Rautavaara: Piano Concertos

 

I have been rather enthusiastic regarding the concerto from Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara thus far. With this last works series entry, I am introduced to the composer's piano concertos.

Piano Concerto nos. 1 & 2 are made of tougher stuff than most of the others I have covered in Volume's 1 - 3. I find the First Piano Concerto more appealing overall, where Rautavaara unexpectedly walks into jazz territory by the third movement. While the use of a whole forearm in the first movement isn't the most appealing sound, at least there is a visualization of how the music works in performance.

The hearty, big-block chord, piano chorale over a string halo is a wonderful moment in the second movement, allowing the piano a sizeable solo to itself away from the orchestra, before a cadenza later in the movement continues the virtuosity from the soloist. The third movement leaps into a jazz toccata of great surprise, reminding listeners of Gershwin, yet combining such sounds with distinct dissonance and modernist orchestral color. What an interesting mix!

I don't know whether it is a lack of melodic material, rhythmic motives, or a clear destination, but Rautavaara's Second Piano Concerto is just as modern-sounding as his First, yet I find much less to latch on to. Even the last 'bird' movement doesn't really provide me with anything birdlike in character.

The mysterious solo piano opening alongside gong brings great promise to the first movement, but I can't say it delivers on said promise. It starts rather brightly, but devolves into darkness and confusion. The craggy second movement offers little sentiment for this listener, despite some attempts at lyrical passage work and unaccompanied piano song. Some clarinet bends, slapstick, and flexatone offer a bit of variety, however. As mentioned before, the birds of the third movement are completely lost on this listener, and I consider myself a rather imaginative fella...

While these two concertos are shared across two different German orchestras with two different conductors, the unifying presence of pianist Ralf Gothóni is a strong one, despite my troubles with the music. He is obviously a strong advocate of this music and throws himself into these works wholeheartedly.

Gift of Dreams is closer in style to Rautavaara's later compositions, one most listeners will be familiar with from the composer's orchestral music, offering slow tempos and harmonic motion of an affable variety. If I believe this one to be my favorite of Rautavaara's piano concertos, perhaps that is saying more about me than the music itself.

The first movement almost has the piano planing in a French style, with soft orchestral retorts, before it launches into pastoral motions, aided by the ensemble winds. Somehow, Rautavaara always keeps a subtle dissonance to his musical landscape, one which keeps the music from ever becoming to gossamer or overly sweet, here done so by the piano at times.

When Rautavaara composes slow movements back to back, usually he adds or subtracts elements in the next movement to keep anything from becoming too same sounding. In the second movement, it is pitched percussion which differentiates the two, where chimes inhabit the first movement, later with the second relying more on vibraphone and harps. The middle movement is also more sweeping and melancholically song like in turns, with dramatic and tense moments coming and going with ease. The third movement is the only energetically rhythmic portion of the piano concerto, ably landing the work on a rather showy note in comparison to what came before.

Vladimir Ashkenazy commissioned Piano Concerto no. 3 and is also the performer on this recording. While the famous Soviet pianist/conductor asked for a work which could be directed from the keyboard, I still believe this work could use a leader on the podium. I know both Naxos and BIS do so with separate soloist and conductor, and to much better effect, I think. Nevertheless, the fun of Ashkenazy and Helsinki premiering this final piano concerto from Rautavaara is apparent.

Work Series
Vol. 4 from Rautavaara Concertos on Ondine


Works
Piano Concerto 1 (20.11)
Piano Concerto 2 (22.08)
Piano Concerto 3 'Gift of Dreams' (27.57)

Soloist
Ralf Gothóni, piano
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

Ensembles
Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (PC1)
    Max Pommer, conductor
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (PC2)
    Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (PC3)

    Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor

Label: Ondine
Year: 1991 (PC1 & PC2), 2000 (PC3); 2017
Total Timing: 70.37

Find more Rautavaara recordings HERE!