Rautavarraesque?

September 23, 2008 7:11 AM

Classical Music Filter: What composers would I like if I like einojahuni rautavarra?

more specifically, I love his piano concertos. But I'm not looking for just recommendations for composers known for piano concertos, wouldn't turn them down either.

posted by tylerfulltilt to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Piano concertos can sound pretty different usually depending on the period in which it was composed, and also, the composer, obviously. Presuming that you like the sonority of Rautavaara, I'd suggest looking into other recent Finnish composers. This compilation may be of use.

Of course, if piano concertos are your thing, then Mozart's middle 12 & Beethoven's 5 are obvious starting points, along with a smattering of Brahms, Rachmaninoff among others.
posted by Gyan at 8:00 AM on September 23, 2008

There seems to be a bit of disagreement out there on how to spell his second name. I think most people seem to go with "RAUTAVAARA". LastFM lists some people it thinks are similar here:

Personally I only really know (and love) "Cantus Articus". I first heard this piece of music on the BBC Radio 3 program "Late Junction" - and I would suspect that they would play a lot more artists that you might like. For a specific recommendation you might like the music of Eleni Karaindrou.
posted by rongorongo at 8:03 AM on September 23, 2008

Rongorongo is right about the spelling, so it's "Einojuhani Rautavaara", definitely.

The entry in his wikipedia page namechecks some composers.
posted by phax at 8:20 AM on September 23, 2008

The Last.fm page is exactly right in recommending Sofia Gubaidulina as someone who's working in a similar vein. She's fantastic.

Kaija Saariaho is probably the heir to Rautavaara's crown as Great Finnish Composer, but her work is a bit more abstract than his. She writes beautifully for voices especially.

Toru Takemitsu is a hugely influential composer who was a contemporary of Rautavaara's. I'm thinking of particularly Green and Quotation of Dream as pieces you might like.

Paul Moravec is a composer who combines beautiful melodies with more abstract stuff; his cello concerto Monserrat is pretty damn amazing.

And some other folks who are working today: Arvo Part, John Tavener, John Harbison, Shulamit Ran, Tan Dun, Chen Yi, Yehudi Wyner, Joan Tower, Bernard Rands, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Peter Lieberson.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:45 AM on September 23, 2008 [2 favorites]

You don't really tell us in what direction you'd like to go :). Sibelius for a more classic version of that Finnish sound? Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto? Or Shostakovich's first?

On preview: If you like Beethoven's fifth mentioned by Gyan above, buy, borrow or steal this recording. It's that good.

Seconding rongorongo's Cantus Arcticus suggestion if you haven't heard it.
posted by stereo at 9:06 AM on September 23, 2008

I didn't recommend Beethoven's 5th, but his 5, as in, 5 piano concertos. And of course, if you must resort to stealing, steal the Fleisher/Szell cycle.
posted by Gyan at 10:01 AM on September 23, 2008

Saariaho and Takemitsu are great suggestions. Also check out the piano concertos of Sergei Prokofiev, and perhaps Franghiz Ali-Zadeh.
posted by bassjump at 6:47 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

There are certainly echoes of Sibelius in Rautavaara's sound. Try his chilly symphonic work Tapiola, for example.

The Latvian composer Peteris Vasks is a little like Rautavaara at times: this CD might be a good place to start.

Further removed from Rautavaara, another contemporary composer worth investigating is the Ukrainian Valentin Silvestrov, whose music tends to be slow & melancholy, with moments of great beauty. Try his 5th or 6th symphonies, for example, or his work for solo piano.
posted by misteraitch at 1:52 AM on September 24, 2008