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Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (2007) (Fennica Gehrman Oy) 31'33
1 I. Lamento 10'02
2 II. Presto (attacca) 6'01
3 III. Interludium. Adagio (attacca) 3'45
4 IV. Cadenza (attacca) 3'38
5 V. Andante cantabile Adagio 8'04
TT: 71'16
Piet Van Bockstal oboe
Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Sinfonia Lahti)
Martyn Brabbins conductor
Yutaka Oya piano
Oboe Concerto recorded in the presence of the composer
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Kalevi Aho
Kalevi Aho was born in 1949. He commenced violin studies at the age of ten, and
his first compositions date from this time. Aho studied the violin and composition
(under Einojuhani Rautavaara) at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and continued
his studies in Berlin as a pupil of Boris Blacher at the Staatliche Hochschule fr
Musik und Darstellende Kunst. From 1974 until 1988 he was a lecturer in musico-
logy at Helsinki University, and from 1988 until 1993 he was a professor of com-
position at the Sibelius Academy. Appointed as the Lahti Symphony Orchestras
composer-in-residence in 1992 and as its honorary composer in 2011, Aho has
been a freelance composer since the autumn of 1993.
Ahos extensive uvre includes (2012) four operas, fifteen symphonies, nine-
teen concertos, other orchestral and vocal works as well as chamber music, and
arrangements and orchestrations of works by other composers. He is an assiduous
writer on music and has occupied a number of important positions in Finnish cul-
tural life.
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large-scale, long-term composition ideas was an oboe project; I wanted to com-
pose works in every genre for this eloquent instrument. This undertaking was a
counterpart to my bassoon project, which I completed in 2005 with the compo-
sition of my Contrabassoon Concerto.
Piet Van Bockstal suggested to his orchestra, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic,
that they should commission an oboe concerto from me, and the orchestra agreed
to do so. Subsequently, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra became joint-commis-
sioner of the work. I composed the concerto in the late spring and early summer of
2007; it was completed on 1st July. The first performance took place in Antwerp on
11th April 2008, with the Norwegian conductor Eivind Aadland and with Piet Van
Bockstal as the excellent soloist. The first Finnish performance took place in Tam-
pere a month later, on 9th May.
The Oboe Concerto has five movements, the last four of which are played with-
out a break. The works character and the choice of musical material were greatly
influenced by three aims. Firstly I had long been searching for a new, fresh direc-
tion for tonality I wanted to create music in which there would always be some
tonal basis but which nevertheless did not conform to traditional major-minor ton-
ality. In the Oboe Concerto I tried to realize this ambition by using scales from
Arabic classical music known as maqamat as a melodic basis in some move-
ments. Some maqamat contain intervals which are a quarter-tone above or below
the usual pitches and which, to the Western ear, may initially sound out of tune.
Wind instruments such as the oboe also have fingerings for quarter-tones. On the
other hand, for the strings or brass players of a symphony orchestra, for instance,
this kind of scale is not always easy to achieve, because Western musicians are
unfamiliar with, for example, the Arabic-style sound world.
My second aim was to make the orchestral music create a more powerful rhyth-
mic pulse. This becomes evident especially in the concertos second movement,
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where the Arabic darabuka and African djembe (two types of goblet drum) play the
same rhythm throughout the movement a quick, capricious pattern in 10/16-time
based on Arabic music.
Thirdly, I wanted to enrich the orchestral sound-world by adding some rarely
used instruments. Besides the darabuka and djembe, these include the oboe damore
(sounding a third lower than the regular oboe) and heckelphone (a baritone oboe,
sounding an octave lower than the oboe). As normal oboes are absent from the
orchestra, the soloist stands out more clearly from the orchestral woodwind.
The Oboe Concerto begins with songful but plaintive music (Lamento). In the
second movement, Presto, the darabuka and djembe give the music an extremely
ardent, hypnotic rhythmic magnetism. Technically the Presto is extremely demand-
ing for the soloist. The third movement is a rather brief interlude, dominated by
quiet, almost religious-sounding figures from two trombones. In this movement the
oboe soloist does not play at all; he gathers his strength for the demanding solo
cadenza that constitutes the fourth movement. The beginning of the finale (Andante
cantabile) is songful in character, but thereafter (Adagio) the music acquires a
tragic tone and rises up to a powerful, overwhelming climax.
I have dedicated my Oboe Concerto to the memory of my mother, Inga Aho,
who died on 26th June 2007, just a few days before the work was completed.
Born in Deinze in Belgium, Piet Van Bockstal studied at the Royal Conservatory
of Brussels with Paul Dombrecht, also taking lessons with Hansjrg Schellenberger
(Berliner Philharmoniker) and John Anderson (Philharmonia Orchestra). He has
been a prizewinner in several national and international competitions, and in 1990
was appointed Young Musician of the Year in Flanders. In 1985 he became prin-
cipal oboist of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, a position he still holds.
Piet Van Bockstal performs as a soloist with orchestra, in a repertoire consisting
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of more than 70 concertos, but also in chamber music with partners such as the
pianist Yutaka Oya and the Oxalys ensemble. He has appeared all over the world
(in Brazil, China, Japan, Russia and most European countries) and has made num-
erous acclaimed recordings. As co-founder and oboist of the Ictus Ensemble in
Brussels and as a frequent performer with Ensemble musikFabrik in Cologne, he
has gained an exceptional reputation in contemporary music. Piet Van Bockstals
musical activities are not restricted to performing; he has supervised recordings for
several labels and has served as artistic director of the Belgian National Youth
Orchestra and concert manager of the baroque orchestra Il Fondamento.
The Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Sinfonia Lahti) has, under the direction of
Osmo Vnsk (principal conductor 19882008), developed into one of the most
notable in Europe. In 2011 Okko Kamu took up the post of principal conductor.
Since 2000 the orchestra has been based at the wooden Sibelius Hall. Its many out-
standing recording projects for BIS has earned it a number of prestigious awards
including two Gramophone Awards and a Diapason dor de lanne. Besides
appearing at numerous festivals, including the BBC Proms in London, the Lahti
Symphony Orchestra has also performed in Amsterdam, at the Musikverein in
Vienna and at the Philharmonie in Berlin, and has toured in Spain, Japan, Germany,
the USA and China. Each September the Lahti Symphony Orchestra organizes an
international Sibelius Festival at the Sibelius Hall.
Currently principal guest conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic and, from
2013, chief conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
has been artistic director of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music
(200507) and associate principal conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orch-
estra (19942005). He studied composition in London and conducting with Ilya
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Musin in Leningrad, and won first prize at the 1988 Leeds Conductors Compe-
tition. Since then Brabbins has regularly conducted all the major UK orchestras,
including the Philharmonia Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and
appears annually at the BBC Proms. He is much sought-after in Europe, notably in
Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, and in the Far East and Australasia. Brabbins
is a regular guest at the Netherlands Opera, Opra de Lyon and Frankfurt Opera,
among others. He has conducted hundreds of world premires and has close links
with many of todays foremost composers. Brabbins has an extensive discography
of works ranging from contemporary to Romantic repertoire.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Toho School of Music
in Tokyo, the pianist Yutaka Oya continued his studies in Belgium. He has since
been performing a vast repertoire, including many world premires, at festivals and
concert halls all over the world. Held in high esteem as a chamber musician, he
enjoys a musical partnership of many years standing with Piet Van Bockstal. Be-
sides performing frequently with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, he is a member
of Ensemble Champ dAction, Scalda Ensemble and the Oya Piano Duo.
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Kalevi Aho
Photo: Maarit Kytoharju
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Kalevi Aho
Kalevi Aho (s. 1949) alkoi opiskella viulunsoittoa kymmenvuotiaana, ja samaan
aikaan syntyivt jo hnen ensimmiset svellyksens. Aho ryhtyi opiskelemaan viu-
lunsoittoa ja svellyst Sibelius-Akatemiassa. Hnen svellyksenopettajansa oli
Einojuhani Rautavaara. Hn jatkoi opintojaan Berliiniss Boris Blacherin johdolla
(Staatliche Hochschule fr Musik und Darstellende Kunst). Vuosina 197488 hn
oli Helsingin yliopiston musiikkitieteen lehtorina ja 198893 hn toimi Sibelius-
Akatemian vs. svellyksen professorina. Vuosina 19922011 Aho on toimi Sinfo-
nia Lahden nimikkosveltjn, jonka jlkeen hnet nimitettiin orkesterin kunnia-
sveltjksi. Syksyst 1993 Aho on toiminut vapaana sveltjn.
Hnen tuotantoonsa kuuluu nelj oopperaa, 15 sinfoniaa, 19 konserttoa, muuta
orkesteri- ja vokaalimusiikkia sek runsaasti kamari- ja soolosoitinmusiikkia. Hn
on tehnyt mys lukuisia sovituksia ja orkestrointeja muiden sveltjien teoksista, ja
on tullut tunnetuksi mys ahkerana musiikkikirjoittajana ja kolumnistina. Kalevi
Aho on toiminut monissa suomalaisen kulttuurielmn trkeiss tehtviss.
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Yutaka Oya Martyn Brabbins
Photo: Dirk Vervaet Photo: Sasha Gusov
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Kalevi Aho
Kalevi Aho wurde 1949 geboren. Im Alter von zehn Jahren erhielt er seinen
ersten Violinunterricht; aus dieser Zeit stammen seine ersten Kompositionen. Aho
studierte Violine und Komposition (bei Einojuhani Rautavaara) an der Sibelius-
Akademie in Helsinki und setzte seine Studien bei Boris Blacher an der Staat-
lichen Hochschule fr Musik und Darstellende Kunst fort. Von 1974 bis 1988
war er Dozent fr Musikwissenschaft an der Universitt Helsinki; in den Jahren
1988 bis 1993 Professor fr Komposition an der Sibelius-Akademie. Vom Lahti
Symphony Orchestra 1992 zum Composer-in-Residence und 2011 zum Ehren-
komponist ernannt, ist Aho seit 1993 als freischaffender Komponist ttig.
Zu Ahos umfangreichem Schaffen zhlen (Stand 2012) 4 Opern, 15 Sympho-
nien, 19 Konzerte, weitere Orchester- und Vokalwerke sowie Kammermusik;
auerdem hat er Werke anderer Komponisten arrangiert und orchestriert. Er hat
zahlreiche Texte zur Musik vorgelegt und bekleidet eine Reihe wichtiger mter
im kulturellen Leben Finnlands.
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Piet Van Bockstal, geboren im belgischen Deinze, studierte am Kniglichen Kon-
servatorium in Brssel bei Paul Dombrecht sowie bei Hansjrg Schellenberger
(Berliner Philharmoniker) und John Anderson (Philharmonia Orchestra). Er war
Preistrger mehrerer nationaler und internationaler Wettbewerbe; 1990 wurde er in
Flandern zum Jungmusiker des Jahres ernannt. 1985 wurde er Solo-Oboist der
Kniglichen Philharmonie von Flandern, eine Position, die er bis heute innehat.
Als Solist mit Orchester hat Piet Van Bockstal ber 70 Konzerte in seinem
Repertoire; auerdem tritt er kammermusikalisch mit Partnern wie dem Pianisten
Yutaka Oya und dem Oxalys Ensemble auf. Er hat Konzert in der ganzen Welt ge-
geben (in Brasilien, China, Japan, Russland und in den meisten europischen Ln-
dern) und hat zahlreiche gefeierte Einspielungen vorgelegt. Als Mitbegrnder und
Oboist des Ictus Ensemble in Brssel und durch seine regelmige Arbeit im En-
semble musikFabrik in Kln hat er sich einen ausgezeichneten Ruf in der zeitge-
nssischen Musikszene gewonnen. Piet Van Bockstals musikalische Aktivitten
sind nicht auf Konzerte beschrnkt: Er hat fr mehrere Labels Aufnahmen betreut
und war Knstlerischer Leiter des Nationalen Belgischen Jugendorchesters sowie
Konzertmanager des Barockorchesters Il Fondamento.
Das Symphonieorchester Lahti (Sinfonia Lahti) hat sich unter der Leitung von
Osmo Vnsk (Chefdirigent von 1988 bis 2008) zu einem der angesehensten
Orchester in Europa entwickelt. 2011 bernahm Okko Kamu den Posten des Chef-
dirigenten. Seit 2000 hat das Orchester seinen Sitz in der hlzernen Sibelius-Halle.
Seine vielfltigen herausragenden Aufnahmeprojekte bei BIS haben ihm eine An-
zahl angesehener Preise eingebracht, unter anderem zwei Gramophone Awards und
einen Diapason dor de lanne. Neben der Teilnahme an zahlreichen Festivals,
unter anderem den BBC Proms in London, ist das Symphonieorchester Lahti auch
in Amsterdam, im Wiener Musikverein und in der Philharmonie in Berlin aufge-
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treten und ist in Spanien, Japan, Deutschland, den USA und China auf Tournee
gewesen. Das Symphonieorchester Lahti organisiert jedes Jahr im September ein
internationales Sibelius-Festival in der Sibelius-Halle.
Nach dem Abschluss seines Studiums an der Toho School of Music in Tokio mit
einem Bachelor of Music, setzte der Pianist Yutaka Oya seine Studien in Belgien
fort. Seither hat er auf Festivals und in Konzertslen in der ganzen Welt ein um-
fangreiches Repertoire gespielt, darunter viele Urauffhrungen. Als hochgeschtzter
Kammermusiker erfreut er sich einer langjhrigen musikalischen Partnerschaft mit
Piet Van Bockstal. Neben seinen zahlreichen Auftritten mit der Kniglichen Phil-
harmonie von Flandern ist er Mitglied des Ensembles Champ dAction, des Scalda
Ensembles und des Oya Piano Duos.
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Kalevi Aho
Kalevi Aho est n en 1949. Il a commenc tudier le violon lge de dix ans et
ses premires compositions remontent galement la mme poque. Aho a tudi
le violon et la composition (avec Einojuhani Rautavaara) lAcadmie Sibelius
Helsinki et a poursuivi ses tudes la Staatliche Hochschule fr Musik und Dar-
stellende Kunst de Berlin avec Boris Blacher. Il a t professeur invit de musico-
logie lUniversit dHelsinki de 1974 1988 et, de 1988 1993, professeur de
composition lAcadmie Sibelius. Il fut nomm compositeur-en-rsidence lOr-
chestre symphonique de Lahti en 1992 et compositeur honoraire de lorchestre en
2011. Aho est un compositeur indpendant depuis 1993.
Luvre importante dAho comprenait en 2012 quatre opras, quinze sympho-
nies, dix-neuf concertos, dautres uvres pour orchestre et pour voix ainsi que de la
musique de chambre, des arrangements et des orchestrations duvres dautres
compositeurs. Il a crit de nombreux textes consacrs la musique et occup maints
postes importants au sein de la vie culturelle finlandaise.
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Solo IX pour hautbois (2010)
Jai compos Solo IX au dbut du mois daot 2010 pour accompagner mon Con-
certo pour hautbois ainsi que la Sonate pour hautbois de cet enregistrement. Cette
pice est une continuation de mon projet de hautbois . En 2010, ce projet ne
comprenait toujours pas duvre pour instrument seul et fut ainsi complte par
Solo IX. Jai finalement compos plus de deux heures de musique pour hautbois.
Comme les autres uvres dans ma srie Solo , Solo IX est extrmement exi-
geant. La pice commence de manire trs intense le hautboste rpte plusieurs
reprises un motif qui comprend une gamme ascendante rapide que conclut des
sonorits multiphoniques longues et fragiles. Tout cela est suivi par quelque chose
de compltement diffrent : des motifs calmes et paisibles au dessin mlodique
descendant. Le calme ne dure cependant pas longtemps. La musique dramatique du
dbut reprend nouveau avant de dboucher dans un passage trs rapide et virtuose
indiqu presto. Linfluence du commencement dramatique se fait galement sentir
dans le Presto : les motifs musicaux reviennent bientt aux motifs du dbut bien
quils soient dsormais prsents sous une forme lgrement dveloppe.
Alors que la musique continue, une synthse est faite entre ces trois univers
sonores diffrents. Nous rencontrons des thmes avec des notes rptes et des
motifs rapides en triolets construits sur des accords arpgs. Dans la lutte entre ces
diffrents caractres musicaux, les motifs dramatiques du dbut semblent reprendre
le dessus. Le drame se poursuit nanmoins et luvre se termine sur des harmo-
niques calmes.
Solo IX contient un certain nombre de caractristiques primitives comme par
exemple les nombreux petits motifs rpts et varis plusieurs reprises. Certains
des modes utiliss dans cette uvre ont une couleur orientale : une allusion mon
Concerto pour hautbois qui recourt galement des lments de la musique clas-
sique arabe.
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Solo IX est ddi Piet Van Bockstal qui en assura la cration le 22 juin 2011
Maasmechelen en Belgique.
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Kalevi Aho Select Discography
Three Interludes for Organ; Alles Vergngliche, Symphony for Organ
Jan Lehtola organ BIS-1946 SACD
Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet; Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano; Sonata for Two Accordions
Osmo Vnsk clarinet Gina DiBello & Sarah Kwak violins Thomas Turner viola Anthony Ross cello
Veli Kujala & Susanne Kujala accordions Susan Billmeyer piano BIS-1886 SACD
Piano Concerto No. 2; Symphony No. 13 Symphonic Characterizations
Antti Siirala piano Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-1316
Kysymysten kirja for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra; Viola Concerto; Symphony No. 14 Rituals
Monica Groop mezzo-soprano Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic viola Herman Rechberger percussion
Chamber Orchestra of Lapland / John Storgrds BIS-1686
Symphony No. 12 Luosto
Lahti Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Orchestra of Lapland / John Storgrds BIS-1676 SACD
Tuba Concerto; Contrabassoon Concerto
ystein Baadsvik tuba Norrkping Symphony Orchestra / Mats Rondin
Lewis Lipnick contrabassoon Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Litton BIS-1574
Clarinet Concerto (with Carl Nielsens Clarinet Concerto)
Martin Frst clarinet Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-1463 SACD
Flute Concerto (with flute concertos by Haukur Tmasson & Christian Lindberg)
Sharon Bezaly flute Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-1499
Symphonic Dances Hommage Uuno Klami; Symphony No. 11 for six percussionists & orchestra
Kroumata Percussion Ensemble Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-1336
Symphony No. 3 for violin & orchestra; Songs and Dances of Death (Mussorgsky, orch. Aho)
Jaakko Kuusisto violin Matti Salminen bass Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-1186
Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 7 Insect Symphony
Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-936
Rejoicing of the Deep Waters; Symphony No. 10
Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-856
Symphony No. 9 for trombone & orchestra; Cello Concerto
Christian Lindberg trombone Gary Hoffman cello Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-706
Symphony No. 8 for organ & orchestra; Pergamon for orchestra, 4 reciters & organ
Hans-Ola Ericsson organ Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-646
Symphony No. 1; Silence; Violin Concerto
Manfred Grsbeck violin Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vnsk BIS-396
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Instrumentarium:
Oboe: Rigoutat Symphony
Grand Piano: Steinway D
The music on this Hybrid SACD can be played back in Stereo (CD and SACD) as well as in 5.0 Surround sound (SACD).
Our surround sound recordings aim to reproduce the natural sound in a concert venue as faithfully as possible, using the newest
technology. In order to do so, all five channels are recorded using the full frequency range, with no separate bass channel added:
a so-called 5.0 configuration. If your sub-woofer is switched on, however, most systems will also automatically feed the bass signal
coming from the other channels into it. In the case of systems with limited bass reproduction, this may be of benefit to your
listening experience.
RECORDING DATA
Recording: September 2010 at the Sibelius Hall, Lahti, Finland (Concerto)
September 2010 at Potton Hall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, England (Sonata, Solo IX)
Producers: Jens Braun (Concerto); Marion Schwebel (Sonata, Solo IX)
Sound engineers: Thore Brinkmann (Concerto); Marion Schwebel (Sonata, Solo IX)
Piano technician: Peter Law
Equipment: Neumann microphones; RME Micstasy microphone preamplifier and high resolution A/D converter;
MADI optical cabling; Yamaha 02R96 digital mixer; Sequoia Workstation; Pyramix DSD Workstation;
B&W Nautilus 802 loudspeakers; STAX headphones (Concerto)
Neumann microphones, RME Octamic D microphone preamplifier and high resolution A/D converter;
Sequoia Workstation; Pyramix DSD Workstation; B&W Nautilus 802 loudspeakers; Sennheiser
headphones (Sonata, Solo IX)
Original format: 44.1 kHz /24-bit (Concerto); 88.2 kHz /24-bit (Sonata, Solo IX)
Post-production: Editing: Bastian Schick (Concerto); Elisabeth Kemper (Sonata, Solo IX)
Mixing: Jens Braun, Marion Schwebel
Executive producer: Robert Suff
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Piet Van Bockstal
BIS-1876