Kokkonen: Requiem

Heikki Liimola, Klemetti Institute Chamber Choir, Joose Vahasoyrinki, Suvi Väyrynen

Released on 9/1/17 by Toccata Classics
Main artists: Jan Lehtola Suvi Väyrynen Joose Vahasoyrinki Klemetti Institute Chamber Choir Heikki Liimola
Genre: Choral Music (Choirs)

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Kokkonen’s output may be divided into three periods: Neo-Classical, dodecaphonic and free-tonal, even though the transitions between these styles involved gradual shifts of focus rather than clean breaks. His entire output is quite consistent in its approach and mood; his works tend to be meditative and introvert. His four symphonies form the nucleus of his output, one of the most important Finnish symphonic cycles after Sibelius. Typically for Kokkonen’s extreme economy of means, the entire musical material of the Requiem (1981) is based on three motif-cells and a number of twelve-tone rows. But the music never, ever comes across as dodecaphonic or serial; rather, Kokkonen uses these building blocks to create largely consonant and tranquil textures, only occasionally spiced with dissonant hints of menace. Kokkonen chose not to set the “Dies irae” sequence that forms a major portion of the Requiem, most probably because it was inconsistent with the thing of sheer beauty that he was endeavouring to produce, in memory of his recently deceased wife. The fact that Kokkonen chose to end his Requiem with “Lux aeterna” rather than the more conventional “Libera me” points to the importance of “eternal light” rather than “final rest” as a theme. The Requiem as a whole comes across as a progression from despair to joy. Please note that, though the work was conceived with an orchestral accompaniment, it is here recorded in a version for organ. And it is precisely organ music which constitutes the rest of the album, among which Kokkonen’s famous Lux Aeternam, as well as a wedding music and, on the other end of life, a funeral piece. Jan Jehtola plays the organ of the St. Paul Church in Helsinki, built 1931 in the French symphonic style, remodelled later on in diverse and rather weird styles, but entirely rebuilt in 2005 to its original state. © SM/Qobuz

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Kokkonen: Requiem

Jan Lehtola

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Haasoitto (Wedding March) (Joonas Kokkonen)

Hääsoitto (Wedding March)

Jan Lehtola

00:03:13

Joonas KOKKONEN, Composer - Jan Lehtola, Artist, MainArtist

Surusoitto (Funeral Music) (Joonas Kokkonen)

Surusoitto (Funeral Music)

Jan Lehtola

00:03:26

Joonas KOKKONEN, Composer - Jan Lehtola, Artist, MainArtist

Requiem (Arr. J. Linjama for 2 Voices, Choir & Organ) (Joonas Kokkonen)

Requiem aeternam

Suvi Väyrynen