Kalevi AHO (b. 1949)
Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet (1998) [35:34]
Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano (2006) [13:00]
Sonata for Two Accordions (1984/89) [25:26]
Osmo Vänskä (clarinet), Sarah Kwak, Gina DiBello (violins), Thomas
Turner (viola), Anthony Ross (cello)
Susan Billmeyer (piano)
Veli Kujala, Susanne Kujala (accordions)
rec. June 2010, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (quintet and trio);
May 2011, Kalevi Aho Hall, Lahti, Finland (accordion sonata)
BIS-CD-1886 [75:10]
The Aho-BIS partnership continues to blossom; from its early flowering with
the First Symphony in 1989 it’s proved remarkably hardy, yielding a
number of symphonies - 15 at the last count - concertos, vocal and chamber
works. I’ve reviewed all the recordings for MusicWeb, the bulk of them
in my Aho survey
of September 2008; the most recent release - the three Chamber Symphonies
- was reviewed for Brian Wilson’s Download
Roundup. Happily it doesn’t end there, for BIS supremo Robert von
Bahr has promised us part one of Aho’s complete organ music (BIS-SACD-1946)
and an Oboe Concerto.
What’s most intriguing about this review disc is that it features Osmo
Vänskä not as a conductor but as a soloist. He was a guiding light
in this Aho series until he decamped to Minnesota in 2003, but now he’s
found space in his busy schedule to show off his skills as a clarinettist
in this quintet and trio. Aho’s certainly familiar with the former,
having written a number of pieces for five players, and from the start of
this clarinet-led newcomer it’s clear he hasn’t lost his talent
to surprise. Speaking of the unexpected, Vänskä the soloist - now
eloquent, now earthy - is a real delight.
The first movement of the quintet encapsulates much of what makes Aho’s
music so very listenable. True, the piece has its sinewy side, but there’s
an underlying lyricism and narrative strength that can’t fail to impress.
All his players are given a chance to shine: extremes of register tempered
with moments of striking inwardness. That said, the piece wears its virtuosity
lightly; the second movement is especially challenging in its range and degrees
of animation and the third is dominated by some of the most wistful - and
seamless - clarinet sounds I’ve heard in ages.
Not to be outdone, the other members of the group play with considerable trenchancy
when required; they’re also very much at ease in the more withdrawn
passages that dot this composer’s œuvre. Their playing is
captured in sound of clarity and closeness. Some may find the balance a little
too forward, but the upside is that every detail of this score is laid
bare in a way that’s not at all fatiguing. Indeed, the vigorously motile
fourth movement, with its slashing, Herrmannesque strings, is all the more
gripping for being so forceful. In the fifth there’s music of rare beauty
and equivocation - a trembling, evanescent air - that’s something of
an Aho trademark.
A fine, artfully structured piece - it never overreaches or overruns - the
quintet gives way to an even more economical and alluring trio. Cast in a
single movement it’s dense and angular, yet still remarkably lyrical.
This apparent sleight of hand is another of the composer’s specialities.
The hard outer carapace conceals a melodious and - at times - magisterial
core. Susan Billmeyer’s piano is very well recorded, adding warmth and
dramatic ballast to the proceedings; Thomas Turner’s viola sound is
equally well caught.
The accordion sonata, recorded in Finland, sounds rather less forensic than
the other two pieces; indeed, the distinctive squeezebox timbres emerge with
pleasing tactility and strength, from the bass drone and burble to the instruments’
bright upper reaches. The splashy dissonances certainly caught me on the hop,
but as always Aho tempers tough formality - the first movement is a prelude
and passacaglia - with moments of soft and sudden quietude. That said, the
second movement - a prelude and fugue - majors in arresting glissandi,
while the complex fugal section is surprisingly light and honeyed in character.
This is another varied and stimulating collection that is very well played
and recorded. As for the composer’s liner-notes - as lucid as ever -
they strike a good balance between the genesis of these pieces and their musical
content. Of the three works here the quintet will probably have the broadest
appeal. The sonata - with its remarkably subtle control of dynamics and articulation
- is more approachable after several hearings.
Fine writing and solid musicianship; a feast for Aho fans.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
Fine writing and solid musicianship; a feast for Aho fans.