BIS
Limelight Editor’s Choice

Aho: Symphony No. 17

ModernDramatic, triumphant, virtuosic

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Details

Composer
Kalevi Aho
Artist
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Format
SACD
Discs
1
Label
BIS
Released
Feb 20, 2026
Catalog #
BIS-2676
UPC
7318599926766

About

The prolific Finnish composer Kalevi Aho periodically undertakes large-scale compositions that showcase the full breadth of his artistic abilities. The Symphony No. 17 exemplifies this tendency, representing his most ambitious orchestral work to date. The symphony requires a substantial orchestra, incorporating less common instruments such as the lupophone, a variation of the baritone oboe, and the contraforte, an acoustically enhanced contrabassoon. The first movement, "From the Deep", which can also be performed as an independent symphonic poem, establishes a somber and profound atmosphere. The second movement, "Scherzo macabre", suggests a macabre dance of death. The finale, "Distant Songs", features musical shifts that evoke distant times, dances, and songs, before ultimately returning to the present. Following it's triumphant première in 2019, the symphony was immediately hailed as a magnum opus within Kalevi Aho's oeuvre.

Critic reviews

  • “Brace yourself for a colourful Finnish voyage of discovery. [...] The Lahti Symphony Orchestra have long been champions of Aho’s music, and play this symphony to the manner born, relishing the pointed orchestral textures and subtle changes of mood.”

    Limelight, Editor’s choice, April 2026

  • “As expected, the mood of From the Deep is gloomy. The orchestra sometimes rumbles with dark sounds, but it can also sound brighter without creating a ‘per aspera ad astra’ effect.”

    Pizzicato, 5 stars, March 2026

Tracklist 3 tracks

  1. 1 I. Syvyydestä (From the Deep) 23:04
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Syvyydestä (From the Deep)
    Duration
    23:04
    Composer
    Kalevi Aho
    Ensemble
    Lahti Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Erkki Lasonpalo
  2. 2 II. Scherzo macabre 13:17
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Scherzo macabre
    Duration
    13:17
    Composer
    Kalevi Aho
    Ensemble
    Lahti Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Erkki Lasonpalo
  3. 3 III. Kaukaisia lauluja (Distant Songs) 23:11
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Kaukaisia lauluja (Distant Songs)
    Duration
    23:11
    Composer
    Kalevi Aho
    Ensemble
    Lahti Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Erkki Lasonpalo