I was at the world premiere performance of this remarkable composer's Eighth symphony in 2000. It is the most memorable of my 50+ years of live music performances (the 1972 Rolling Stones Philly summer concert also rates 😉😁.) It was commissioned for the Orchestra's one hundredth Anniversary season. When Mr. Sawallisch announced the piece he named the composer and pointed. Suddenly six aisle seats directly in front of me the composer stood and acknowledged the applause of the audience. It was a unique experience to listen in the presence of Mr. Rautavaara (then 71 or 72) to this incredible symphony that, for me, is second to none in his extensive list of compositions from his long life. I'm lucky enough to own many on CDs. The 8th is probably my most replayed along with the recent 2022 recording of four pieces for violin and orchestra that were among his last compositions, beautifully recorded by Simone Lamsa with Robert Trevino and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. The one shame is that the premiere performance was recorded for radio broadcasts and once was available freely for streaming from the Ondine website. The Philadelphia Orchestra was supposed to studio record it, but the US musicians union rates were so high compared to Europe that an agreement was never be reached and the live recording disappeared about the same time the first recording was released.
A masterpiece of modern composition. Perplexing (and somewhat sad) that it did not receive a warmer reception from the audience at this performance. No matter; we can all enjoy it for years to come.
I absolutely love the ending of the first movement. He ends it on a pretty "jazzy" chord (Ebmin11 or D#min11 depending on however he notated it.) I thought that was so cool the way he voiced it and i got huge chills from it. And the ending of the last movement is just phenomenal as well. Such beautiful music.
I agree, the ending of both the first and third movement always give me chills. Rautavaara's music always gives chills when there is thick harmony, that's why he's my favorite composer.
Музыкальное произведение необычно и сложно для восприятия, но постепенно слух привыкает. Оркестр и дирижер превосходны. Видео и звук прекрасны. Надо привыкнуть. Это можно расценивать как новое направление в музыкальной классике. Пока не знаю как оценить. Привет из Киева.
Spectacular. Great performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Einojuhani Rautavaara is clearly one of those gifted composers whose work has gone vastly underappreciated. Many fine orchestral compositions will not be found on the performance schedules of major symphony orchestras.
So after writing 8 great symphonies this great composer decided to stop writing symphonies until his death at 2016. To me it's not a coincidence, sounds like he avoided the curse of the 9th. But he was a really great composer, one of the greatest surprises i got from hearing a modern composers lately. The fact that he was so unique and out there, yet never abandoned tonality completely is an amazing example of composition to me.
.. beeindruckendes Werk; gleichfalls beeindruckend - das Philadelphia Orchestra in Köln mit seinem beliebten bedeutenden Münchner Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch - eine glückliche Alterskarriere "nur" als Konzertdirgent eines der Big Five of USA.
Seit seiner Fünften wieder einmal in großer Besetzung. Diese Achte kommt aber nicht an die (zugegebenermaßen sensationelle) Siebente heran - trotz vieler Zitate daraus. Das Publikum etwas spröde ob der neuen Klänge. Dabei bietet Rautavaara einen selten leicht gangbaren Weg in die Musik des dritten Jahrtausends.
