Heavenly Lights

Olli Mustonen is perhaps best known as a pianist, but he also has a considerable body of compositions to his name. The two works on this album date from 2016 and 2006.
In musical terms you could be forgiven for thinking that Finnish composers are obsessed with folklore and sure enough Taivaanvalot (Heavenly Lights) is based on the Kalevala, in which, to quote the programme notes, the North captures the Sun and the Moon, leaving the Kalevala people in darkness. So, it’s the usual doom and gloom.
The work. which lasts about 28 minutes, is broken into alternating slow, fast sections, which correspond to the poems seventeen verses, sung, as intended, in English. It opens and closes with Misterioso ed estatico sections, the first of which, momentarily, has a very English sounding plaintive melody for tenor and cello, followed by a presto, rhythmic scherzo. From then on, you have extraordinarily descriptive, vivid language, including a ferocious instrumental description of the Sun being dimmed, where the cello and piano sound what becomes a percussive idee fixe, beautiful lyrical episodes such as Smith Ilmarinen and echoes of Peter Grimes. Ian Bostridge, for whom it was written, makes light of its substantial demands, although his tone has lost some of its bloom.
The concise four movement Cello Sonata in the first two movements inhabits a world of shimmering textures with fragments of melody, where the faster forte outbursts anticipate the powerhouse third, which gives way to an initially serene Con vision finale. Nicolas Altstaedt is equal to all its considerable demands and works hand-in-glove with the composer.
Kodaly was 38 when he composed his multi-faceted Sonatina, a joyous combination of folk and dance influences. The earlier Sonata is less original but still full of atmosphere, melody and ebullient rhythms. Both works receive brilliant, highly expressive performances.
On the 24/96 stream the hall acoustic and instrumental timbres are well caught. As ever though the DSD512 brings more space, and everything is so much more lifelike. Of course, the sound would be even better if Alpha recorded in DXD or DSD, not 24/96, so here’s hoping.
Recorded July 2023 and July 2025 at Pfarrkirche Lockenhaus