Levitation

Tommi Aalto · Kullervo Kojo · Christoffer Sundqvist · Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

2011 · ABCD 314

Credits

Performers: Tommi Aalto — ViolaKullervo Kojo — ClarinetChristoffer Sundqvist — ClarinetFinnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Composers: Peter EötvösCarl NielsenAulis Sallinen
Conductors and other contributors: Okko Kamu — ConductorHannu Lintu — Conductor

About this release

Eötvös - Nielsen - Allowed
Levitation
Christoffer Sundqvist clarinet
Kullervo Kojo clarinet
Tommi Aalto viola
Jani Niinimäki snare drum
Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu conductor
Okko Kamu conductor
Three works for clarinet
On the new album Levitation by the top international clarinetist Christoffer Sundqvist and the Radio Symphony Orchestra, you can hear three great compositions in which the clarinet plays the main role:
In his work Levitation, one of the most interesting composers of our time, Peter Eötvös mixes completely different phenomena in a fun and arbitrarily, resulting in a moving and exciting surreal soundscape. On this CD, in addition to Sundqvist, Kullervo Kojo also plays the clarinet in Eötvös' work. RSO is led by Hannu Lintu.
Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto, completed in 1928, received a mixed reception from his contemporaries due to its unromantic and "graphic" sound. Later, the work has become one of the most respected clarinet concertos, and it is also played more and more diligently. The little drum (= "snare") is played by Jani Niinimäki.
Aulis Sallinen's three-part Concerto for clarinet, viola and chamber orchestra makes you think about how indifferently people treat animals when they pursue their own interests. Tommi Aalto is the viola soloist on this piece and Okko Kamu conducts the RSO.

Tracks

Levitation (2007)
1.Icomp. Peter Eötvös (b. 1944)ISRC FIABA10005002:56
2.II Langsam, schwebendcomp. Peter Eötvös (b. 1944)ISRC FIABA10005016:37
3.III barcarolacomp. Peter Eötvös (b. 1944)ISRC FIABA10005027:07
4.IV Petrushka’s resurrectioncomp. Peter Eötvös (b. 1944)ISRC FIABA10005033:13
Clarinet Concerto Op. 57 (1928)
5.Allegretto un pococomp. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)ISRC FIABA10005048:18
6.Poco adagiocomp. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)ISRC FIABA10005055:09
7.Allegro non troppocomp. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)ISRC FIABA10005065:34
8.Adagio-Allegro vivacecomp. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)ISRC FIABA10005074:59
Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Chamber Orchestra Op. 91 (2006–2007)
9.I The Dolphin’s Lamentcomp. Aulis Sallinen (1935)ISRC FIABA10005089:04
10.II Les Jeuxcomp. Aulis Sallinen (1935)ISRC FIABA10005095:37
11.III Adagio del Torocomp. Aulis Sallinen (1935)ISRC FIABA10005109:12

Reviews

Carl Nielsen (1865–1931) led the way out of the Romantic period by stripping away its excesses and returning to the precision of classicism without letting go of the Scandinavian romantic tradition. The late
Clarinet Concerto
(1928) merges neo-romantic orchestral composition with daring and contemporary clarinet writing, an example being the dialogue between the clarinet and the snare drum. When penned, it was difficult to perform and was not well received: the composer Wilhelm…
Audiophile Audition · Robert Moon · December 1, 2015
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Nielsen’s clarinet concerto is the one standard work on this disc, and Christoffer Sundqvist gives an altogether remarkable performance of it.
Fanfare · Lynn René Bayley · August 9, 2012
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The only standard work on this disk is Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto which receives a terrific performance from the young soloist, Christoffer Sundqvist.
SA-CD.net · Robert Benson · October 17, 2012
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The only standard work on this disk is Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto which receives a terrific performance from the young soloist, Christoffer Sundqvist.
ClassicalCDReview.com · Robert Benson · October 24, 2012
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Aalto plays with a rich and resonant tone and highly expressive phrasing, and his teamwork with Sundqvist makes the Sallinen an enjoyable and worthy addition to the double concerto repertoire.
American Record Guide · Patrick Hanudel · November 12, 2012
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Klarinetti irtoaa maankamaralta
”RSO:n sooloklarinetisti Christoffer Sundqvist on eleettömästi vain parastaan tarjoten noussut suomalaisten instrumentalistien huipulle. Musisoinnin sulavuus, rytminen kimmoisuus, äärimmäisyydet tavoittava sointikirjo ja varma tyylitaju ovat lumonneet aina, olipa kyse orkesterisooloista, kamarimusiikki- tai solistiesityksistä. […] Radion sinfoniaorkesteri, vuoroin Hannu Linnun ja Okko Kamun johtamana, luo joustavat kehykset Sundqvistin taikoja tekevälle klarinetille.”
Jukka
Helsingin Sanomat · Jukka Isopuro
RSOn sooloklarinetisti levytti hienon konserttokimaran
”Romanianunkarilaisen Peter Eötvösin (s. 1944) sirkusmaisessa ”Levitationissa” Sundqvistin solistipartnerina on Kullervo Kojo, hänen edeltäjänsä RSOn sooloklarinetin paikalla. Solistien ilmeikäs vuorottelu ja sopuisat intervallit hakevat vertaistaan. Koominen kääntyy äkkiä traagiseksi.
[Nielsenin klarinettikonserton] Esteettinen huippukohta löytyy ensiosan kadenssin jälkeisestä fagottien musettesta ja sitä seuraavasta perkeleellisestä…
YLE Uudet levyt · Janne Koskinen
Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto is an unusual and uncompromising
work. Cast in a single movement, and with a strange orchestra
of strings, two horns, two bassoons and side drum, it casts
a powerful spell. The opening is pastoral and almost neo-classical
in atmosphere, giving no clue to the highly dramatic nature
of what is to follow.
MusicWeb International
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