Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas, Anni Haapaniemi - Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Lamentations (SACD)

Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008)

LAMENTATIONS

Symphony for Strings Op. 43 (1978)

Concerto for Strings Op. 54 (1982)

The Whole World Will Lament Op. 26b (1974)

Concerto for Oboe and Strings Op. 116 (2001)

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra

Juha Kangas conductor

Anni Haapaniemi oboe

The Nordgren Series is Expanding

The Central Ostrobothnia Chamber Orchestra’s new album, LAMENTATIONS', features four works by Pehr Henrik Nordgren:

• Symphony for Strings Op. 43 (1978), in which, according to Kalevi Aho, the elegiac third movement is like a lament—it evokes associations with the music of Shostakovich, whom Nordgren admired—and the final movement has a mournful quality. It was precisely these movements that were performed at Nordgren’s funeral service at Kaustinen Church on September 7, 2008.
• Concerto for Strings Op. 54 (1982) is dedicated to Juha Kangas. Nordgren described the three-movement work as having a fantastical structure, not composed according to theoretical formulas.
• The Whole World Will Lament Op. 26b (1974), an old hymn from Lapua originally arranged for the Kaustinen Youth Orchestra, which Nordgren later arranged for string orchestra. When played simultaneously, the first five notes of the chorale form a non-chord in A minor. This chord became Pehr Henrik Nordgren’s ‘chord of life’.
• Concerto for Oboe and Strings Op. 116 (2001), the composing of which Helén Jahren suggested to Nordgren. The suggestion reminded Nordgren of a dream from his youth to compose for oboe and strings, “the most beautiful combination of instruments one can imagine.” Jahren introduced Nordgren to new playing techniques under the motto “the oboe is capable of more than just pastoral solos.”

Anni Haapaniemi performs as the soloist in the Concerto for Oboe and Strings. LAMENTATIONS is the fourth album in Alba’s catalog to feature exclusively music by Nordgren.

Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944–2008) composed an extensive body of symphonic works—including eight symphonies among his large-scale orchestral compositions. He composed thirty-one concertos for a wide variety of solo instruments. But above all, Nordgren became Finland’s most prolific and significant composer for string orchestra. The collaboration between Pehr Henrik Nordgren and conductor Juha Kangas was unique in Finnish musical life and lasted until the composer’s death.

FORMAT: SACD