Symphony No. 1 (Sallinen)
The Symphony No. 1 (originally titled: Sinfonia), Op. 24, is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen, who began writing the piece in 1970 when the City of Helsinki announced a composers' competition to mark the inauguration of Finlandia Hall. Completing the symphony in 1971, Sallinen was awarded First Prize in the contest; the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and its music director, Jorma Panula, premiered the work at Finlandia Hall during the 2 December inaugural festivities.
| Symphony No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| by Aulis Sallinen | |
| Catalogue | Op. 24 |
| Composed | 1970–71 |
| Duration | Approx. 16 minutes |
| Movements | 1 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 2 December 1971 |
| Location | Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland |
| Conductor | Jorma Panula |
| Performers | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra |
Composition
Instrumentation
According to the publisher, Novello & Co, Symphony No. 1 is scored for the following:
- Woodwind: 3 flutes (1 doubling piccolo), 3 oboes, 3 clarinets in B♭ (1 doubling B♭ bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 1 contrabassoon
- Brass: 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B♭, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone
- Percussion: timpani, 4 percussionists (bass drum, snare drum, wood blocks, tam-tam, cymbals, glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, tubular bells)
- Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, harp
Reception
Notable performances
Recordings
To date, Symphony No. 1 has received two recordings, the first of which is from 1972 with Okko Kamu conducting the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra on the BIS label. Finnish conductor Ari Rasilainen has also recorded the symphony as part of cpo's compendium of Sallinen's orchestral works. The First Symphony joins the Seventh (Op. 71, 1996), Chorali (Op. 22, 1970), and A Solemn Overture (Op. 75, 1997) on the first volume of the cpo series.
| Conductor | Orchestra | Year | Recording venue | Duration | Label (Available on) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okko Kamu | Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra | 1972 | Finlandia Hall (Helsinki) | 16:42 | BIS (41) |
| Ari Rasilainen | Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz | 2002 | Philharmonie (Ludwigshafen) | 14:11 | cpo (999918-2) |
Notes, references, and sources
Notes
References
Sources
Books
- Howell, Tim (2006). After Sibelius: Studies in Finnish Music. Routledge. ISBN 978-075-4651-77-2.
- Korhonen, Kimmo (2007). Inventing Finnish Music: Contemporary Composers from Medieval to Modern. Finnish Music Information Center (FIMIC). ISBN 978-952-5076-61-5.
CD liner notes
- Anderson, Martin (2003). Aulis Sallinen: Symphonies 1 & 7 (booklet). Ari Rasilainen & Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. Germany: CPO. p. 13–14. CPO 999918-2.
- Kamu, Okko (English translation: William Jewson) (1987). Aulis Sallinen: Sinfonia — Chorali — Sinfonia III (booklet). Okko Kamu & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Hamburg, Germany: BIS. BIS CD-41.
Journal articles
- Weitzman, Ronald (1997). "Sallinen's Seven Symphonies". Tempo. Cambridge University Press. New Series (202): 8–15. (subscription required)