[.ca] Esa-Pekka Salonen: L.A. Variations

more new sounding music:
This is more new music by a mediocre conductor and composer. Lucky to have employment in america, probably most likely because of his foreign lineage. Salonene shows that he has, by studying others techniques, the ability to write music; but what is his point? The playing on this cd is very good, but the lack of expression and color is sad, and hopefully he will just get better with time.

interesting stuff:
I really like this disc. I listen to a lot of orchestral music, but very little of it Modernism (or post-Modernism, or post-post-Modernism, or whatever era it is Salonen belongs to). These pieces range from vaguely tonal to freely atonal, and are quite dissonant in either case (though never stridently so). Yet Salonen's ideas are compelling and are presented and developed with clarity; the lines are not at all difficult to follow and the architecture of each piece is intelligently conceived and constructed. The orchestration is often quite striking and the performances are very good. I think Giro, Mania, and Gambit are excellent; the jury is still out on L.A. Variations, and I didn't like Five Images After Sappho at all. Were I more familiar with this kind of music - and once I've listened to this particular disc a few more times - my rating may well increase to a four out of five.

To be in the presence of a master.........:
The first thing I did after returning home from the 5/16/02 performance of the LA Phil with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting his own FOREIGN BODIES was to put on his "LA Variations" disc, to reconfirm his growth as a composer. Hopefully FOREIGN BODIES will be recorded soon as it is a masterwork. But until it is we have this gem of a disc of Salonen's music to bask in. Salonen continues to surprise us in every way. A supremely gifted conductor, he has moved from the school of dissecting the works of the last centuries, finding nuances and clarity that makes them seem new. Now his acute sense of detail and attention to orchestral color has matured into finding the power of the soul, the non-cerebral passion that makes the masterworks continue to live. Few conduct Mahler, Debussy, Bruckner, Strauss and then Stravinsky/Bartok/Prokofiev/Sibelius/Nielson better. The same journey applies to his own compositions. Yes, he explores the infinite spectrum of instrumental and vocal colors, but now he is showing us how he can work with massive clouds of sound and allow us to walk into that soundscape, seeing every atom without losing the emotional impact of the whole. LA VARIATIONS is well worth being in the repertoire of all the major orchestras. It is a big, luxurious, lush tonal poem. His FIVE IMAGES AFTER SAPPHO ( especially as sung by Dawn Upshaw) are text appropriate, voice friendly, and above all communicative - equal to any song cycle written in the last century. The Wunderkind Salonen has matured into an insightful composer and conductor and his place in the music world and the future is secure. Just listen to this disc and see for yourself.

They have something going on:
Salonen, Lindberg and Saariaho is a triptych "gang" of clever, brilliant composers from my neighbor country Finland and if you like postmodern classical music you should check ALL three of them out (these three mentioned above often "sit in" or help each other in one way or another). This is a stunning record and Salonens five songs (beutiful singing from D. Upshaw on those 5 songs) are something special. This disc has almost everything. A criteria for... well maybe not a genuis but def. a very good, innovative composer. Salonen is a good conductor and also an extremly talanted composer. A must disc. This is something extraordanary in the postmodern classical music area.

Esa-Pekka Salonen: a great conductor...and a great composer:
Wait a minute...isn't he just a conductor? No, this Finnish-born conductor is also a composer. This CD is his first release and it contains 5 world premiere recordings. Salonen has always been a promoter of new music and now he shows us what he can do. The three orchestral works are diverse and show off the ability of the ensemble he conducts full time. Dawn Upshaw, soprano, and Anssi Karttunen, cello, grace this CD as featured soloists on two of the pieces. Dawn Upshaw sings beautifully on Salonen's "Five Images After Sappho." The Ojai Festival and the London Sinfonietta commissioned this work. Anssi Karttunen, for whom this work was composed, performs "Mania" for violoncello solo and ensemble. This CD is a great companion to the (also) Finnish-born composer Kaija Saariaho's recording of Graal Theatre, Chateau De L'ame, and Amers.

• La Variations
• Five Images After Sappho: Tell Everyone
• Five Images After Sappho: Without Warning
• Five Images After Sappho: It's No Use
• Five Images After Sappho: The Evening Star
• Five Images After Sappho: Wedding
• Giro, for Orchestra
• Mania for Violoncello Solo and Ensemble
• Gambit, for Orchestra