Jouni Kaipainen's first two symphonies were in one and two movements respectively but Kaipainen suggests no conclusions should be drawn from the fact that the Third (2004) is in three.
The latest symphony is half as long again as No 2 and twice as epic, roaring away from the very first bar. While there are moments of reflection and calm, once it has you in its grip it does not let go. Vividly scored with many solos and ensembles interspersed between passages of invigorating orchestral power, there is a clear thread from start to end. Devotees of Peter Mennin's or Karl Amadeus Hartmann's music will find much to enjoy here.
The symphony boasts several prominent bassoon solos in its first half and his concerto for the instrument (2005), dedicated to Finland's bassoonists, followed almost immediately. Deliciously unconventional in format and treatment, it is cast in four movements. The delightful Scherzo is based on music for a children's play (where a piccolo dances with a bassoon); placed between two serious but multi-layered spans, it is as surreal a discontinuity as anything in early Shostakovich. A rip-roaring presto finale completes a disarmingly subtle creation.
The Tampere Philharmonic's playing is electrifying, superbly marshalled by Hannu Lintu, with Otto Virtanen the exemplary soloist.
Sound of demonstration quality. Splendid.