Rautavaara - Symphony No.7, No.8, etc.

Born in 1928, Einojuhani Rautavaara established a reputation as Finland's leading composer of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. His music identified a latent strand of the wider public consciousness worldwide, and of all his many works, his Seventh Symphony, "Angel of Light," written in 1994, has perhaps aroused the widest response from audiences and critics alike. Many have commented that the work's beauty and spirituality of expression is a conduit for the cosmic and primal aspects of existence – attributes increasingly marginalized in a secularized and high-tech world.

In 1972, Einojuhani Rautavaara was commissioned by the University of Oulu, Finland, to write a piece for its first doctoral degree ceremony. Tradition would have him create a ceremonial festive cantata, but Rautavaara responded instead with the unusual Cantus Arcticus, often referred to as a Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, in which taped bird songs (some recorded in the vicinity of Oulu, others around the Arctic Circle and the marshlands of Liminka) interact with the orchestra. (AMG)

1st CD
Symphony No.7 ("Angel of Light")
Performed by Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Jaakko Kuusisto

Flute Concerto ("Dances with the Winds"), Op. 69
Performed by Lahti Symphony Orchestra
with Petri Alanko
Conducted by Sakari Tepponen

Cantus Arcticus (Concerto for Birds & Orchestra), for orchestra & taped bird songs, Op. 61
Performed by Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Osmo Vanska

2nd CD
1. Concerto For Harp And Orchestra: I. Pesante
2. Concerto For Harp And Orchestra: II. Adagietto
3. Concerto For Harp And Orchestra: III. Solenne
4. Symphony No.8, 'The Journey': I. Adagio Assai
5. Symphony No.8, 'The Journey': II. Feroce
6. Symphony No.8, 'The Journey': III. Tranquillo
7. Symphony No.8, 'The Journey': IV. Con Grandezza
Performed by Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Leif Segerstam
Performer: Marielle Nordmann