Finns displace Finlandia with a percussion concerto
OrchestrasFigures released by Teosto, Finland’s music copyright agency, shows that Kalevi Aho’s Percussion Concerto ‘Sieidi’, premiered in 2010, received more performances last year than Sibelius’s national anthem Finlandia.
Or his 4th and 7th symphonies, for that matter.
However, the Sibelius violin concerto is still top of the charts, followed by his second symphony.
Is that worldwide, or just in Finland? I’ve never heard of Aho’s percussion concerto, much less heard it, but I like the works of his I’ve heard.
Finlandia may be one of those works that are so well known that nobody really plays them. Like Moonlight Sonata or Scheherezade.
Worldwide
Well, even if that is the case, nobody informed the snoozing program directors at most of the classical radio stations in the United States. It seems like “Finlandia” is played at least once daily on those stations, while they would rather have their announcers eat a live rat with Bearnaise sauce on the air than play anything by Aho. Many of Aho’s works, including that percussion concerto, are available on recordings on the BIS label, and I have nearly all of them.
I confess I would probably enjoy the US classical radio stations then, as to my ears, it is the Aho`s concerto that sounds like trying to eat a rat with bearnaise.
To each his own, a fascinating contemporary concerto by Kari Riippukiikku is available, and reviewed live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JebTzsYBUSQ
A few years ago, two boys about 10 years old came to my house requesting donations to pay the music teacher at their school. One boy commented on the beautiful music in my home, Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. I gave him my extra copy and told him it was music he would enjoy the rest of his life. Children enjoy classical music if given the opportunity.