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It is hard to believe that this Finnish composer has now turned fifty – such has been the destiny of a young man who in those years was regarded as ‘promising’. From the earliest stages of his career, his music received considerable attention and enjoyed several commercial recordings. Since then, his compelling music has been well served on disc, and his formidable Kraft (1983/5) - the culmination of his early, more radical style - has even been recorded twice: Finlandia FACD 372 and Ondine ODE 1017-2.

He is probably best known for his works for ensemble and/or orchestra in which he excels. He has however also composed a good deal of piano music as this generous release makes clear. Incidentally, Lindberg is a fine pianist who gave the first performance of some of these works. He also played the solo part of his Piano Concerto and recorded it a few years ago for Ondine (ODE 1017-2).

The various works are presented in strict chronological order which provides a fair survey of his stylistic progress. As with many composers of his generation, he began composing in a post-serial idiom of the type put forward by Boulez and his like. This is clearly to be heard in the earlier works such as Music for Two Piano, Klavierstück (this one a tad too long for its own good) and the tiny triptych, Three Piano Pieces. Play I for two pianos is still much along the same lines. It allows more freedom to the performers through the use of so-called spatial notation but even this is constrained by certain pre-determined rules. What comes clearly through, however, is that this and the other earlier works display typical playfulness and rhythmic richness. These are among the most consistent and endearing qualities of Lindberg’s music.

By the time he composed Twine, Lindberg had shown increased concern for harmony. I remember an interview on the occasion of the Belgian premiere of Kinetics (1988) played during an Ars Musica festival in which he explained the impact and importance of his music. This is evident in the most recent works featured here: Jubilees and the two Etudes. Jubilees is a short suite of six movements that started as a tribute to Pierre Boulez on his 65^th birthday. Five other movements quickly followed. Later still, Jubilees was scored for chamber orchestra, which clearly indicates that “even though this is piano music, it is created from a mind which thinks in terms of the broadest possible orchestral colours and polyphonies” (Ralph van Raat).

This most attractive and musically rewarding programme is immaculately played by Ralph van Raat, superbly partnered by Maarten van Veen in the pieces for two pianos. Their vital readings are recorded in an excellent, natural acoustic. This is “Lindberg in a Nutshell” - quite a nutshell with a total playing time of more than seventy minutes! No admirer of Lindberg’s music should miss this.

Hubert Culot 

 

 

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