Juha Kangas is the inspirational founder and conductor of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, which under his direction has become one of the great string orchestras of the world. Alba present here three works for strings which were not only written specifically for the Ostrobothnians but were also dedicated to Kangas, as acknowledgement of his and the orchestra's spirit in influencing the composers' careers.

The three works were written at the beginning of the 21st Century, and as such represent various forms of experimentation which the Baltic composers Nordgrem, Vasks and Eliasson were making to find a new 'post-Modern' form of music for the new millenium. Alba's booklet contains an erudite and thought-provoking essay by scholar Christoph Schlüren in which he comments that "most impartial listeners find it [contemporary music] far easier than connoisseurs, who are beholden to their historical points of view, to be lifted straightaway into this [new] realm". That may be so, but such concentrated analytic, technical and philosophical notes are likely to put off the average listener quite effectively. So too are the extensive quotes about the meaning of their works by the composers themselves, which are often bafflingly cryptic. Far better in this case not to read the notes before listening to the music.

The common denominator in these three works of Dedication is the orchestra and its conductor, so many of the textures and tonal qualities on display are shared. The various advanced forms of non-tonal harmonic schemes which they each use also means that the range of emotions that the listener perceives are limited to areas such as despair, anger, longing, neurosis, fear, suspense; none of these works could be said to express happiness, joy or contentment to any significant degree. Nor does their formless "continuous organic evolution" give the listener many clues as to completion of their journeys; the pieces by Vasks and Eliasson indeed just stop abruptly in mid-flight. Nor is there any resolution or comfort to be had in these compositions. In other words, they put considerable demands on the listener and are not in any way to be considered purely entertaining; they rather elicit respect and admiration for the process of composition in the act of music-making.

Nordgren's cryptically named Solemnity-Euphony for 19 Strings Op. 118 (2002) was written with separate parts for all 19 strings, creating a dense cluster tonality. This provides a chilling, shivering and questing opening, as if exploring an icy dream-scape. It is a thorny piece, strongly dissonant and at times violently aggressive, often bounding with intense and barely controlled neurotic energy. There are few moments of repose, although at about 8:18 there is a lyrical viola solo passing into a great consonant chord, which seems to account for the 'Euphony' part of Nordgren's title. Chugging folk rhythms and twisted fragments of folk song persist for a while, but a theatrical end arrives with a heart-tugging richly-harmonised quotation of several bars from Schumann's Traümeri, as if indicating that the dream is over.

Latvian Peteris Vasks is one of few Baltic composers who has attained world-wide appreciation. His Musica appassionata per orchestra d'archii was composed in 2002 (note the 'archaic' use of Italian in the title). Recorded here for the first time, this plunges the listener into a sea of darkly saturated string tone, with an almost excruciatingly intense build-up of emotion towards a sudden silence, beyond which a tear-laden solo theme wanders as if lost. Another passage like a diabolical scherzo tosses pizzicati and bowed phrases from string section to section before returning to the passionate build-up once more. After a crisis like massive chord, top notes make a swooping glissando to the depths, when the music wanders lost again, before simply stopping as noted above. This struck me as the most approachable work here, and surely a significant part of Vasks' development. It is deeply moving and certainly repays further hearings.

Swede Anders Eliasson contributes a Sinfonia per archi (2001). It might seem to be the most 'Classical' of the three works, in having three sections (separately tracked) in slow-fast-slow tempi. However, the work plays without breaks. To my ears, its seems to begin in a bleak post-Catastrophe world, circling endlessly with no signposts on the path. It brought to mind similar passages in Richard Strauss' forward-looking 'Metamorphosen for 23 Solo Strings'; perhaps a subconscious reference. Eliasson's first 'movement' lasts for no less than 18:13, twice the length of the others. It merges into a fast tempo with sharply jabbing bow strokes and abrupt trills hurled around the orchestra; a nightmarish atmosphere with 'Rite of Spring'-like poly-rhythms. Returning to a slow tempo, the music becomes more overtly lyrical, developing a sense of deep nostalgia which is finally terminated abruptly.

The Ostrobothian players, and indeed Juha Kangas, seem to have been born to perform these works, and it is easy to see why Nordgren, Vasks, Elias and many other composers have been inspired to write for the orchestra. They negotiate the myriad technical difficulties with superlative expertise, and put all the emotion that could be wished for into their interpretations.

Sonically, the strings are presented with great presence, detail and perspective in a neutral acoustic environment which suits the music perfectly, and the wide dynamic range they produce is captured faithfully. In 5.1 multichannel, there is good extended bass, much of which comes through the subwoofer, but the overall balances are superb.

Without doubt this is a recording milestone in the relationship of Juho Kangas, his orchestra and the three composers most associated with them, and therefore highly commendable.

Copyright © 2010 John Miller and HRAudio.net

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