11 Results for : räisänen
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Luminous Baryton
Luminous Baryton I am very happy to play contemporary music on the whole - I thought I had already lost it when I left my desk in the orchestra to concentrate fully on period instruments. Later I was asked if I would order commissions for my rare instrument, the baryton. This needed some digesting before I dared to commission composers like Eero Hämeenniemi, Sampsa Ertamo and Tomi Räisänen. These works received premières during The International Baryton Symposium in Helsinki 2009. For a long time, Eero Hämeenniemi (b. 1951) had the idea of composing a work to the poem A Dong with a Luminous Nose by Edward Lear (1812-1888). Happily this came true in the work at hand. Throughout time the rare baryton has had something in common with his nightly solitude Wondering Dong, not forgetting The Candle in the Nose. This work is the first contemporary work in my repertoire - and it is no coincidence that the name of this CD is based on it. Max Savikangas (b. 1969) plays the viola and the initiative to make a commission came from Markus Sarantola, the violist of the Finnish Baryton Trio. Later, I was listening to more chamber music by Max and was always impressed by his individual colors of sound. I believe it is based on his continuing search for new playing techniques and his profound knowledge of stringed instruments. Some playfulness is also included. My first experience of Sampsa Ertamo's (b. 1973) music was playing in the première of his work Gamba Squad. I enjoyed a lot of Sampsa's harmonies, because I found them fresh. After the concert I asked if he would write some music for the baryton. A while later Sampsa called me to say that the work was in flow and was almost ready - "if it's ok?" The composer has invented a phonetic language that describes well the Sibylline prophecies of antiquity, prophecies which the temple priests translated to ordinary people. One night in Gaudí's Park and anything could happen, our trio could even sing... When introducing the baryton to Tomi Räisänen (b. 1976), he asked me to sing simultaneously when playing. Somehow I managed to do it. The finished trio had quite a bit of singing and we had to practise it for a while. A Night at the Park Güell is the most performed contemporary work in our repertoire and we always enjoy it's dark atmosphere. The night is full of wonders! The baryton is a bass viol, which has a set of bowed strings and second set of strings placed between the top and the fingerboard of the instrument. The baryton's neck is broader for the second set, also called the sympathetic strings, which are placed parallel to the bowed strings. The second set of strings may be plucked from behind the neck with the left thumb. The baryton was invented in England at the beginning of the 17th century. It's modern success is due primarily to the bulk of 175 works by Joseph Haydn. His contract in the court of Nikolaus Esterházy included composing all the court's music and over the course of ten years Prince Nikolaus frequently asked for new works for his favorite instrument, the baryton. I have given plenty of concerts of early music with the artists who appear on this recording. We have travelled and played together in different combinations and always in the best of spirits. Working with living composers has given us new perspective, and has been very interesting and often grand fun too. Our soprano Hanna Järveläinen has sung a lot of contemporary music, although she performs music mainly from renaissance to baroque in various ensembles. The repertoire of Varpu Haavisto includes music of our time as well as early music - she has both premièred and commissioned music for gamba from Finnish composers. The Finnish Baryton Trio made it's debut in 2002. Our dialogic method of working has proved to be fruitful and long lasting. Many recordings and concert tours at home and abroad have improved both our ensemble playing and our sense of humor. The members of the trio are Markus Kuikka, baryton, Markus Sarantola, viola, and Jussi Seppänen, cello. They all are frequently requested artists in many associations. The latest recording of the Finnish Baryton Trio - The Private Pleasure of Prince Esterházy - includes five baryton trios by Haydn and was released in 2009. Markus Kuikka is a Finnish baroque cellist and gamba player with a special interest in the rare instruments baryton and arpeggione (a bowed guitar played like cello). He was the principal cellist in an orchestra for a considerable time, but a growing interest in early music led to a new career with new instruments and to an artistic doctoral work and dissertation with the baryton and arpeggione. Along with giving concerts, Kuikka has also led the BarokkiKuopio Festival of early music. Luminous Baryton is part of his artistic work as an assistant professor in the doctoral school of The Sibelius Academy. Markus Kuikka, 2012.- Shop: odax
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