Content:

A Century of Finnish Chamber Music
Live from the Kuhmo Festival



Artists:
Avanti! Quartet
Danel Quartet
Echnaton Trio
Gryphon Trio
Jean Sibelius Quartet
New Helsinki Quartet
Trio Fratres
Tommi Aalto, viola
Petri Alanko, flute
Ilari Angervo, viola
Radek Baborák, horn
Eduard Brunner, clarinet
Corinne Chapelle, violin
Meri Englund, violin
Ismo Eskelinen, guitar
Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello
Asko Heiskanen, clarinet
Pietari Inkinen, violin
Soile Isokoski, soprano
Ramon Jaffé, cello
Jerry Jantunen, piano
Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Helena Juntunen, soprano
Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, violin
Antti Kaihola, piano
Tiina Karakorpi, piano
Kari Kriikku, clarinet
Jaakko Kuusisto, violin
Eveliina Kytömäki, piano
Juhani Lagerspetz, piano
Pierre Lenert, viola
Duncan McTier, double bass
Vladimir Mendelssohn, viola
Laura Mikkola, piano
Roi Ruottinen, cello
Martina Schucan, cello
John Storgårds, violin
Götz Teutsch, cello
Antti Tikkanen, violin
Marcus Ullmann, tenor
Marita Viitasalo, piano
Marko Ylönen, cello
Cecilia Zilliacus, violin

Genres:
Chamber
Finnish contemporary

Features:

Boxed set of 6 CDs; booklet with liner notes in English and Finnish and the song lyrics in the original language and in English

Format:
CD

Released:
June 2002

Catalogue No.:
ODE 984-2S

EAN/UPC Code:
0761195098424

Track listing

CD 1 67:55
Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
Piano Trio, Op. 7 (1908) 50:09
1 I. Moderato assai 18:26
2 II. Scherzo (Allegro con Brio) 6:22
3 III. Andante elegico 13:23
4 IV. Finale (Allegro vivace) 11:55
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937)
String Trio, Op. 133 17:36
5 I. Andante 5:19
6 II. Andante funebre 4:28
7 III. Presto 2:49
8 IV. Finale (Vivace) 4:59


CD 2 55:06
Aarre Merikanto (1893-1958)
Concerto for Violin, Clarinet, French Horn and String Sextet (Schott Concerto) (1924) 22:42
1 I. Largo – Allegro 5:57
2 II. Largo – Vivace 10:35
3 III. Allegro vivace 6:08
Väinö Raitio (1891-1945)
4 Juninatt, Op. 5/5 3:45
5 Ljuset flämtar, Op. 5/4 3:05
6 Kuollut hetki, Op. 11/3 2:40
7 Kuutamolla, Op. 28/1 2:38
Erik Bergman (1911-2006)
Three Fantasies for clarinet 9:35
8 I. Moderato grottescamente 3:27
9 II. Adagio elegiaco 2:39
10 III. Comodo e poco rubato 3:27
Aarre Merikanto (1893-1958)
11 Kesäyö 3:12
12 Valvotko kaukana siellä 2:00
13 Veräjäpuu 1:47
14 Askeleita 3:08


CD 3 67:43
Aulis Sallinen (1935-)
Introduction and Tango 9:48
1 I. Introduction 5:52
2 II. Tango Overture 3:56
Einar Englund (1916-1999)
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1979) 19:38
3 I. Preambulum (Molto moderato, quasi andante) 6:10
4 II. Intermezzo (Allegro giocoso) 4:01
5 III. Elegia (Adagio) 5:10
6 IV. Finale (Allegro moderato) 4:16
Joonas Kokkonen (1921-1996)
String Quartet No. 3 (1976) 16:28
7 I. Allegretto 7:26
8 II. Allegro 3:13
9 III. Adagio 5:49
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)
Die Liebenden - Song cycle for voice and string quintet (1959/arr. 2000) 21:18
10 I. Liebes-Lied 4:18
11 II. Der Schauende 7:23
12 III. Die Liebende 5:41
13 IV. Der Tod der Geliebten 3:54


CD 4 60:32
Matti Rautio (1922-1986)
Divetimento I (1955) 10:09
1 I. Ouverture (Allegro giocoso) 3:11
2 II. Lullaby (Andante Tranquillo) 5:17
3 III. Cancan 1:40
Erkki Salmenhaara (1941-2002)
4 Sonatine for two violins (1972) 9:45
Eero Hämeenniemi (1951-)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1984) 13:08
5 I 5:25
6 II 7:43
Usko Meriläinen (1930-2004)
7 The Flute – Mirror of Water (1984) 9:41
Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)
String Quintet, Op. 110 (2000) 17:07
8 I 6:18
9 II 10:49


CD 5 63:44
Paavo Heininen (1938-2022)
String Quintet, Op. 78 (2000) 23:05
1 I. Punctus: Affettuoso ed espressivo 8:23
2 II. Ludus: Vivacissimo, leggiero 5:20
3 III. Cantus: Largo appassionato 9:20
Jouni Kaipainen (1956-2015)
Trio No. 3, Op. 29 (1987) 21:37
4 I. Sostenuto 6:31
5 II. Presto 3:03
6 III. "Marcia funebre" Adagio 4:45
7 IV. Prestissimo con leggerezza 2:48
8 V. Andante 4:28
Magnus Lindberg (1958-)
9 Clarinet Quintet (1992) 18:42


CD 6 62:44
Kimmo Hakola (1958-)
1 …la nuit n’est pas (1984) 7:20
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)
2 Spins and spells (1996) 6:41
Jukka Tiensuu (1948-)
3 Drang (1998) 6:46
4 , mutta for three accordions (1987) 4:31
Uljas Pulkkis (1975-)
5 Sonata for pianoforte solo (1997) 7:05
Veli-Matti Puumala (1965-)
String Quartet (1994) 29:27
6 I. Introduzione 11:44
7 II. Seconda parte 17:43


Awards

Le Monde de la Musique 'Choc'
Classica-Répertoire 'R10 du mois'

Press review

This box reveals an enormeous stylistic variety (...). The liner notes are exemplary (...). Once again, one has to admire the richness of music life in Finland.
Marc Vignal, Le Monde de la Musique, March 2003, 'Choc du mois'

What a beautiful and courageous panorama of chamber music in Finland today. (...) you discover repertoire of great variety, stimulating and on an exceptional level both artistically and in terms of the quality of the works.
Jean-Luc Caron, Répertoire, February 2003, 'Recommandé par Répertoire'


Complete description

This six-disc boxed set offers a broad survey of a hundred years of Finnish chamber music, featuring more than sixty performers and twenty composers - between the late Romanticism of Toivo Kuula's Piano Trio (1908) and the postmodernism of Veli-Matti Puumala's String Quartet (1994). Highlights include songs by Aare Merikanto sung by Soile Isokoski, Einojuhani Rautavaara's Rilke song cycle, sung by Marcus Ullman, and Joonas Kokkonen's third string quartet, performed by the Sibelius Quartet.

All recordings were made between 1999-2001 live at the famed Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. Ondine has maintained a privileged relationship with the Kuhmo Festival, since the label's initial mission from 1985 was to produce one live album at the Festival each season. Its exciting atmosphere since 1970, based on a unique interaction of music and nature, is reflected throughout the musical program, the recordings and the included booklet liner notes and photos.

CD 1:
[1-4] Jaakko Kuusisto, violin · Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello · Paavali Jumppanen, piano
[5-8] Echnaton Trio

CD 2:
[1-3] John Storgårds, violin · Eduard Brunner, clarinet · Radek Baborák, French horn · Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen, violin · Corinne Chapelle, violin · Pierre Lenert, viola · Tommia Aalto, viola · Götz Teutsch, cello · Martina Schucan, cello
[4-7] Helena Juntunen, soprano · Eveliina Kytömäki
[8-10] Asko Heiskanen, clarinet · Marita Viitasalo, piano
[11-14] Soile Isokoski, soprano · Marita Viitasalo, piano

CD 3:
[1-2] Laura Mikkola, piano · Jean Sibelius Quartet
[3-6] Meri Englund, violin · Tiina Karakorpi, piano
[7-9] Jean Sibelius Quartet
[10-13] Marcus Ullman, tenor · John Storgårds, violin · Cecilia Zilliacus, violin · Vladimir Mendelssohn, viola · Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello · Duncan McTier, double bass

CD 4:
[1-3] Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello · Juhani Lagerspetz, piano
[4] Meri Englund, violin · Antti Tikkanen, violin
[5-6] Asko Heiskanen, clarinet · Jerry Jantunen, piano
[7] Petri Alanko, flute · Marita Viitasalo, piano
[8-9] Pietari Inkinen, violin · Antti Tikkanen, violin · Ilari Angervo, viola · Marko Ylönen, cello · Ramon Jaffé, cello

CD 5:
[1-3] Danel Quartet
[4-8] Gryphon Trio
[9] Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Avanti! Quartet

CD 6:
[1] Roi Ruottinen, cello · Jerry Jantunen, piano
[2] Roi Ruottinen, cello
[3] Ismo Eskelinen, guitar
[4] Trio Fratres
[5] Antti Kaihola, piano
[6-7] New Helsinki Quartet