SUNLEIF RASMUSSEN (b.1961): Violin Concerto No. 1 "Songs of Seasons", Grave - in memoriam Karsten Hoydal for Clarinet, Strings and Percussion, String Quartets No. 1 and No. 2 "Sunshine and Shadows", Echoes of the Past for Solo Violin.

Description: The music of Faroese composer Rasmussen frequently suggests, and even seems to imitate, the sounds of nature in the wild landscapes and seascapes of his native land. Works for strings lend themselves especially well to the depiction of rushing winds and flowing tides, and the constant presence of gliding tones, clusters and slowly shifting, organic forms in these works suggest nature as a powerful influence on the composer. Textures are predominantly clear and open, and there is a sense of pervasive melancholy, even to works that do not bear an explicitly mourning extramusical reference, like 'Grave'. The Violin Concerto is an unusual work in that the orchestra is composed of strings, limiting the timbral differentiation between soloist and ensemble. The result of this is that the work has a monochromatic feel, with changes in texture being slight and subtle, analogous to a colour-field painting, in which the most subtle changes in hue and intensity become important. Sometimes the soloist blends into the orchestra; at others the orchestra becomes a plastic mass, against which the vibrant solo line stands out in three-dimensional relief. John Storgårds (violin), Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra; Juha Kangas, Sjælland String Quartet.