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Out of 40 releases we sent to our reviewer, he decided to discuss only the following.
FaGERLUND: Terral; Strings to the Bone; Chamber Symphony
Sharon Bezaly, fl; Tapiola Sinfonietta/ lohn Storgårds-BIS 2639 [SACD] 69 minutes
Since the recent passing of Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023), Sebastian Fagerlund (b. 1972) seems more likely than ever to carry the torch of contemporary Finnish music further into the 21st Century. This release brings two new works, completed in 2021, to an audience of Fagerlund fans: Terral, a flute concerto, and Chamber Symphony. Each is a three-movement composition lasting over 25 minutes. These are paired with Fagerlund's 2015 work for string orchestra, Strings to the Bone.
Bezaly's performance of Terral is stunning, and the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Storgards's direction brings excellent sensitivity and nuance to these post-spectral offerings. For anyone familiar with this Finnish composer's neoimpressionist style, this program encapsulates much of the sound Fagerlund developed in the 2010s; it reminded me of the musical soundscape explored in his 2014 bassoon concerto, Mana (BIS 2206). Several of the tropes that he established for himself in this period are on full display here, including his penchant for the amorphous passages of sliding pitch, suspended harmonic fields, and gestures driven by rhythmic syncopation. I found the juxtaposition of these elements in Chamber Symphony rather charming, but predictable.
FeIDJE: Etude; SonnetS; 1905; Contrab bacchus; Kort Mote; Fragment; Pas de Deux Bjorg Lewis, vc; Kvindelig Women's Choir/ Marit Tondel Bodsberg Weyde; Vertavo Quartet; HakonThelin, db; Double Bass Quartet; Cicada Ensemble; Norwegian Radio/ Bjarte Engeset
LAWO 1254-79 minutes
From the opening seconds of the cello etude, it's quite easy to hear experimental rock influence in the music of Asmund Feidje (b. 1948). It would be a mistake, however, to make assumptions about the depth and eclectic style of this Norwegian composer based on this fact alone. I was surprised by the range of character and expression Feidje achieved in this modesfly titled work, a sentiment that Bogusław Schaeffer (the work's dedicatee) might very well have agreed with. I'm not usually a fan of compositions for solo instruments, especially ones with technical-sounding titles that last longer than 10 minutes. I admit that I began listening to this album with that prejudice in mind. That may have made...