Mr McFall's Chamber - Solitudes: Baltic Reflections (2015)
Olli Mustonen, Zita Bruzaite, Aulis Sallinen, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Kalevi Aho
Arvo Pärt, Toivo Kärki, Jean Sibelius, Unto Mononen, Pēteris Vasks
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 267 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 154 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical, Contemporary | Label: Delphian | # DCD34156 | Time: 01:05:28
Olli Mustonen, Zita Bruzaite, Aulis Sallinen, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Kalevi Aho
Arvo Pärt, Toivo Kärki, Jean Sibelius, Unto Mononen, Pēteris Vasks
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 267 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 154 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical, Contemporary | Label: Delphian | # DCD34156 | Time: 01:05:28
No one knows quite when tango was established in Finland, but the style has a long history there – still little known to outsiders – and combines rhythmic interest and yearning melody with a distinctively Nordic melancholy. In this ingeniously curated programme, two Finnish tangos from the 1950s and a tango-based work by Finnish classical composer Aulis Sallinen are woven into a bold tapestry of music from the Eastern Baltic seaboard. Longing, sadness, and a heightened sense of nature infuse all of these works, which also reveal intriguing stylistic connections: the rocking accompaniment of Sibelius’ 'Einsames Lied' seems to prefigure the ‘Baltic minimalism’ of Vasks, Pärt and Zita Bružaité, while Olli Mustonen’s 'Toccata' alternates rhythmic verve with a rich vein of reflective memory. These original compositions are complemented by Robert McFall’s own sensitive arrangements, for a core McFall’s lineup of five strings and piano, and the programme culminates in a truly unique version of Sibelius’s famous 'Finlandia' Hymn.