Einojuhani Rautavaara
and
Kalevi Aho
were teacher and student, and both are major contemporary Finnish composers. Pairing them, especially within the restricted medium of a cappella choral music, is an excellent way into the language of both. Despite the general trend in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it is
Aho
's music that is more severe.
Rautavaara
, after an initial serialist period, turned to essentially Romantic aesthetics, but one can clearly hear the connections between the two. The texts are in several languages, but even listeners not conversant with all (or even most) can get an idea of the novel text-setting techniques; hear how
matches the concise, elliptical style of the Finnish poem set that gives the album its title. Perhaps the most unusual is
's
Elämän kirja
("
A Book of Life
"), which includes poems in German, French, and English (an earlier version had five languages). These include famous works by
Emily Dickinson
(Hope is the thing with feathers) and
Walt Whitman
. Although native English speakers may detect that the singers of the
Helsinki Chamber Choir
under director
Nils Schweckendiek
are not anglophones, they probably won't find an accent; the choir's diction, and more importantly sensitivity to what they are singing, are impressive. Much of this is virtuoso choral music, and the choir shows some stress toward the top of its range. However, that may just be because of the unforgiving nature of the
BIS
label's engineering, executed in 2021 at Finland's Järvenpää Church. This album offers pieces that many choirs might be interested in singing, and it is a good introduction to two important contemporary composers, offering pieces that may be clearer for new listeners than the big orchestral works of each. ~ James Manheim