Kalevi Aho : Three Interludes for Organ (1993), ‘Alles Vergängl

   in Choir & Organ (Jan, 2013)
Kalevi Aho (b.1949) is a prominent and prolific Finnish composer whose considerable oeuvre includes no fewer than 15 symphonies and four operas. The eighth of these symphonies includes a large-scale organ part and provides the musical material for the Three Interludes recorded here.

Aho’s Organ Symphony, ‘Alles Vergangliche’ (All that is Perishable), composed in 2007, is largely influenced by Aho’s experience of composing large-scale orchestral works. At 52 minutes, this is an important and virtuosic addition to the organ literature and Aho’s ability to paint vast, dramatic landscapes is impressive. The composer’s debt to neo-classicism is especially evident in the complex fugal writing of the second and fourth movements.

Jan Lehtola’s …