Ludi Caeli: III. Postludium Profundum

H.B.Q.

This new recording presents a cross-section of contemporary Finnish chamber music for brass instruments. Almost all of the works featured here have been written especially for the Helsinki Brass Quintet or have been composed or arranged by the members of the quintet themselves. The two exceptions are the works by Linkola and Viitasaari, but both of these works were given their Finnish premières by the Helsinki Brass Quintet.

Jazz pianist, orchestral conductor and composer Jukka Linkola (born 1955) is one of the true multitalented stars of the Finnish music scene. From 1979–1992 he served as principal conductor at the Helsinki City Theatre. As a composer he is best known for his extensive catalogue of film music and his numerous musicals. Linkola has also composed a considerable body of work for brass instruments. In his upbeat work Psalm, hymn-like melodies are shrouded in rich, jazz harmonies. This work has been part of the HBQ’s standard repertoire for years. Psalm was composed in 1995.

Majakkasaari (‘Lighthouse Island’) by Timo Forsström (born 1961) can well be considered a classic of the Finnish brass-ensemble repertoire. Forsström originally composed the work for solo baritone horn and wind orchestra, but has since arranged the work for a number of different scorings. In 2006 he produced an arrangement for the Helsinki Brass Quintet, and since then it has become one of their most frequently performed works. A highly versatile musician, Timo Forsström has also won the composition competition at the Seinäjoki Tango Festival on three occasions.

Kai Nieminen (born 1953) is well known both as a composer and as a talented guitarist. Music for guitar, however, forms only one part of his extensive compositional output, which encompasses works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras. Nieminen writes the majority of his works for specific performers with whom he can explore the technical capabilities of the instrument in question. Nieminen has composed a horn concerto and three solo works for the Helsinki Brass Quintet’s horn player Tommi Hyytinen. As a composer, Nieminen is a true lyricist, and many of his works exude an often dreamlike, expressive power. The overall texture of his works is clear and shimmering. Nieminen considers himself something of a musical painter, who expresses his what he sees and experiences in a musical form. Atonáli (2008) was composed for the Helsinki Brass Quintet and is dedicated to Nieminen’s friend, long-time trombonist of the Helsinki Philharmonic and conductor of the Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Ahti Karjalainen (1907–1986). Atonáli begins with a chorale-like theme and gradually builds to a boisterous and flamboyant central section. The work ends with a quiet, meditative epilogue.

Aside from his work as a composer, Jukka Viitasaari (born 1961) is also a talented guitarist and tuba player. Viitasaari has composed a great deal of music for brass ensembles and wind orchestras. Viitasaari’s compositions have garnered much success at international wind-orchestra competitions. The wind-orchestra arrangement of Strange Dreams won second prize at the Concours international de composition pour orchestre d'harmonie Lambersart (France 2006). The version for brass sextet won second prize at the Humboldt Brass Chamber Music Workshop Composition Contest (USA 2007). The version for brass quintet, heard here, was completed in 2009. Strange Dreams is divided into three different movements, whose very names are highly descriptive. The first movement, ‘House on the Hill’, begins in a dark, sombre mood, but its central section, in a faster tempo, brings the music a new, brighter character. Towards the end of the movement, the music returns to the mood of the opening. The name of the movement Dream on! plays with the many different meanings of this amusing expression. The thematic material of the movement is soft and dreamlike. However, just as in dreams, moods can change in a flash. The final movement, Thunder in the East, begins with a sense of change in the air. Dark, foreboding tones run through the music until the movement reaches its declamatory, fanfare-like conclusion.

The catalogue of composer Tomi Räisänen (born 1976) includes works for solo instruments, chamber and vocal ensembles, orchestral pieces and concertos. In 2007 Räisänen was one of three winners at the Irino Prize composition competition with his work Stheno. In 2002 he was awarded second prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Composizione "2 Agosto" in Bologna, Italy, for his work Nomad. Cast in three movements, Räisänen’s work Ludi caeli was written for and dedicated to the Helsinki Brass Quintet. The first movement, ‘Praeambulum durum’ (2006) received its world première in London at the Sibelius & Beyond Festival in 2007. The second movement, ‘Interludium intimum’, was premièred in Bucharest, Romania, in the spring of 2008. Completed in 2010, the third movement, ‘Postludium profundum’, was premièred in Helsinki at the Helsinki Brass Quintet’s CD release concert in spring 2011.

The first movement, ‘Praeambulum durum’, can be translated as a ‘strong prelude’. As well as ‘prelude’, the word ‘praeambulum’ also denotes walking. The ostinato-like tuba gesture, which appears towards the middle of the movement, sounds almost like the heavy, weary steps of an unknown, giant creature. As its name suggests, ‘Interludium intimum’ is more delicate and intimate than the movement that precedes it. That being said, the movements exhibit strong musical ties with each other: alongside the soft tones, the texture is dotted with powerful accents and large, chordal swells. In this movement the horn assumes a special, almost solistic role. During the span of the movement, the horn presents the full extent of its exceptionally broad range as the instrument gradually descends from its upper register in a lyrical, moving line taking it down to the lower extremity of its register, where it competes with the trombone and the tuba. The third movement, ‘Postludium profundum’, begins with the same harmonic material as we hear at the end of the second movement. The movement reaches its climax with a powerful, lyrical display of brass fireworks. The composer has always had a strong fascination for the visceral sound world of brass instruments.

Sydänmailla (‘In the heartlands’) by Tommi Hyytinen (born 1977) is a beautiful, melancholy ballad structured around a heartfelt melody, rich harmonies and a strong sense of rhythmic drive. The work is scored for a quartet of flugelhorn, French horn, trombone and tuba. The plaintive tone of the flugelhorn helps to conjure up a deep, resonant, dark sound world throughout the work.

The rock-music section of the Helsinki Brass Quintet’s new recording is taken care of by the funky piece Plagio by Miika Jämsä (born 1979). In this work Jämsä has borrowed melodies from three well-known songs, but changed the rhythmic structure of the melodies in such a way that the listener will find it difficult, if not impossible, to identify them.

When he was younger, as well as playing the French horn Tommi Hyytinen used to play the drums. To this day he still feels a strong connection to the drums and the world of popular music. His love of powerful, driving rhythms can be heard in his works Bounce and Dr. TuRn. Bounce is an intensely rhythmic quartet scored for French horn, trombone, tuba and drums. The work takes its name from the virtuosic, jumping tuba line which, together with the drums, creates a dizzying rhythmic foundation for the work, against which the horn and the trombone engage in agitated dialogue. Taking its inspiration from the world of progressive rock, Dr. TuRn is a short, virtuosic trio for horn, tuba and drums. The work’s name is constructed from the words ‘drums’, ‘tuba’ and ‘horn’.

Frans Oskar Merikanto (1868–1924) was a Finnish composer, pianist and organist. He served as principal organist at St John’s Church, Helsinki, from 1892 until his death in 1924. In contrast to his contemporary Jean Sibelius, Merikanto opted for a simpler, more folk-like form of musical expression. Merikanto is particularly well known for his extensive collection of Lieder, notably Pai, pai, paitaressu (‘Bye bye, my sweet swaddled baby’), Ilta tuntureilla (‘An evening on the fells’), Oi, muistatko vielä sen virren (‘Do you remember that hymn’), Kullan murunen (‘Thou art a nugget of gold’) and Soi vienosti murheeni soitto (‘Play softly, thou tune of my mourning’). There can be few songs that more aptly depict the melancholy of the inner landscape of the Finnish national psyche than ‘Play softly, thou tune of my mourning’. In this arrangement for the Helsinki Brass Quintet the song takes on a much darker character than normal. The arrangement presented here, drawing on the rhetorical influence of metal music, was completed by the Helsinki Brass Quintet’s very own trumpeter, Janne Ovaskainen (born 1975). Folk-song arrangements have formed an important part of the Helsinki Brass Quintet’s repertoire for many years. The first folk song on this recording is the beautiful traditional ballad Taivas on sininen ja valkoinen (‘The sky is blue and white’), which, in this arrangement by the American saxophonist Roger Freundlich (born 1945) takes on a very different character from the original, one heavily influenced by jazz fusion. Janne Ovaskainen’s arrangement of Yksi ruusu on kasvanut laaksossa (‘A rose there is has grown in the valley’) begins in a very lyrical vein but gradually builds through a swing section into a series of improvised solos over an accompaniment inspired by the rhythms of Latin America. The recording ends with Janne Ovaskainen’s feel-good work, the disco inspired High Tech.

The Helsinki Brass Quintet

Janne Ovaskainen, trumpet
Ilkka Helanterä, trumpet
Tommi Hyytinen, French horn
Sami Hannula, trombone
Miika Jämsä, tuba
Mikael Seire, drums

The sheer diversity of the music presented in this recording is characteristic of the Helsinki Brass Quintet as an ensemble. Contemporary works, as well as the group’s own compositions and arrangements, have been an integral part of the quintet’s repertoire ever since it was founded. The HBQ enjoys performing all kinds of music, from classical to pop and everything in between. Since its inception in 1999, the ensemble has appeared at numerous festivals both in Finland and abroad, and has performed as soloist with several Finnish symphony orchestras and wind bands. In addition to this, the HBQ has worked with many different kinds of vocalists, including opera singers, tango artists and Finnish pop stars. Over the years the group has also been actively involved in a musical theatre project using their own compositions and featuring three actors. The Helsinki Brass Quintet is passionate about developing the world of chamber music for brass instruments. Despite this, the HBQ is still first and foremost a group of six friends who enjoy spending time together outside rehearsals and concerts. The group’s diverse artistic work is an added extra to the performers’ long friendship.

Tommi Hyytinen (translation: David Hackston)

www.hbq.fi
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