SACD, Aho (composer)
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Aho’s Third Quartet is the best of these early three and the most unusual...There are no wasted notes and the music is heartfelt (not a given with Aho), with a sincerity of expression that can... — More…
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Special offer. Kuusisto: Symphony, Op. 39, Pictured Within & Birthday Variations for M.C.B.
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Big, hymnlike tunes emerge from straining and urgent textures, and like so much Finnish music, this is not afraid to look into the abyss. — More…
Awards:
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Contemporary Music
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Special offer. Nielsen & Aho - Clarinet Concertos
Martin Fröst (clarinet)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä
Those who cherish earlier versions of Neilsen's masterpiece… will know how deep this music runs and how haunting it is. The young Swedish clarinettist give what I must say is the most searching... — More…
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, July 2007, Orchestral Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, May 2007, Editor's Choice
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Special offer. Fagerlund & Aho: Bassoon Concertos
RecommendedBram van Sambeek (bassoon)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu, Dima Slobodeniouk
A truly captivating disc…Bram van Sambeek takes everything in his evidently extensive stride. The agility, conviction, impish humour and searing seriousness all stem from a remarkably rounded... — More…
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2018, Winner - Concerto
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Special offer. Kalevi Aho: Trombone Concerto & Trumpet Concerto
Jörgen van Rijen (trombone), Alain de Rudder (trumpet)
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Written in near proximity, the four movements of each piece follow a similar formal though subtly carried expressive trajectory…Performances, by soloist who gave the premieres, could not be... — More…
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Special offer. Kalevi Aho: Timpani & Piano Concertos
Ari-Pekka Mäenpää (timpani), Sonja Fräki (piano)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Erkki Lasonpalo, Eva Ollikainen
Ari-Pekka Mäenpää, who workshopped the score with Aho, plays it heroically but it’s difficult not to conclude that these lumbering instruments aren’t charismatic enough to headline a half-hour... — More…
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Aho’s concerto combines dissonance with an elegant Nielsen-like sound-world. — More…
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Special offer. Einojuhani Rautavaara & Kalevi Aho: Joy & Asymmetry
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Nils Schweckendiek
The tone of Nils Schweckendiek’s Helsinki Chamber Choir can curdle towards the top, although its strong bones reveal its origins as Finland’s professional radio choir. — More…
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Special offer. Brahms & Ligeti: Horn Trios
RecommendedMarie-Luise Neunecker (horn), Antje Weithaas (violin) & Silke Avenhaus (piano)
Neunecker has a fascinating horn sound. She distinguished effectively between open and stopped timbres, but even her open sound is quite narrow and constrained...any new recording [of the Brahms]... — More…
Awards:
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Building a Library, January 2021, Also Recommended
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All of the works are compelling, and their juxtaposition with Bach is highly effective. This would be a powerful concert programme, a singular journey ideally heard alone and in the dark, which... — More…
Awards:
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International Classical Music Awards, 2022, Nominated - Solo Instrument
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