Helsinki Chamber Choir, Nils Schweckendiek - Rautavaara + Aho: Joy & Asymmetry (2024) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Die erste Elegie
02. Kolme laulua Mawlana Rumin runoihin: I. Kotiin! (Homewards!)
03. Kolme laulua Mawlana Rumin runoihin: II. Yksin sinä (You alone)
04. Kolme laulua Mawlana Rumin runoihin: III. Kuolkaa! (Die!)
05. Unsere Liebe: I. Meine Liebe (My Love)
06. Unsere Liebe: II. Dann, in jener Nacht (Then, that Night)
07. Unsere Liebe: III. Der Brief (The Letter)
08. Unsere Liebe: IV. Flüstern (Whispering)
09. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: I. Kuljin nuoralla (I walked a tightrope)
10. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: II. Aina olin (I was always)
11. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: III. Suupielessä naurun hiljainen aihe (A hint of laughter in the corner of your mouth)
12. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: IV. Sateen syksyt (Rainy autumns)
13. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: V. Tuoli seisoi (The chair stood)
14. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: VI. Kirkkaudessa (Out of the brightness)
15. Ilo ja epäsymmetria: VII. Seison tuulessa (I stand in the wind)
16. Ave Maria, gratia plena
17. Elämän kirja: I. Kindheit (Childhood)
18. Elämän kirja: II. L'amoureuse (The Woman in Love)
19. Elämän kirja: III. Ma bohème (My Bohemian Days)
20. Elämän kirja: IV. Hope is the thing with feathers
21. Elämän kirja: V. Are you ready?
22. Elämän kirja: VI. La mort des pauvres (Death of the Poor)
23. Elämän kirja: VII. Es lacht in dem steigendem Jahr (The Tides of the Year for you Breathe Still)
24. Elämän kirja: VIII. Song of Myself

Einojuhani Rautavaara and Kalevi Aho, teacher and pupil, are both key figures in the Finnish music of their respective generations. Rautavaara’s musical language evolved from neoclassicism through dodecaphony and the stylistic freedom of the 1960s before he eventually allowed himself to choose his expressive idiom according to the individual requirements of his works. Towards the end of his career, his works took on a very consistent, softtoned character. For his part, Aho also began his career using a freely applied neoclassical style before gradually progressing to a more varied, at times modernist expressive and incisive approach.

The works featured on this disc offer a glimpse into the choral output of these two composers who, in addition to demonstrating their stylistic versatility, also reveal their literary curiosity. While Aho draws on contemporary Finnish literature, Rautavaara has recourse to poets of various origins and periods. They are entrusted to the expert voices of the Helsinki Chamber Choir and its conductor, Nils Schweckendiek, who recently won an American Grammy for their disc devoted to the choral works of the late Kaija Sariaaho.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac]

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [Hi-Res]