Rautavaara: A Requiem in Our Time / Lintu, FInnish Brass Symphony
Details
- Composer
- RAUTAVAARA, EINOJUHANI
- Artist
- Lintu
- Format
- CD
- Label
- Ondine
- Released
- Jun 07, 1996
- Catalog #
- ODE 957-2
- UPC
- 761195095720
About
REVIEW:
The Finnish Brass Symphony, directed by Hannu Lintu, has recorded a masterful survey of music by countryman Einojuhani Rautavaara. Spanning more than 45 years of the composer's work, the album functions as something of a compendium of themes that Rautavaara has returned to time and again in his music, from the dodecaphonic experiments of the Wind Octet to his ongoing fascination with angels. In this performance of 1981's Playgrounds for Angels, it becomes unclear if the playgrounds belong entirely to terrifying otherworldly beings or to these instrumentalists, whose superb ensemble skills definitely qualify them as supernaturally talented. 1953's A Requiem in our Time has been recorded at least four times, most memorably--until now--on a BIS disc with Brass Partout. The bold strokes and brash colors of this work are reflected in the more rare Soldier's Mass from 1968, whose "In Hora Mortis" movement presages the shimmering intensity of Rautavaara's later works.
A few shorter compositions round out the collection. Originally written as a compulsory piece for a trumpet competition, the Tarantará must have struck fear into the hearts of those brass players--in Rautavaara's hands, the instrument is nothing short of a wild animal that shrieks, growls, and leaps all over the register with dizzying speed. The extraordinary trumpeter Pasi Pirinen makes it all seem easy. The fanfare written for Finland's 75th independence anniversary is a mere 37 seconds long: blink twice, and you miss it entirely. The most recent composition, 1998's Hymnus for trumpet and organ, ably performed by Deborah Calland and Barry Millington, completes the survey. Kudos to Ondine for a marvelous recording.
--Anastasia Tsioulcas, ClassicsToday.com
Tracklist 15 tracks
-
1 Hymnus 03:13
- Track
- 1
- Title
- Hymnus
- Duration
- 03:13
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
2 Credo et dupito 01:58
- Track
- 2
- Title
- Credo et dupito
- Duration
- 01:58
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
3 Dies irae 02:09
- Track
- 3
- Title
- Dies irae
- Duration
- 02:09
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
4 Lacrymosa 03:35
- Track
- 4
- Title
- Lacrymosa
- Duration
- 03:35
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
5 Playgrounds for Angels (version for orchestra) 12:26
- Track
- 5
- Title
- Playgrounds for Angels (version for orchestra)
- Duration
- 12:26
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
6 Tarantara 05:01
- Track
- 6
- Title
- Tarantara
- Duration
- 05:01
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
7 Fanfare for the 75th Anniversary of Finland's Independence 1992 00:37
- Track
- 7
- Title
- Fanfare for the 75th Anniversary of Finland's Independence 1992
- Duration
- 00:37
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
8 The Lord of Battles (Kyrie) 02:18
- Track
- 8
- Title
- The Lord of Battles (Kyrie)
- Duration
- 02:18
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
9 Have Mercy on Us (Miserere) 02:04
- Track
- 9
- Title
- Have Mercy on Us (Miserere)
- Duration
- 02:04
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
10 On the Field of Glory (Gloria) 01:47
- Track
- 10
- Title
- On the Field of Glory (Gloria)
- Duration
- 01:47
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
11 In the Moment of Death (In hora mortis) 04:21
- Track
- 11
- Title
- In the Moment of Death (In hora mortis)
- Duration
- 04:21
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
12 I. Allegro molto 05:12
- Track
- 12
- Title
- I. Allegro molto
- Duration
- 05:12
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
13 II. Largo 06:05
- Track
- 13
- Title
- II. Largo
- Duration
- 06:05
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
14 III. Prestissimo 03:50
- Track
- 14
- Title
- III. Prestissimo
- Duration
- 03:50
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara
-
15 Hymnus 06:07
- Track
- 15
- Title
- Hymnus
- Duration
- 06:07
- Composer
- Einojuhani Rautavaara