Jouni Kaipainen (1956-2015)
South by Northeast
Piano Concerto Op.55 (1987)
North by North-East Op.63 (2001)
Aubade beninoise Op.86b (2009)
Juhani Lagerspetz (piano)
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra/Hannu Lintu
rec. 2023, Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland
Alba ABCD472 [53]
At the time of his untimely death, Jouni Kaipainen had produced a large and varied oeuvre. It ranges from piano pieces to operas all the way through orchestral music, several concertos and chamber works, eight string quartets among them. In his orchestral output, there are four symphonies; the fourth – for soprano and baritone, male choir and orchestra – has yet to be recorded.
The Piano Concerto Op.55 has not been recorded yet, so this release fills an important gap in the discography. This substantial piece plays for a little over half an hour. Kaipainen never really was a hard-edged modernist. Some of his earlier pieces were a bit tougher, but he retained a strong leaning towards well-meant 20th-century tradition. This shows clearly in the concerto. He obviously paid deeply felt homage to all the composers and to all the piano concertos that he admired. In the first movement, for example, one may hear allusions to the music of Prokofiev and Bartók by way of a highly propulsive piano part.
In the first movement, the longest of the three, the impetus never relents, but the music briefly slows down for short moments of respite. As in a true-blue Classical concerto, there is a cadenza before a short restatement of the opening. Shortly afterwards, the music whimsically tiptoes away, paving the way for the second movement, which is slow and meditative, yet with a big climax mid-way.
The third movement follows without a break. Propulsive rhythms reminiscent of the first movement drive the music furiously along. There is a short pause for breath before the work gathers strength again for the final rush. The Concerto is an overtly virtuoso piece with a fiendishly exacting piano part. It is a superbly crafted and hugely enjoyable work. Juhani Lagerspetz plays brilliantly.
North by North-East might well be described as a symphonic poem. The title alludes to Hitchcock’s 1959 film North by Northwest. (The cover, also rather funnily, suggests Mount Rushmore.) To quote from Anti Häyrynen’s liner notes, “in Kaipainen’s work, the shift from town to country takes place in Finland […] The travel guide seems to be Sibelius and his Tapiola and, as Kaipainen puts it, the travellers continue on foot into wild but bountiful nature, the foot of a mountain and rippling brooks”. The piece begins in a Sibelian horn-coloured mood, and unfolds into an animated central section before returning to the opening mood. This is yet another telling example of Kaipainen’s craftsmanship and orchestral mastery.
In Aubade beninoise, the composer leads us into different continents. Benin may suggest Africa with an appearance of djembe drums, but soon afterwards that turns into the drums of an Ugrian shaman in Siberia. All this is subtly suggested rather than bluntly evoked. Near the end, the composer has inserted an African lullaby. Häyrynen writes: “the Aubade beninoise expands its exotic inspiration into a hymn with a universal smile”. By the way, it may be played as an independent work, but it is the second part of a diptych, together with The Ghost of Buster Op.86afrom 2008.
This beautifully played and recorded release is a most welcome addition to Kaipainen’s discography. It is a must for any admirer of this endearing composer whose music is still too easily ignored. I for one hope that this superb release will prompt others to investigate his generous, sincere and deeply felt music.
Hubert Culot
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