Sallinen: Symphony No. 6 / Cello Concerto, Op. 44

Album review

Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen (born 1935) wrote his Sixth Symphony in 1990 on commission from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and it is subtitled "From a New Zealand Diary." While it's not blazingly original or distinctive in its voice, it's an attractive, accessible piece with the directness to appeal to broad audiences, even those who wouldn't call themselves fans of new music. It bears some resemblance to the music of Sallinen's contemporary and compatriot Einojuhani Rautavaara: colorful and evocative, frequently mysterious and exotic, with a reassuringly secure sense of tonality. It has an especially lovely surface, with extensive use of glittering pitched percussion and sparkling wind and string figurations. Though the orchestra is very large, Sallinen uses it with discretion and imagination, and the scoring tends to be light, so its overall impression is one of delicacy. Each of the movements has a programmatic title, but for the most part the piece succeeds as absolute music. The third movement, with explicit references to 19th century dance hall music, makes little sense without an understanding of the program, but it's the work's only jarring misstep. Jan-Erik Gustafsson plays Sallinen's 1976 Cello Concerto with warmth and energy. The first movement inhabits much the same sound world as the symphony, and the cello, which plays almost continually, gives the piece a linear lyricism, while the second movement has an elfin whimsicality. Ari Rasilainen leads Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in energetic, disciplined, and atmospheric performances. CPO's sound is clean and spacious.
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