Rautavaara: The 8 Symphonies / Various

This is an elegantly packaged set, containing only (unfortunately) the symphonies. The first two CDs reach only past the 49-minute mark, while the other two are lengthier. But that's the most minor of issues in this wonderful set.Rautavaara's symphonies, if you are wondering, range in different moods depending on their composition date. Symphony No.1 (which is definitely among the accessible ones) has a style that the booklet notes suggest resembles the early Shostakovich and Prokofiev. I might also add Honegger and Martinu. Unlike any of those composers however, Rautavaara spends less time with mechanical gyrations and more time completing his phrases. So if you like the music of any of the above mentioned, you will definitely relate to Rautavaara's First Symphony. The Finale has a truly Prokofiev-esque twist to it, but it's the first two movements are the most moving and original. The Poetical middle movement is especially gorgeous, while the powerful first movement is a somber but grandiloquent statement.The booklet notes tell us about the influences each of the first four symphonies. No.1 we already know; No.2 was influenced by Stravinsky; No.3 by Bruckner; No.4 by dyed-in-the-wool serialism. The Fourth Symphony is the symphony you will dislike right away. It's too soon for me to decide what I think about it.Once you get to Symphony No.5 you're in different territory Rautavaara-wise. It was like restarting his idea of "symphony." It is in a single movement (not so surprising anymore after the works by Sibelius, Barber, Harris, and Rouse). Symphony No.6 is called "Vincentiana" because it's movements are derived from Ruatavaara's opera "Vincent" about Vincent van Gogh. It is among his most immediately arresting and interesting symphonies.Finally there are the two famous symphonies, No.7 "Angel of Light" and No.8 "The Journey." The Seventh fully deserves its reputation, and I daresay it deserves a lot more as well. The music can only be described accurately as mystical. Each of its four movements gives a different mood, but all of them are mysterious, languorous sometimes, and even creepy. Symphony No.8 is a sense of grandeur that it shares with Symphony No.3, though this time it is not influenced by anyone.I haven't cracked every nut in this barrel, but I can tell you that the most immediately accessible are symphonies 1, 3, 7, and 8.I could write a long paragraph about how great I think Rautavaara is and how his music is different from any of his contemporaries (all of which is true). But I think Vladimir Ashkenazy says it best of all: "It has been a particular pleasure and privilege for me to be associated with Einojuhani Ruatavaara's music for the simple reason that it is totally unpretentious and it deals with the basics of our existence. He never imitates, never tries to be deliberately original and he has an idiom all of his own. Combined with a very high level of professionalism these qualities contribute to one of the most eloquent musical expressions of our time."Last but not least: will there be a Ninth Symphony?

Rautavaara had a bit of a fling with international popular-culture fame several years ago when the "Angel of Light", (Symphony No. 7) seemed to catch a wave of the zeitgeist. I've never understood what would make people who are not already pre-disposed to gravitate to that symphony gravitate to it especially. Not that it isn't a symphony deserving of an audience--it is beautiful, touching, but also dissonant in places and challenging. I think that putting the word "Angel" in the title didn't hurt. Anyway, neither here nor there because it was also my first introduction to the magnficent symphonic world of Einojuhuani Rautavaara.If you, like me, enjoyed the tight harmonies, the feeling that dense cords were being limned in light, the arching melodies played over a profoundly moving bass, well, you will not be disappointed by the rest of these symphonies either. Symphony No. 1 is pretty tuneful and quite accessable, even to the novice 20th century listener. The Second symphony is a revelation, however, and it's playful instrumentation but aching feelings speak to my heart. I've had a hard time giving the other symphonies their due because I feel like Rautavaara wrote a pipeline to my soul with the second symphony.Even so, I have torn my self away to listen to the rest of these symphonies as well. It is such a treasure to find a partnership between a company (in this case, Ondine) and a composer (Rautavaara) that will allow such excellent works to be made available to the public. Rautavaara's musical language is complicated but never academic; he writes for the brain, each bit of music moving towards a central truth that seems contained by the symphony, but he writes more primarily for the heart. Melody is never far off-just around the corner, leading you on.This is not music for everyone. You shouldn't buy these if you are a fan (and only a fan) of romantic music pre-Bruckner. If Tchaikovsky's Pathetique or Berlioz' Fantastique are as dissonant as you'd like to go, then stay away from this. But this shouldn't frighten you,either. If you have found yourself enchanted by Mahler (who is very different from Rautavaara, let me be clear) and have on occasion caught yourself wishing that you had listened to a little more Ornstein (you should! you should!) then please, dive right into these works. They will repay your effort a thousandfold.

THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE MUSIC! I bought this collection to get to know more about this composer. I did have some of his music already but none of his symphonies. This collection is well recorded and shows the progression of his style with some dabbling into 12 tone music as well. I'm listening now to the works two or three times in the car and am starting to see some connections. The cd notes are helpful but quite sparse. They are a fine way to deal with traffic.

I relish all eight, but not equally of course. His second is no match for his last three, for instance. It is hard to pick a favorite, but if pressed, I would pull the lever for the 7th. Post Modern is so much finer than Modern. Atmosphere and melody prevail. His later works are a pleasure for the ear while challenging the gray cells. Rautavaara, Nielsen, Vaughn Williams, Shostakovich, and, yes, Sibelius are the chief symphonists of the post-Mahler era. Mood and tune were crucial to these composers. They are worthy footprints to follow Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Schubert, Beethoven, Bruckner, and other 19th Century giants.

It was on sale, and I liked the sample. I'm not sure why this composer is not more widely known among the general U.S. listening public for classical music, but I am glad I bought it. There is a haunting quality to this work, which merges dissonance with minor key regularities which I find worth listening to, over and over. If I recall correctly, one of the blurbs for his music refers to it as "accessible," which means, I suppose, that ordinary listeners who are not music majors or snobs can enjoy it. Accessible is the best single word I can think of to describe it, other than haunting.