Rautavaara's suite Icons (1955) was inspired by his childhood memories of the Valamo Monastery, rekindled by an art book titled Ikonen.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rautavaara, initially a modernist and avant-gardist, realized that following trends meant lagging behind, so he chose to write music he personally liked.
Compositional Technique
Symmetrical scales, melodic inversions, and mirror harmonies consistently characterize Rautavaara's music, from his earliest known work to his final solo piano composition.
Composition History
Rautavaara's early work, The Fiddlers (1952), was inspired by a collection of folk tunes by an 18th-century Finnish fiddler named Samuel Rinda-Nickola.
Performer Biography
Morta Grigaliūnaitė, the pianist on this album, has received outstanding reviews for her interpretations and has performed in notable venues worldwide.
Composer Biography
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) is recognized as one of the most versatile contemporary composers, with a vast and diverse creative output.
Interpretation
The arrangement of Cantus Arcticus for solo piano on this album was undertaken by Peter Lönnqvist, who Rautavaara noted demanded more from the pianist than he would have dared.
