Magnus Lindberg: Complete Works for Accordion

MAGNUS LINDBERG ALL WORKS FOR ACCORDION

Magnus Lindberg is an orchestral composer through and through. The energy of the masses, their physical discharge and their motoric possibilities inspire the Finn to create monumental forms that have made him one of the most sought-after contemporary composers. He began with the accordion, which he learned at the age of six and for which he sketched his first compositions. Even if he later switched to the piano as his main instrument, he still remains connected to the accordion to this day: the creative possibilities of setting a polyphonic keyboard instrument in motion by means of adjustable air currents, thus being able to play densely and at the same time organically, speak to Lindberg's complex, multi-layered way of thinking immediately on.

Magnus Lindberg was born on June 27, 1958 in Helsinki. He also studied piano with Maija Helasvuo and electronic music with Osmo Lindemann with Paavo Heininen and Einojuhani Rautavaara – like him he fully explored the limits of serialism thinking only to break them later. He gained valuable experience at the EMS electronics studio in Stockholm, which also gave him the opportunity to use computer-calculated material as the basis for his works. Lindberg continued to study in Paris with Gérard Grisey, in Siena with Franco Donatoni and in Darmstadt with Brian Ferneyhough. His drive for speed and density - for him an expression of the zeitgeist - got out of hand more and more over time, until he finally in kraft (1983–85), an oversized work with two levels of harmony and up to 70 pitches sounding at the same time. Performed and awarded many times, Kraft also marked a turning point that led him to more transparent, more fluid works such as Kinetics (1989) Marea (1990) and Joy (1990), the latter even with a slower tempo marking. This trend, in turn, culminated in First Piano Concerto (1991), due to its classical structure and proximity to Ravel's G major piano concerto considered by many to be neoclassical. In this way, Lindberg appropriated a multifaceted cosmos, between whose extremes his later works are positioned.

Janne Valkeajoki plays the works on this CD in reverse chronological order. In contrast, they are discussed in this accompanying text from early to late, not least in order to follow the process of Lindberg's development.

Metal Work for accordion and percussion, Lindberg dated November 4, 1984, so it is from the same period as kraft. It was written in Berlin, where Lindberg was a Goethe Institute scholar, but premiered in Finland, in Joensuu on June 18, 1985 by Matti Rantanen and Timothy Ferchen. The title comes from the fact that the percussion consists exclusively of metallic instruments and the accordion also produces the tones with spring steel reeds. The two players begin almost in unison and each present the same idea with playing styles that are characteristic of their instruments - a technique frequently encountered with Lindberg, which was later also used in Dos Coyotes will be heard. But the instruments quickly separate from each other, drift further and further until they literally play against each other. Towards the end the tam-tam comes more and more to the fore until finally the accordionist puts his instrument aside and approaches a tam-tam. The two gongs rotate and thus make the room vibrate, almost in timelessness (senza misura) - this piece should definitely be experienced with headphones or in good stereo quality.

As well as Metal Work the novel  Jeux d'anches (1989–90) was composed at the suggestion of Matti Rantanen, to whom the piece was dedicated and who also premiered it in Tampere on April 22, 1990, just 12 days after completion. In Jeux d'anches Lindberg tried a combination of serial and spectral textures. Almost without a break, the accordionist is chased through a dense network of tones, in a consistently polyphonic structure with the most diverse rhythms that make you lose any sense of bar structure. The two hands are in constant competition, creating a multi-instrumental sound. In consultation with the composer, Janne Valkeajoki changed some registration details to further nuance the sound.

Dos Coyotes goes back to a work from 1993, the coyote blues for chamber ensemble. Completely in the spirit of Stravinsky The wedding, which Lindberg was working on intensively at the time of composition, he wanted to compose a work for baritone and ensemble; the singing part, however, fell out during the conception phase. For a duo program with the cellist Anssi Karttunen and Lindberg at the piano, the musicians arranged the work for their cast in 2002, treating the material in places extremely freely - they performed this version for the first time on March 12, 2002. Janne Valkeajoki reworked the piano part for the accordion in collaboration with the composer. Dos Coyotes consists of four movements, two of which merge directly into one another, only after the second movement does one hear a clear incision. The material seems much clearer than that of the earlier works, the interaction of the partners is understandable. This creates a lucid sound in a tonal language between Stravinsky and Eliasson (especially Ostacoli), Finland and western music. The original idea of ​​a singing voice as the carrier of the melody is often reflected in the appropriate ambitus, vocal effects such as glissandi and melismas and hoquetus passages that characterize the interplay.

With the anniversaries (2000) Magnus Lindberg overcame his inhibitions about the small form. The six pieces were originally conceived for piano, the first of which was commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall as one of twelve contributions to celebrate Pierre Boulez's 75th birthday. In their entirety they pass through anniversaries a gradual process, becoming clearer and clearer until the individual musical elements break through in their pure form. The opening piece still seems quite complex (although much more lucid than, for example Jeux d'anches), the second movement is already shorter and shows fewer rhythmic conflicts, number three is even monophonic in places and generally easy to understand. In the fourth piece the harmony bursts forth with radiant purity, and the fifth Jubilee celebrates the melody line with a minimum of accompaniment. Finally, the finale presents the harmony with almost no melodic accompaniment before the cycle fades away with just a single sustained note. Despite the differences in textures and compositional techniques used, an overarching arc emerges that holds the pieces together and forms a homogeneous unit. In 2003, Lindberg orchestrated the anniversaries with slight changes, renamed the piano version as part of this Piano Jubilees. Looking at both existing versions, Janne Valkeajoki arranged the six pieces for the accordion together with the composer; in this now third version they appeared under the name Accordion Jubilees (2003 / 2018) have been released and were recorded for the first time on this CD.

Oliver Fraenzke

I am delighted that Janne Valkeajoki's virtuoso performances of my works appear on this CD. He did it, Piano Jubilees and Dos Coyotes excellent to adapt for his instrument. Janne is first and foremost an amazing accordionist. He is a master of this instrument, which for me is associated with so many nostalgic memories - after all, I started making music with it as a child. (Even my first compositions at the age of eight were for the accordion.)

With his double talent as a performing musician and as a conductor, Janne has a special ability to get the best out of seemingly simple pieces when he rewrites them for other instrumentations. He brings music to life because he understands how to boldly intervene in a work to make it last - or even make it better. How could I not be thankful for that. Please enjoy!

Magnus Lindberg
Translation from English: Markus Elsner