Kvintetto

Finnish
composer Kalevi
Aho
studied composition at the Sibelius Akatemia, Helsinki under
Einojuhani Rautavaara and is considered by many to be the greatest
Finnish composer since Jean Sibelius. His style of writing is
engaging, full of musical imagination and he has an uncanny instinct
for instrumental colours, resulting in works brimming with a sense of
freshness and spontaneity.

This
quintet for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano – an unusual
combination of instruments – was co-commissioned by the
Sommersprossen Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) in Rottweil, and the
DeFilharmonie Orchestra [Antwerp] in Autumn 2013. The initiative for
the commission lies with oboist and artistic director of SCMF Ingo
Goritzki, who was searching for a work that would couple well with
Mozart’s Quintet K. 452 (of the same instrumentation), in concert.
Composing for such an ensemble is no easy task and is a clear
demonstration the composer’s talent. Aho manages to maintain the
balance between the piano and the wind instruments, whilst
simultaneously staying true to the integrity of each instrument’s
unique tone quality. The final pro duct is a work of undeniable
beauty, rich and sonorous in sound. Kvintetto
was premiered at the SCMF in concert alongside Mozart K. 452 on 8
July 2014 and in Antwerp at the Orchestra’s chamber music series, on
5 October of the same year. The work belongs to a growing genre of
commissions that are composed to be performed in concert with earlier
works of the same instrumentation. Kvintetto
is
most commonly heard in concert, as it is today, alongside the Mozart
quintet.

Kvintetto
is
written in four movements, the first of which is undeniably the most
extensive of the work. It is of a lyrical and slightly melancholic
character that leads towards an intense climax in the middle
section. The second movement, a wild virtuosic toccata, has a
demanding, impetuous and uninterrupted rhythmic energy consistently
growing in the challenging piano part. The third movement – a silent
and dreamy Nocturne of intrinsic beauty is followed by a fast,
unruly, and rhythmical final movement. The final Burleske
is
possibly the most virtuosic and challenging part for the wind
instrument, concluding a final section in which the composer
indicates that the performers should accelerate to the maximum
possible tempo.