Rautavaara: Works for Male Choir

 

I heard quite a bit of the Helsinki University Chorus, or Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat (YL), in the choral music of Sibelius. I enjoyed their virile, robust tone, and this application continues in the music of Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. A break-off group of 10 members from the YL, called the Talla Vocal Ensemble, sings about half the program in addition to the larger ensemble.

Suffice to say, the entire 100 minutes of a cappella men's choral music spread over 2CDs is stupendous, superlatively performed by all involved. I listened straight through both discs, and not once was a pause needed, so gripped was I by this music and its performances.

CD1 mostly covers music written in the 1950s and 1960s, whereas CD2 finds Rautavaara in the 1970s clear through to the 2000s when this recording was made. The music finds the composer in easy, approachable mode for the most part, a boon for lovers of choral music of all types.

What is most appealing are the wide variety of texts Rautavaara sets music to. He does not just stick to his native language, although there is plenty in Finnish, but branches out to English, German, Spanish, and French, usually to honor the poets homeland dialect. The sheer intellect to be able to set so many languages with meaning must be astounding in Rautavaara.

As one might expect, there is a great range of moods employed, from humor and wit, to lovelorn and morose, secular and sacred, both burly and coquettish, plus serious and lightweight; it is all here. Since the music hails from across six decades, Rautavaara never sounds too similar throughout, with some light serialism in the 50s and 60s to folk song arrangements and song cycles in the 70s and opera excerpts in the 2000s. I am especially pleased to relate that I quite enjoyed the many secular choral offerings, as I didn't much care for Rautavaara's secular choral music as presented by the Finnish Radio Chamber Choir under Eric-Olof Söderström.

Finnish tenor Tuomas Katajala trumpets his voice thrillingly in three songs, given special credit on the back of the media. The Talla Vocal Ensemble sounds like it utilizes male sopranos, but not the hooty variety; these are bright-timbred countertenors who cut through the choral texture when required. Listeners should be pleased with the sensitivity and musicianship present in both of these ensembles, not to mention the sheer volume and power that the YL Make-Voice Choir can generate.

The Ondine sonics are excellent, giving weight and punch to the large chorus and clarity to the smaller men's ensemble. The physical media contains all of the original song texts with translations into English, a great inclusion as there is so much vocal music here.

 

 

Soloists
Tuomas Katajala, tenor

Ensembles
YL Male Voice Choir
Matti Hyökki, conductor

Talla Vocal Ensemble
Pasi Hyökki, conductor

Label: Ondine
Year: 2008
Total Timing: 1.39.08

Superlative!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find more Rautavaara recordings HERE!