RAUTAVAARA : Complete Works for Male Choir (YL Male Voice Choir · Talla Vocal Ensemble · Matti & Pasi Hyökki) 2CD (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

Since Einojuhani Rautavaara is still actively composing, it might seem premature to label a collection his Complete Works for Male Chorus, but there is already enough material to fill out two CDs. Rautavaara is an exceptionally prolific composer, and he has been writing for men's voices since early in career; the pieces collected here span more than 50 years. The composer is a master of graceful choral writing; each piece is put together with skill and imagination. It's unfortunate that the pieces aren't presented in chronological order, since it would have been helpful to hear the composer's growth. As it is, this ordering tends to homogenize the impression of Rautavaara's styles, and while his versatility is evident from piece to piece, and individual works are striking, it's easy for a sense of monotony to set in over the course of the nearly 100 minutes of music. The composer favors dense textures and the unrelenting sound of massed a cappella low voices over such a long time tends to dull the ear and makes it easy to miss the felicities of individual works. The pieces with sections for a solo voice stand out dramatically for the textural contrast they provide. The best way to appreciate these works would be to savor a few at a time. The YL Male Voice Choir, led by Matti Hyökki, and the Talla Vocal Ensemble, led by Pasi Hyökki, sing with excellent intonation and blend, and their tone is rounded and full. Ondine's sound is present and warm; it's hard to know whether or not the engineers could have done anything to alleviate the darkness of such bass-heavy repertoire. Stephen Eddins
Tracklist & Credits :

RAUTAVAARA : Marjatta (Tapiola Children's Choir) (2011) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Einojuhani Rautavaara has produced an astonishing body of works -- symphonies, concertos, operas, chamber music, and choral works -- the fruit of an apparently inexhaustible imagination. The composer's works for children's chorus alone make up this attractive Ondine release. The largest piece, Marjatta, the Lowly Maiden, with texts from the Kalevala, is described as a Finnish mystery play in one act, in which the story of the Annunciation and Jesus' birth is transported to the northern forests. It is accompanied with great restraint and austerity by flute, bongos, anvil, and string quartet. The piece beautifully illustrates Rautavaara's ability to conjure up aural images of mystery and transcendence using very simple materials; the haunting music is often very strange, but it is never complicated. All of the pieces on the album, in fact, demonstrate the composer's gift for artless, memorable melody deployed with such inventiveness that it is never hackneyed or predictable. This may be music written for children to perform and enjoy, but its substance and depth give it plenty to offer adult sensibilities. The pieces were written between the early 1970s and mid-'90s. The Tapiola Choir, led by Pasi Hyökki, sings with purity, sweetness, and mature musicality. The soloists are all superb, particularly soprano Tuuli Lindeberg in the title role in Marjatta. Ondine's sound is clean, clear, and balanced. by Stephen Eddins