Magnus Lindberg has often claimed the orchestra as his instrument.
This statement, however, is somewhat misleading in that he has
composed a good deal of piano music (Naxos 8.570542) as well as a number of chamber works, some of which
have been available in various recordings. The release under
review centres on his chamber works for cello. Interestingly,
too, all but one of these works are fairly recent, composed
between 2001 and 2008.
If taken chronologically, the earliest here is Dos Coyotes
which is a reworking rather than an arrangement of a somewhat
earlier work for ensemble Coyote Blues (1993). Originally
the work was intended as a piece for voice and ensemble commissioned
by the Rikskonserter agency in Sweden. Lindberg did not then
feel ready for a vocal work and rather suggested an instrumental
piece which became Coyote Blues. In this he incorporated
material used in a work for the Tapiola Choir some time earlier.
Much later still, the material was reworked by Karttunen and
the composer with a new title. This lovely work is a good example
of Lindberg's accessible, often melodic idiom as found in his
recent music.
The Partia for Cello Solo was composed for the Turku
Cello Competition. As may be expected the music is devised so
as to exploit most, if not all, the expressive and technical
possibilities of the instrument. It avoids falling into the
trap of pure and vain virtuosity. The music is certainly technically
demanding but the whole remains musically rewarding. As may
be guessed too, the lay-out overtly looks back to similar suites
by Bach and by some contemporary composers such as Jolivet.
Incidentally, Dos Coyotes has also been used as a general
title for duo performance given by Karttunen and Lindberg, where
Lindberg has revived his career as a performing pianist. The
Santa Fe Project was composed for them to a commission
from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the La Jolla Summer
Festival. This delightful work may be experienced as a sort
of compact cello sonata consisting of three concise and contrasted
movements played without a break. Again, the music is typical
of Lindberg's melodic and colourful writing although - as might
be expected - it is still demanding from the purely technical
point of view. It, too, receives a superbly committed reading.
“After the innumerable pieces he had written for my cello,
for Kari's clarinet and for himself at the piano, a trio for
all three of us was all that was missing” (Anssi Karttunen).
The Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano is not only the
most recent work here but also the most substantial. Each of
the three movements bears a heading borrowed from the poetry
of Gunnar Björling: Sound big, sound; Like the
tranquillity we seek and Crash wave, crash respectively.
It is not necessary to know any of Björling's poetry to
be able to appreciate Lindberg's work. These headings hint sufficiently
at the character of each movement but do not imply any programmatic
intent. The first movement opens in an almost improvisatory
manner in the bass register of the piano but the music soon
opens up with the successive entries for the cello and later
the clarinet. The ensuing dialogue develops roughly as an arch
rising to a climax. The second movement is slow with an animated
central section functioning as a Scherzo. The final movement
opens with a slow introduction leading straight into a mostly
lively and animated main section. It ends with a broad, appeased
coda. This is a superb piece in which Lindberg allows his inner
lyricism full rein.
The performances are immaculate and fully committed and again
very well recorded. I also want to mention Kimmo Korhonen's
excellent insert notes from which I have generously quoted.
All in all, this is a magnificent release that is a must for
all Lindberg fans but should also appeal to anyone who enjoys
accessible and warmly expressive contemporary music.
Hubert Culot
Kari Kriikku (clarinet); Anssi Karttunen (cello); Magnus Lindberg
(piano)
