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Cover: Einojuhani Rautavaara – Symphony No. 6 "Vincentiana" · Cello Concerto No. 1

Einojuhani Rautavaara

Symphony No. 6 "Vincentiana"

Cello Concerto No. 1

Marko Ylönen, cello
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Max Pommer, conductor

ODE 819-2 · CD · March 1994

Buy / listen

Track listing

7 tracks · 59:10

Listen to samples on selected tracks.

Einojuhani Rautavaara

  1. Symphony No. 6 "Vincentiana" (1992) 41:56
  2. 1 I. Starry Night 19:24
  3. 2 II. The Crows 6:10
  4. 3 III. Saint-Rémy 7:50
  5. 4 IV. Apotheosis 8:22
  6. Cello Concerto, Op. 41 17:30
  7. 5 I. Allegro ma non troppo 5:58
  8. 6 II. Largo 6:26
  9. 7 III. Vivace 5:00

About this recording

This CD couples Einojuhani Rautavaara's Symphony No. 6 "Vincentiana" with one of his most performed concertos, the Cello Concerto No. 1, which features soloist Marko Ylönen.

Written in 1992, the sixth symphony is based on musical material from the opera Vincent (1985-87). The special feature of the orchestration in Vincentiana is the use of a DX-7 synthesiser, for the most part in soloist roles. Rautavaara's Neo-Romantic approach shines through the soft, mellow harmonies of the first cello concerto (1968), which in 1989 he characterized as follows: "... the music of the Concerto is a 'post-modern' combination of arm clusters, the beauty of mediant triads and even a 'Gershwinian' samba finale..."

This is the third release in a cycle featuring the complete symphonies by Einojuhani Rautavaara. The recordings were made at the Hyvinkää Hall in June 1993, with Max Pommer leading the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Features

Booklet with liner notes written by Kalevi Aho, in English, German, French and Finnish

Press

With this release, (Rautavaara) is bidding fair to become Finland's leading symphonist. (...) The Sixth Symphony is another brilliant example of Rautavaaraäs striving for a perfect synthesis of musical elements. (...) The neo romantic Cello Concerto (...) is a memorable work, superbly played by Marko Ylönen. (...) Excellent performances and sounds. Highly recommended.
Diederik De Jong, American Record Guide, November/December 1994

This is a stunning addition to the catalog. Highly recommended.
Peter J. Rabinowitz, Fanfare Magazine, May/June 1994

The artists

Marko Ylönen

Marko Ylönen studied the cello with Csaba Szilvay at the East Helsinki Music Institute, with Erkki Rautio and Heikki Rautasalo at the Sibelius Academy and with Heinrich Schiff in Basel. Ylönen made the final round of the Turku Cello Competition at the age of fifteen. He received second prize in the Nordic Cello Competition in Turku in 1990 and a prize in the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow in the same year. In spring 1996, he won the Concert Artist Guild competition in New York.

Full biography

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the first professional symphony orchestra to be founded in the Nordic countries (1882), has grown from a band of 36 players to an orchestra of 102 regular members.

Full biography

Max Pommer

Max Pommer was born in Leipzig in 1936. His international breakthrough as a conductor came with the "New Bach Collegium Musicum", which he founded 1978 and brought to international recognition. The recordings made by this ensemble received international awards and were well known in Europe and the USA long before the German reunification.

Full biography

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