Chamber ensemble SKU: FG.55011-440-1
Composed by Kirmo Lintinen. Fennica Gehrman #55011-440-1. Published by Fennica Gehrman (FG.55011-440-1). ISBN 9790550114401.
In Ballata Concertante (2015-2016) Lintinen looks back in time, to the Italy of the trecento and specifically the Renaissance Florence. The music of the trecento may provide the starting point for stylistic allusions but it is anything but a one-to-one correspondence. It may speak the language of the 14th century, but it does so with a modernist accent, rather as the Neoclassicists last century spoke the language of the 18th century. The archaic-sounding opening section harks back to the music of the trecento, but the cello melody a little later already comes closer to the present day. Lintinen compares the impression to that of a tourist travelling to Florence today and becoming immersed in Renaissance art. Lintinen's ensemble is the same as that of Schubert's Octet. He did not, however, aim at Schubert's orchestral sound. The music of the first half is coloured by the alternation of strings and winds. Lintinen says, The presence of three wind players inspired the idea of a three-voice group of soloists for which I could write as for three singers. Ballata concertante is a rhythmically vibrant piece, and since it is intended for performance without a conductor, the episodes are naturally linked together by means of such devices as rhythmic modulations. Score and parts are sold together.