BIS CD 218 - Booklet - Scan - PDF 922500
BIS CD 218 - Booklet - Scan - PDF 922500
PEKKA SAVTJOKT -
PANUTA
The New StockholmChamberOrchestra/JORMA
1
After a meeting in Petrograd in 1920 H.G.Wells describes Glazunov as a
once handsome man who "is now pale and such a wreck that his clothes hang
loosely on him". Glazunov's physical decline had its reasons: a copioui
alcohol consumption in combination with an unstable character. The latter is
well illustrated by the fact that during the Russian revolution he stopped
composing for fear that the supply of music-paper would run outl This
decline was also mirrored in Glazunov's musical output. At the age of 40
at the beginning of the century the composer suddenly seemed to exhaust his
previously rich vein of inspiration, and when he died in Paris at the age of 20,
he had been remarkably unproductive for several decades.
In his heyday, however, Glazunov represented much of what was best in
Russian Romanticism and although his saxophone concerto is a late work it
reflects this tradition. The concerto was written during the months of March
to June, 1934, for the saxophonist Sigurd Rascher - incidentally the same
year as Lars-Erik Larsson wrote his concerto for the same soloist. It is a
youthful work, with an almost Gallic atmosphere, and Glazunov had perhaps
felt inspired by the Paris where he lived the last years of his life.
The concerto is ostensibly composed in a single movement, but closer
examination reveals that there are actually three movements joined together
to form a whole. The delicate balance between the solo instrument and the
strings of the orchestra illustrates the composer's mastery of the difficult art
of instrumentation.
At home in the Nordic countries JORMA PANULA is probably best
known as a distinguished conductor. He has worked with a large number of
theatres and orchestras in his native Finland and has been chief conductor of
the Arhus Symphony Orchestra. In 1973 he becameprofessor of conducting
at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and now also teachesconducting at the
Stockholm College of Music. He is also an outstanding choir leader.
But the picture would not be complete without mention of Panula's
activities as a composer. A glance at the gtamophone record catalogue reveals
that he has arranged a large number of Finnish folk-songs, besides composing
original works for varying ensembles ranging from chamber groups to full
orchestra.
In 1956 Panula composed an adagio and allegro for viola and piano. The
piece was written for a particular musician wh-o had already receive^d.asonat-
ina, but now wanted m6re music, and Panuladescribesthe originof_the'work
as ;,spontaneousimprovisation". In its original version the work has often
been performed in Finland.
In 1982 Panula arranged the work for alto saxophone and string orchestra.
The viola part needed almost no alterations and the piano accompaniment
was easy to adapt for strings. This suggestssomething of the music's clear
and simple structure and it is this simplicity which, in Panula'sown opinion,
ensures that the work can stand by itself without any detailed commentary.
15