Lukija

by Leevi Räsänen

Reader

for violoncello and piano

Description

The main subject of Lukija (Reader) is the book as an object that can accompany a person for long stretches of time. The journey of a book begins with the beep of a barcode scanner in a library or shop, and it may range from a brief browsing to a lifetime, even extending across generations. What gets stored in a book as it travels alongside a human life?

The history of humanity and of individuals has been recorded in books. They are compelling objects, at once powerfully intimate and fundamentally shared in nature. Thoughts written down by an individual can expand into generational experiences and identity-shaping phenomena. At the same time, every reading experience is unique and belongs to its reader. Reading can be seen as an intimate act that closes off the surrounding world. Yet what disrupts a focused reader? The beginning of the performance? Attention may falter at a sufficiently loud sound, and at times, the act of interrupting one’s reading can feel outrageous…

A book, however, is by nature a work of art that the reader is constantly forced to interrupt. The movements of Lukija are likewise brief, miniature in scale, fragmentary in character, as their titles suggest. Interruptions force the reader to pause and think about what they have read. This differs from continuous stage or concert works, which are generally experienced as bound in time. On the other hand, a book can draw the reader in with great intensity and carry them into a flow of emotion and experience, momentarily or, in some cases, all the way to its final page.

Instrumentation

vlc, pno

Category

Chamber Works

Premiere

Eeva Rysä (cello) and Ilmo Ranta (piano) at the Tampere Biennale festival of contemporary music on 17 April 2026

Movements

I. Keski (~1’30’’), II. Herpa (~3’), III. Houku (~3’30”), IV. Senti (~3’), Bonus: Enari (1’)

Commisioned by / dedications

Lukija was commissioned by cellist Eeva Rysä and pianist Ilmo Ranta

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Archive number

MF36271

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