Juha Kangas
Juha Kangas is a violinist and conductor best known for his outstanding work with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, which he has built into an ensemble of international reputation. He hails from the town of Kaustinen, part of Ostrobothnia, on the east coastal region of Finland; it borders on the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden. It has a strong folk music tradition, and Kangas' family was musicians in this vein. He was given a violin when he was a young boy, and by the time he was 13 had decided on a career as a violinist. He and his brothers Olli and Timo all performed as youngsters.
Kangas enrolled in the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where his main teacher and inspiration was Onni Suhonen, the great violin professor of the Academy. Suhonen had a strong background in Finnish folklore and taught a legendary class in chamber music. His teaching of interpretation and his insistence on alert, musical precision in playing also turned out to be a great training course for future conductors.
In 1966, Kangas joined the Helsinki Philharmonic as a violist, an ideal position from which to experience the orchestral repertory from the inside. But he quit that job when he was offered an opportunity to become a violin professor at the Ostrobothnian Conservatory in Kokkola. That town of 36,000 was located in his home region, only 50 kilometers from his hometown and 420 kilometers from the Arctic Circle.
After joining the faculty in 1971, he formed in 1972 a string orchestra from ten- and eleven-year-old players in the Conservatory. He named it the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra (Keski-Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri). Somewhat unexpectedly, the orchestra membership remained intact as its players grew in age, training, and musicianship. In a few years it was a highly accomplished student orchestra, then a semi-professional orchestra, and finally, in 1989, a fully professional chamber orchestra.
Kangas became noted for his championing of Nordic music, for his outstanding orchestra-building, and for his aversion to guest conducting. He rarely booked a guest conductor for the Ostrobothnian group, and rarely accepted offers to appear elsewhere. In addition to allowing him to see the consistent growth of the ensemble, this also reduced expenses for the orchestra.
Since the orchestra became fully professional, Kangas has been able to relax that standard a little. Cultivating an interest in Estonian music, he began to perform with the Tallinn (Estonia) Chamber Orchestra in 1993. He accepted a one-year position as artistic director of that orchestra in 1994, and then a position as guest conductor, involving five one-week stints. In 2009, he went into partial retirement. He spent the first decade of the 2000s recording efforts suchs as Grieg's Peer Gynt Suites (2002) for Apex and Rautavaara's 12 Concertos (2009) for Ondine.
© TiVo
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VASKS, P.: Symphony No. 2 / Violin Concerto, "Distant Light" (Storgards)
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
As in a Dream
Marko Ylonen, Lilli Maijala, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Olivier Thiery, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Mar 15, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Pēteris Vasks: Cello Concerto No. 2 "Klātbūtne" & Viola Concerto
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas, Marko Ylonen, Lilli Maijala, Eva-Maria Sumera
Classical - Released by Alba on Apr 15, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Flute Concertos / Rondo / Andante
Sharon Bezaly, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by BIS on Feb 1, 2008
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dedicated To
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Dec 1, 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nordgren: Storm & Fear
Henri Sigfridsson, Monica Groop, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Jan 13, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RAUTAVAARA, E.: String Orchestra Works - Canto I-IV / Hommage a Zoltan Kodaly / Suite / Ballad (Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Reija Bister, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Adagietto
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on Jan 26, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lamentations (Juha Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Anni Haapaniemi, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Jul 1, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
NORDGREN, P.H.: Pelimannimuotokuvia / ELLER, H.: 5 Pieces / GRIEG, E.: 2 Nordic Melodies (Folk into Classic) (Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Epifania
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Mar 1, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Metsän poika – On the Fields of Tapiola
Jorma Hynninen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Alba on Feb 18, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Joulutervehdys
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Christmas Music - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on Mar 8, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fiddler's Spring
Classical - Released by Alba on Mar 12, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 11-13
Kalle Randalu, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Jul 21, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vasks 'Cantabile' and Other Baltic Wrks for Str Orch Vol 2
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on Mar 31, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nostalgia: Lyrical Finnish Music for Strings
Classical - Released by Alba on Oct 15, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Moods
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Marko Ylonen, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Nov 15, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto pour clarinette - Symphonie n°1
Christoffer Sundqvist, Anna-Karin Korhonen, Ilkka Heinonen, Markku Lepistö, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Dec 9, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dancing Mozart
Classical - Released by Alba on Aug 9, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nordgren: Transient Moods
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classical - Released by Alba on Mar 9, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo