The Finnish composer
Väinö Raitio is from the next
generation of composers from Sibelius.
Rather like Frank Bridge his style of
expression went through several phases.
The first, influenced by Debussy and
Scriabin was richly fantastic; something
like a cross between Loeffler, Prokofiev
and Griffes. The second, broadly occupying
the 1920s, saw him as one of Finland’s
leading modernists. His harmonies were
assertively atonal as is apparent from
his tone poem Antigone (on Ondine
ODE 790-2). As the decade progressed
rhythmic content became less of an issue
for him with scores such as Moonlight
on Jupiter (championed by Paavo
Berglund on Finnish Radio) becoming
static statements of luxuriant colour.
Two operas at the beginning of the 1930s
marked a linguistic metamorphosis. Dissonance
was left behind and nationalist melodic
character gripped him. These works for
small orchestra are from that third
era. The Valse, Scherzo (Felis
Domestica), Valse Mignonne and
the Tango have Iberian accents
with castanets adding to the Hispanic
flavouring. The music is sometimes pointedly
playful in the manner of Sibelius’s
King Christian II music. This
is contrasted with a poetic element
very similar to Khachaturian’s much
later music from Gayaneh (1:35
in the Scherzo). Danse Grotesque
suggests a vivid fantastic insight
with tight rhythmic work and influences
flowing from both Shostakovich and Prokofiev.
If Debussy is a presence in the early
music it is Ravel, with his precision,
ecstatic abandon and clarity, who comes
to mind here.
The tone poem Maidens
on the headlands dates from 1935
- the centenary of the Kalevala. To
ears brought up on Sibelius these fantastic
pictures and gestures might well conjure
up Moroccan scenes both lively and reflective.
Whatever cultural flavour is conveyed
the writing is lucid, poetic and sharply
focused.
The Summer Pictures
from Hamë are in six atmospheric
and surprisingly romantic movements.
In two of the movements a serenading
violin floats free of the orchestral
canvas. While the Herdsman’s song
is vigorous with flighty writing
for the woodwind much of the rest of
this suite tends towards languor and
colour. The Boat-Song has a prominent
role for piano. Throughout the focus
is soft.
Lastly there are the
four Forest Idylls. The title
immediately suggests MacDowell. These
movement once again tend towards the
romantic although enlivened with Firebird-like
fairy-tale touches; listen to the start
of the Forest stream finale which,
in its dazzling if gnomic kaleidoscopic
whirl, also looks to Rimsky-Korsakov.
The disc is well-documented.
Its downside is the slightly shrill
tone to the Tapiola Sinfonietta’s violins
when a greater opulence would have been
more apt.
This is one of a series
of twenty CDs freshly packaged in new
slip cases to mark Ondine’s twentieth
anniversary. The original discs have
been selected from their substantial
back catalogue. It is a pleasure to
have the excuse to review these discs
(including Sibelius’s Karelia music,
Kancheli’s symphonies and Taneyev’s
orchestral music) for the site.
Raitio is a fascinating
character. If his music as represented
here looks backwards to the examples
of Mendelssohn, MacDowell and Raff it
does so through a lens admitting a twentieth
century freshness from the likes of
Prokofiev and Ravel. Don’t miss this
highly attractive music.
Rob Barnett
Tapiola Sinfonietta/Tuomas Ollila 
