Kaija Saariaho: From the Grammar of Dreams

Kaija Saariaho: From the Grammar of Dreams

Kaija Saariaho: From the Grammar of Dreams
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CD Details

Performer: Petteri Salomaa
Composer: Kaija Saariaho
Conductor: Hannu Lintu
Performer: Riikka Rantanen
Performer: Jouko Laivuori
Performer: Anu Komsi
Performer: Piia Komsi
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2001-02-13
Music Label: Ondine
Soundtracks:
  1. You Went, Away - Anu Komsi/Jouko Laivuori
  2. Prld - Anu Komsi/Jouko Laivuori
  3. Confession - Anu Komsi/Jouko Laivuori
  4. Postlude - Anu Komsi/Jouko Laivuori
  5. Miranda's Lament - Anu Komsi/Heikki Nikula/Reija Bister/Jukka Rantamaki/Timo Ahtinen/Hannu Lintu
  6. Caliban's Dream - Petteri Salomaa/Heikki Nikula/Heikki Hamalainen/Timo Korhonen/Reija Bister/Timo Ahtinen/Hannu Lintu
  7. From The Grammar Of Dreams: I - Anu Komsi/Piia Komsi
  8. From The Grammar Of Dreams: II - Anu Komsi/Piia Komsi
  9. From The Grammar Of Dreams: III - Anu Komsi/Piia Komsi
  10. From The Grammar Of Dreams: IV - Anu Komsi/Piia Komsi
  11. From The Grammar Of Dreams: V - Anu Komsi/Piia Komsi
  12. It Is Raining - Anu Komsi/Reija Bister
  13. Farewell - Anu Komsi/Hanna Juutilainen/Timo Korhonen
  14. The Grammar Of Dreams - Anu Komsi/Riika Rantanen/Hanna Juutilainen/Helja Raty/Reija Bister/Tuula Riisalvo...
  15. Vista - Anu Komsi/Helja Raty/Timo Korhonen/Jukka Rantamaki/Tomas Djupsjobacka

Music reviews of Kaija Saariaho: From the Grammar of Dreams

Music Review: A collection ranging from dull juvenalia lieder to mature orchestral brilliance in compressed form
Rating: 3 Stars

Like with many composers for many listeners, the songs of Kaija Saariaho might be of limited appeal. The Finnish composer is mainly known for her post-spectralist orchestral music, full of grand proportions and otherworldly harmony. Hearing her art pared down to a small ensemble and a single human voice plainly delivering some text leaves one with mixed feelings.

The disappointing material is mainly the early stuff. "Du gick, flog" for soprano and piano (1982), a setting of a Gunnar Bjoerling poem, is one of Saariaho's first compositions, but there's little sign here of a distinct musical personality. "Il pleut" for soprano and harp (1982), based on a text by Apollinaire, feels pretty monotonous.

Things start getting better with "Adjo" for soprano, flute and guitar (1982-85), a setting of Solveig von Schoultz. This is, like the work of her Korvat Auki society school chums of the same era, abrasive but sees her standing on the brink of post-spectralist colour. "Grammaire des Reves" for soprano, contralto, 2 flutes, harp, viola, and cello (1988-1989) nominally sets poetry by Paul Eluard, but the texts are a collage and the two voices act essentially like parts of the instrumental ensemble, creating haunting whispers, piercing single notes, sustained trills, and so forth. "From the Grammar of Dreams" for soprano and alto (1988) has a similar title but different musical material and a text by Sylvia Plath. It's one of Saariaho's most bizarre compositions, with the two voices stereophonically off in completely different realms of extended techniques.

But the really good stuff are the mature pieces for voice and ensemble. There are two settings of material from Shakespeare's "The Tempest". In "Caliban's Dream" for baritone and chamber ensemble (1992) and "Miranda's Lament" for soprano and chamber ensemble (1997-99) Saariaho has set the English texts in fine idiomatic fashion, while the instrumental accompaniment abounds in the nocturnal atmospheres and wave-like motions of her best work. The Holderlin setting "Die Aussicht" for soprano and chamber ensemble (1996-99) has a touch of insanity about it--the mad German poet's work always serves to bring out another side of contemporary composers (Rihm, Kurtag, Ligeti had set him too).

My favourite Saariaho remains works like "Du cristal ...a la fumee" (available on an Ondine disc) and the concertos "Amers" and "Graal Theatre" (on a Sony disc). I'd recommend this disc of vocal pieces to those who have already discovered Saariaho's music and want to more deeply explore the composer's output.
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