Music Finland Core

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My relation to the symphony as a concept and form has undergone numerous changes in the course of my chequered career. To the young modernist the symphony was a historical phenomenon, a formal construction bounded by rules and regulations that no longer bore any relevance in the present day and age. At most it was something to toy with, in postmodern style (as in my two-movement first or serialist and aleatoric fourth symphony). But little by little a new view evolved: of the symphony not as a particular form but as a particular way of thinking in music. It was a form characterised by slow transformation, a narrative element (operating not with words but with music alone), the generation of new, different aspects and perspectives from the same basic premises, the transformation of light and colour.According to Milan Kundera, symphonic music is a journey through the world, through ever-changing landscapes. It can, I think, also be a journey through human life. The title of the 8th symphony, The Journey, also had a concrete reason; one of the motifs in the third, slow movement is sung in one of my operas to the words "This journey goes on… whose is it? - Of one who wanders from the end of the journey? …beyond time?… "The symphony is in four movements. The first is peaceful, proceeding in long sweeps. The melody rising gradually from the low opening register is finally crystallised as a rising fourth motif on the French horns. This ‘signature’ motif is the identifying feature, as it were, running through the whole work. The symphony having been commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra, I was able to make the second movement an extremely virtuosic, technically demanding scherzo. The third movement is a slow, poetic episode beginning and ending with the ‘signature’ motif. The finale is a broad stream "con grandezza" in which the motif presented first by the horns and finally by the whole brass section is a downward variation on the fourth motif. My large-scale works have almost always ended in silence. The 8th symphony nevertheless wanted to end fortissimo - con grandezza.© Einojuhani Rautavaara, 2000(Fennica Gehrman)Suhde sinfoniaan käsitteenä ja muotona on monivaiheisen urani aikana muuttunut monesti. Nuorelle modernistille sinfonia oli historiallinen ilmiö, säännöitetty muotorakenne, jolla ei enää olisi relevanssia tälle ajalle. Korkeintaan sillä saattoi leikitellä, postmoderniin tapaan (kuten kaksiosaisessa ensimmäisessä tai sarjallisessa ja aleatorisessa neljännessä sinfoniassani). Mutta vähitellen kasvoi uusi näkemys: että kysymyksessä ei ollut tietynlainen muoto, vaan tietynlainen ajattelutapa musiikissa. Sille oli ominaista hidas muuntuminen, narratiivisuus (kerronta joka ei toimi sanoilla vaan ainoastaan musiikilla), myös uusien ja erilaisten näkymien ja näkökulmien syntyminen samoista lähtökohdista, valaistuksen ja värien muuntuminen.Milan Kunderan mukaan sinfoninen musiikki on matkaa läpi maailman, yhä uusien maisemien. Luulen että se voi myös olla ihmisen matkaa elämän läpi. Kahdeksannen sinfonian alaotsikko Matka oli myös se konkreettinen syy, että hitaassa kolmannessa osassa esiintyy motiivi, jolla eräässä oopperassani lauletaan sanat '... tätä matkaa kestää... kenen se on? - Jonkun joka vaeltaa matkan päästä?... ajan takaa?'Sinfoniassa on neljä osaa. Ensimmäinen on rauhallinen, pitkissä jaksoissa etenevä. Matalasta alusta vähitellen esiin kasvava melodia kiteytyy lopulta käyrätorvien soittamaksi neljän ylöspäisen kvartin aiheeksi. Tämä motiivi on sinfonian läpikäyvä tunnus, eräänlainen identiteetti. Koska sinfonian tilaaja oli The Philadelphia Orchestra, saatoin säveltää toisesta osasta eritääin virtuoosisen, teknisesti vaativan scherzon. Kolmas osa on hidas, runollinen episodi, jonka tunnusmotiivi aloittaa ja päättää. Finaali on leveä vuo 'con grandezza', jossa ensin torvien ja lopussa koko vaskiryhmän soittama aihe on alaspäinen muunnelma kvarttitunnuksesta. Laajat sävellykseni ovat melkein aina päättyneet hiljaisuuteen. Kahdeksas sinfonia halusi kuitenkin loppua fortisimoon - con grandezza.© Einojuhani Rautavaara, 2000(Fennica Gehrman)

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Movements

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Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin

Symphony No. 8