Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Hannu Lintu, Roland Pöntinen - Veli-Matti Puumala: Chainsprings & Seeds of Time (SACD)

Veli-Matti Puumala

Chainsprings

Seeds of Time

Roland Pöntinen piano

Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

Hannu Lintu conductor

World premiere recordings of Veli-Matti Puumala’s Chainsprings and Seeds of Time

Veli-Matti Puumala’s (b. 1965) new album of compositions features world premiere recordings of the orchestral work Chainsprings and the piano concerto Seeds of Time. These works for large ensembles open up new perspectives on Finnish orchestral and concerto literature. With their high-quality recording, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and Hannu Lintu bring both of these works from Puumala’s oeuvre to life in all their vibrant glory.

Chainsprings (1995/1997) is part of the extensive Chains series, which consists of orchestral works and chamber music. True to its name, Chainsprings links together the most diverse musical elements, which spring to life in surprising ways. In the composer’s words, “Chainsprings aims to blend together many ingredients; in this respect, the work also well represents my general approach to handling musical material; the presence of all possibilities is important.”

Seeds of Time (2004) is the most substantial of Puumala’s concert works. The piano concerto, which won the Teosto Prize in 2005, is a joint commission by four orchestras (Oulu Sinfonia, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Sjaelland Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra) and was written for Swedish pianist Roland Pöntinen and conductors Hannu Linnu and Susanna Mälkki. The relationship between the soloist and the orchestra in this work is unconventional. Like the pianist, the orchestra also takes on various soloistic roles.

FORMAT: SACD