partner
for Faust in the Aria e Danza. The small 38-member Finnish
Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä is exemplary in its performance
of the concerto under Patrick Gallois who has been its music director
for nine years up to 2013. After his tenure ends the orchestra’s
artistic committee will take on the responsibility for deciding its
programmes.
This is a wonderful disc of the most compelling music. Once again
Naxos has come up trumps in presenting it to the public and at a price
it can afford. All of this should help it to achieve the widespread
recognition it deserves.
Steve Arloff
