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While studying in Japan in 1970-1973, I became interested in the way certain young composers were using the traditional Japanese instruments - the shakuhachi, the koto, the shamisen, the biwa, and so on - in works in modern, even the purest serialist idiom. In the most extreme cases the traditional instruments had no connection whatsoever with traditional music. I myself had at that time used Finnish folk instruments in some of my works, but they nevertheless played folk music motifs or were generally speaking 'folksy'.Not until Equivocations for kantele and string trio (1981) did I experiment with the kantele purely as an instrument, without a trace of folk music. The idea of using the kantele on principles corresponding to Japanese modernists in their use of, say, the koto was still with me when I wrote my first kantele concerto (1985). In it the 36-stringed kantele is not tuned diatonically, nor in octaves, since each octave is tuned to a different scale. But at around the same time I was composing my Kalevala fantasy Taivaanvalot (The Lights of Heaven), where, due to the subject matter, the kantele passages have folk-like overtones.Concerto for kantele and orchestra no. 2 is a sort of synthesis, tradition and the present day; some might call it a return to an earthier, less theoretical mode of expression. The kantele is diatonically tuned (to D flat major), but thanks to the mechanism, accidentals are possible; glissandos are also one of the kantele's expressive devices. While doing the concerto I was interested in old Karelian and Ingrian herders' melodies. This is reflected in the concerto, since some of its motifs are borrowed from these tunes and transferred to the kantele. During the one-movement concerto the motifs undergo numerous metamorphoses.The kantele is a beautiful, intimate instrument, and this caused problems of balance in composing the concerto. The new concert kantele developed by Hannu Koistinen has that much more volume than the earlier kanteles that there is not necessarily any need for amplification. Even so, I have used a relatively small orchestra: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, bassoon, French horn, percussion, piano and strings. The concerto is dedicated to Ritva Koistinen, who premiered it with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Osmo Vanska conducting in Lahti on 27 September 2000.© Pehr Henrik Nordgren, 2002(Tampere Biennale)translation by © Susan Sinisalo

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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

Concerto No. 2 for Kantele and Orchestra