Search - Kalevi Aho, Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra :: Aho: Chinese Songs & Symphony No. 4

Remarkable recording of two outstanding Aho works

L. Johan Modée | Earth | 11/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Finnish contemporary composer Kalevi Aho's (b. 1949) fourth symphony from 1972-73 is here coupled with the composer's song cycle "Kiinalaisia lauluja" ("Chinese songs" - sung in Finnish, beautifully performed by Tiina Vahevaara) from 1997.



This is contemporary music with a remarkable high musical quality and expressive impact - it is no wonder that Aho is regarded being Finland's leading composer of today. Because these two works are indeed original, deeply moving, powerful, and memorable.



Like many other contemporary composers, Aho is quite traditional in his harmonic style. That is, the style is 'traditional' in the shostakovian sense, looking backwards from a contemporary point of view.



The recording is clean and spacious, with perfect balance and detail, and the performance (Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony Orchestra) is of course first class. Strongly recommended."

Discover Kalevi Aho

B. R. Merrick | 11/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"He has an impressive résumé: student at the Sibelius Academy in Finland then in West Berlin, lecturer in musicology at Helsinki University, professor of compositions at the Sibelius Academy, and now composer in residence with the Lahti Symphony since 1992.



Why it is that the rest of the world hasn't heard more about this guy is beyond me. The subtleties of sound and motion in the Chinese Songs and the Fourth on this disc are too strangely intoxicating to be put into words. Amazingly, there are a great many similarities between Aho's Fourth and Shostakovich's, although Aho gets points for painting more mysterious and intruiguing pictures with his musical brush.



The Lahti Symphony, whose exactness and emotive force are evident with their handling of Sibelius, are up to the task here as well, although Aho seems content to branch out much further with tonality than Sibelius ever dreamed. This is one of the few living composers whose works I am as interested in as all the greats who have passed on, even though his sound is as modern as they come. I doubt you would be disappointed either."