Melancholy moods in an engaging soundworld
Kalevi Aho
Double Concerto for cor anglais, harp and orchestra; Triple Concerto for violin, cello, piano and chamber orchestra
Dimitri Mestdag (cor anglais), Anneleen Lenaerts (harp); Storioni Trio; Antwerp Symphony Orchestra/Olari Elts
BIS BIS-2426 (CD/SACD) 59:11 mins
Finn Kalevi Aho (b1949) has composed an astonishing number of concertos since his first, for violin, in 1981. The current total is some 37 across a vast range of instruments, including six double concertos. Of these, the 2014 Double Concerto for cor anglais, harp and orchestra is recorded here alongside the – so far – sole Triple Concerto, for violin, cello, piano and orchestra (2018). The works are markedly different in character, yet both exhibit an underlying enigmatic quality against which an array of moods and textures are explored through an ever-changing post-tonal soundworld. Both are performed with clarity and sweep by the soloists and Antwerp Symphony Orchestra under Olari Elts.
Most intriguing in form is the Double Concerto. Cast in four,
