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Karanssi Op. 114 was written for Kari Kriikku and Anssi Karttunen, who gave its first performance at the Warsaw Autumn Festival, September 15, 1990. The title is an intimate reference to both musicians, a telescoping of the forenames Kari and Anssi.Karanssi was a challenge for me: both these players are highly experienced and skilled executants of avant-garde music. For this reason I have felt free to be technically demanding. The clarinettist is asked to produce percussive sounds with hardly any tone present, timbral transformations, micro-intervals, multiphonics, etc. He is also expected to make use of his own (human) voice to make sounds complementary to those he is making with his instrument. Everything is interwoven and supports the formulation of the musical ideas. The cellist participates in dialogue and exchange with the clarinettist, contributing contrasting points of view and new aspects into the discourse.In each of the three movements one will find thematic material shared in common by all the movements, designed to lend a formal unity to the work as a whole. Bizarre ideas do battle against an introspective calm. In the second movement the bass clarinet's staccato notes, trills, multiphonics and whistle-tones form their own world, against which the cello's high flageolet harmonics and variously produced extended notes establish a contrast. An irrational, dramatic scenario.In the last movement there is a reworking of material from both the preceding movements, but at the some time the sound material is augmented and expanded, making use for example of the human voice of the clarinettist, with all the fantasy and associations attached to it, to which the cello's richly varying techniques lend their own dimension. The whole work culminates in a ferocious conclusion.© Erik Bergman(Fennica Gehrman)Karanssi op. 114 on kirjoitettu Kari Kriikulle ja Anssi Karttuselle, jotka kantaesittivät teoksen Varsovan Syksy -musiikkijuhlilla 15.9.1990. Teoksen nimi viittaa kumpaankin muusikkoon, heidän etunimiinsä Kari ja Anssi.Karanssi oli minulle haaste: he ovat molemmat toimineet musiikin avantgarden parissa ja ovat erittäin taitavia. Sen vuoksi olen osittain käyttänyt vaativia tekniikoita. Klarinetistin on esimerkiksi pystyttävä tuottamaan lähes säveltasottomia, perkussiivisia ääniä, sointivärinmuutoksia, mikrointervalleja, multifonisia sointuja jne. Hänen on myös omalla äänellään täydennettävä ääniä ja säveliä, joita hän soittaa instrumentillaan. Kaikki nämä osatekijät kietoutuvat elimellisesti toisiinsa ja ovat yhtenäisenä kokonaisuutena antamassa muotoa musiikillisille ajatuksille. Sellisti on vuoropuhelussa klarinetistin kanssa, tarjoaa vastakkaisia ja uusia näkökulmia.Teoksen kolmella osalla on yhteistä teema-ainesta, joka antaa sävellyksen muodolle kiinteyttä. Oudot ajatukset taistelevat sisäänpäinkääntynyttä hiljaisuutta vastaan. Toisessa osassa muodostavat bassoklarinetin staccato-sävelet, trillit, multifoniset soinnut ja vihellysäänet oman maailmansa, kun taas sellon korkeat flageoletit ja eri soittotavoin toteutetut jatkuvat säveltoistot kontrastoivat. Irrationaalinen dramaattinen kohtaus.Viimeisessä osassa muokataan osaksi kahden aikaisemman osan materiaalia, multa laajennetaan samalla äänimateriaalia, esim. mielikuvituksellista (klarinetistin) ihmisääntä, jolla on vastaavuutensa myös sellistin vaihtelevissa soittotavoissa. Kokonaisuus päättyy rajuun huipentumaan.© Erik Bergman(Fennica Gehrman)

Year of composing

Arranger

Movements

Availability

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