Kuusisto, Ilkka - Orchestral Works - Kuusisto, Jaakko

Pekka Kuusisto, violin

Jorma Hynninen, baritone

Lahti City Orchestra / Jaakko Kuusisto

Ilkka Kuusisto began his career as a jazz pianist at the age of 15 and has since worked in many different fields, including theater, as an organist, choir conductor, and managing director of the Finnish National Opera. Given his background as a composer, it is not surprising that he is extremely eclectic – a trait that Kuusisto has fully embraced, comparing the end result to a "constantly stirring stew." After composing several operas – including one about the Moomins – Kuusisto was invited by conductor Osmo Vänskä to write a symphony for the Lahti City Orchestra. The opening piece on the album was composed in what Kuusisto describes as a "state of summer enchantment," and the cuckoo's call can be heard after just a few bars in the colorful score. For his work Concertino improvisando, the composer asked his son, violinist Pekka Kuusisto, for advice on what kind of piece was missing from the repertoire. Pekka, who like his father is extremely curious about all kinds of music, suggested a piece with plenty of room for improvisation. The written and improvised sections blend seamlessly together, and the work has a relaxed, folksy atmosphere, with each part drawing on traditions from different continents. The program concludes with the renowned Jorma Hynninen performing a cantata composed for baritone and orchestra. The text draws parallels between the Bible, the Kalevala, and Schopenhauer, but the score goes even further in its rich incorporation of different genres, with pride of place given to the accordion, which plays popular dance rhythms. The Lahti Symphony Orchestra is conducted in these scores by another Kuusisto: Jaakko Kuusisto, himself a respected violinist, conductor, and composer—in short, his father's son!