Magnus LINDBERG (b. 1958)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (2008) [19:29]
Santa Fe Project (2006) [14:24]
Partia for Cello Solo (2001) [13:51]
Dos Coyotes (1993, arr. 2008) [12:02]
Kari Kriikku (clarinet); Anssi Karttunen (cello); Magnus Lindberg
(piano)
rec. Järvenpää Hall, 5-6 and 8 September 2011
ONDINE ODE 1199-2 [60:24]
Magnus Lindberg has often claimed the orchestra as his instrument. This
statement,
however, is somewhat misleading in that he has composed a good deal of piano
music
(Naxos
8.570542) as well as a number of chamber works, some of which have been
available
in various recordings. The release under review centres on his chamber works
for
cello. Interestingly, too, all but one of these works are fairly recent,
composed
between 2001 and 2008.
If taken chronologically, the earliest here is Dos Coyotes which is
a reworking rather than an arrangement of a somewhat earlier work for ensemble
Coyote Blues (1993). Originally the work was intended as a piece for
voice and ensemble commissioned by the Rikskonserter agency in Sweden. Lindberg
did not then feel ready for a vocal work and rather suggested an instrumental
piece which became Coyote Blues. In this he incorporated material used
in a work for the Tapiola Choir some time earlier. Much later still, the material
was reworked by Karttunen and the composer with a new title. This lovely work
is a good example of Lindberg's accessible, often melodic idiom as found in
his recent music.
The Partia for Cello Solo was composed for the Turku Cello Competition.
As may be expected the music is devised so as to exploit most, if not all,
the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument. It avoids falling
into the trap of pure and vain virtuosity. The music is certainly technically
demanding but the whole remains musically rewarding. As may be guessed too,
the lay-out overtly looks back to similar suites by Bach and by some contemporary
composers such as Jolivet.
Incidentally, Dos Coyotes has also been used as a general title for
duo performance given by Karttunen and Lindberg, where Lindberg has revived
his career as a performing pianist. The Santa Fe Project was composed
for them to a commission from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the
La Jolla Summer Festival. This delightful work may be experienced as a sort
of compact cello sonata consisting of three concise and contrasted movements
played without a break. Again, the music is typical of Lindberg's melodic
and colourful writing although - as might be expected - it is still demanding
from the purely technical point of view. It, too, receives a superbly committed
reading.
“After the innumerable pieces he had written for my cello, for Kari's
clarinet and for himself at the piano, a trio for all three of us was all
that was missing” (Anssi Karttunen). The Trio for Clarinet, Cello
and Piano is not only the most recent work here but also the most substantial.
Each of the three movements bears a heading borrowed from the poetry of Gunnar
Björling: Sound big, sound; Like the tranquillity we seek
and Crash wave, crash respectively. It is not necessary to know any
of Björling's poetry to be able to appreciate Lindberg's work. These
headings hint sufficiently at the character of each movement but do not imply
any programmatic intent. The first movement opens in an almost improvisatory
manner in the bass register of the piano but the music soon opens up with
the successive entries for the cello and later the clarinet. The ensuing dialogue
develops roughly as an arch rising to a climax. The second movement is slow
with an animated central section functioning as a Scherzo. The final movement
opens with a slow introduction leading straight into a mostly lively and animated
main section. It ends with a broad, appeased coda. This is a superb piece
in which Lindberg allows his inner lyricism full rein.
The performances are immaculate and fully committed and again very well recorded.
I also want to mention Kimmo Korhonen's excellent insert notes from which
I have generously quoted.
All in all, this is a magnificent release that is a must for all Lindberg
fans
but should also appeal to anyone who enjoys accessible and warmly expressive
contemporary
music.
Hubert Culot
A most welcome survey of Lindberg's chamber works with cello.