Aho: Symphony No. 3 / Mussorgsky: Songs and Dances of Death

Featuring

Osmo Vänskä
Jaakko Kuusisto
Matti Salminen
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Kalevi Aho
Modest Mussorgsky

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Aho's Third Symphony, one of his most 'eloquent' compositions, explores the irreconcilable opposition between the individual (soloist) and the mass (orchestra).

Compositional Technique

Aho's Third Symphony features a dramatic conflict between the individual (solo violin) and the mass (orchestra), where the orchestra often overwhelms the soloist.

Composer Biography

Kalevi Aho, one of Finland's leading contemporary composers, studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under Einojuhani Rautavaara.

Composition History

Kalevi Aho's Third Symphony was originally intended as a violin concerto but evolved into something between a symphony and a concerto.

Composition History

Mussorgsky's 'Songs and Dances of Death' was composed to poems by his friend Arseni Golenishchev-Kutuzov, with the first three movements ready in 1875 and the fourth in 1877.

Instruments

The violin played by Jaakko Kuusisto on this recording was made by Matteo Goffriller in 1702.

Interpretation

Kalevi Aho orchestrated Mussorgsky's 'Songs and Dances of Death' in 1984 at the request of singer Martti Talvela, aiming to preserve its original character while adding new nuances.