Roughly delicate

Soie for Flute and Orchestra; Hava; Amor Omnia Suite

Kersten McCall (flute)
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dima Slobodeniouk
Ondine ODE 1259-2

Wennäkoski’s Soie is not called a concerto, but it is quite impossible not to listen to it in this context. However, many (stereo)typical elements of a Romantic concerto are nicely put aside. Instead of themes and their repetitions, soloist and orchestra exchange musical ideas in rapid succession.

In the first movement, ‘Voile’ (meaning a sail, a veil or a gauze), musical motifs and gestures move forwards like the successive whirls that wind makes on a thin fabric. The latter half of the movement is characterised by delicate calmness. The slow middle movement of the Romantic concerto is replaced here by a fast and very short ‘Lin gros’ (Rough linen), reminding one of something too coarse and uncomfortable to wear.

In the last movement, ‘Soie’ (silk), the orchestra becomes a big swish-machine, a kind of echo chamber for the flute’s over- and under-blows. Natural phenomena were also the inspiration for the rich-in-timbre musical appearance of Hava. Amor Omnia Suite is adapted from Wennäkoski’s film score for the silent movie Amor Omnia (1922). Instead of lingering on single moods, Wennäkoski favours in her music filigree-like details. Flawless performances throughout.