Arcturus, Sol/Nemesis, Sunspotting, Titan

Arcturus

Arcturus for piano trio was commissioned by pianist Sari Blå. She was planning a chamber music concert including violin sonata of César Franck and Beethoven’s Archduke trio. The main theme of Archduke and the opening theme of 4th movement of Franck’s sonata resembles each other quite a lot, so she asked to compose a trio which was based on the same theme.

That theme is included all over Arcturus, but it’s hidden almost every time. At its most audible it is in the end of the slower middle section and in the very end of the work. Much more significant is chromaticism, which stems from middle section of Archduke’s second movement.

Arcturus consists of three parts which are connected by short transitions.  First and second part are contrary to each other, and third part is more or less a synthesis of previous parts. The first performance of this work was in july 2016 at Aino Ackté Chamber Music Festival in Helsinki by Sari Blå, piano, Erkki Palola, violin and Pauliina Haustein, cello.

Sol/Nemesis

Sol/Nemesis (composed 2007) explores the coexistence of two different worlds. In the beginning of the work these worlds – world of pitch and world of noise – are quite separate and stable in their own existence. When proceeding towards the second half of the work, these worlds are seemingly getting closer to each other through interaction, and it seems that this progression leads into one whole being, but it fails, and in the end only one solution is possible: collision and destruction of both. The first performance of the work took place in 2008 in Oslo by Lena Rist Larsen, accordion and NMH Sinfonietta conducted by Per Sigmund Thorp.

Text: Sari Blå

Sunspotting

Sunspotting was written for cello and piano. Its title refers to sunspots, whose activity causes many kind of eruptions bursting from the surface of Sun to the space. Some of these, especially mass eruptions, can also reach Earth, but here they are most often seen as auroras. The nature of auroras also gives the same distinctive, flyaway character to the timbres of this work, which are taken to the extreme at the ending section of this piece.

Sunspotting was premiered by cellist Markus Pelli and pianist Sari Blå in the composition concert of the composer in Helsinki, July 7, 2023.

Titan

The title “Titan” refers to three seas, composed mainly of liquid methane, located in the largest, icy moon of Saturn. Punga Mare, the first place where waves outside Earth were found, was named after ancestor of sharks, rays and lizards and a son of the god of the sea in Maories mythology. Ligeia was one of sirens coaxing sailors to the inevitable destruction in Greek mythology. Ligeia Mare has some interesting features with changing shoreline and evolving peninsula. The largest known body of liquid in Titan, Kraken Mare, was named after the sea monster in Scandinavian mythology. It is thought to be greater than Caspian Sea on Earth. Kraken Mare is also hydrologically connected to the second largest sea, Ligeia Mare.

Punga Mare and Ligeia Mare are written for clarinet and piano, Kraken Mare for bass clarinet and piano. Punga Mare (2015) turned out to be a some kind of virtuoso piece. With Ligeia Mare (2017) I seeked for different colours turning into terrifying solution, and with Kraken (2017) I had a picture of clumsy elephant in china shop in my mind.

First complete performance of Titan was played by Mikko Raasakka, clarinets, and Sari Blå, piano, on Joensuu Music Festival, July 10, 2018.