Soma

[voidampersand]

I just saw a thrilling program by the San Francisco Symphony, Susanna Mälkki conducting. The first piece was "Alma III: Soma" by Jukka Tiensuu. I'm not going to try to explain it. Here it is. See what you think:

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Try to listen with headphones if you can. The sound is very dynamic. Little computer speakers will not do it justice. Seeing it live was

Comments

[kalimac]

I didn't seek out a ticket to this program, mostly because I was unenthused by the prospect of hearing the Chopin concerto again. I've had varied experiences with Trpčeski, but if he played this like he played the Paganini Rhapsody some years ago, which is what your description sounds like, I'd have liked it. Oh well.

Yes, dynamic and sonically resonant, and also coherent: that Tiensuu piece reminds me of Anna Coyne, although her musical language is quite different. And those opening chords had a similar harmonic feel to Sibelius's closing dominant chords, though the context is different: I suppose it's something to do with the choice of voicing. The resemblance is likely to be deliberate: Sibelius is so weighty in Finland that a composer there can't ignore him. You can either follow him or avoid him.

[randy_byers]

Finally got a chance to listen to this. Great stuff! I'll try to keep an eye out for other works by Jukka Tiensuu. Sounds like a great program all around, especially the Sibelius, which I heard performed last year by the Seattle Symphony, along with Symphonies 6 & 7. Really an amazing night.