Chamber Orchestra Avanti! has made an album after a break of more than ten years! The selected works by Lotta Wennäkoski on the Zeng album were performed in February 2020 at a concert celebrating the composer’s 50th birthday, organised by Avantti. In addition to the works I stället för vingar (2014-16), Hele (2018), Kuule II (2007) and Zeng (2018-19), the piano trio Päärme (2014-15) was recorded for the album. The collection provides a rich overview of Lotta Wennäkoski’s chamber music output – the Hungarian pediments of Zeng meet the emotional organ scores of Kuule II.
The soloist line-up on the album is impressive. Zeng features Lucie Horsch on lead guitar and Ville Syrjäläinen on percussion. Heikki Nikula plays the bass clarinet part II and the clarinet parts I stället för vingar. Virpi Räisänen performs the vocal part of I stället för vingar, Antti Ohjenoja on percussion and Timo Ahtis on double bass. Pianist Emil Holmström, violinist Eriikka Maalismaa and cellist Mikko Ivars make up the piano trio. The chamber orchestra works have been recorded under the baton of conductor József Hárs. The album features musicians who have played in Avant for decades as well as first-time professional musicians.
The album was produced by Laura Heikinheimo. She has worked as a recording producer for the Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2009 and her recordings have won awards from Grammys to Gramophones. The album was recorded by Enno Mäemets, an expert in the field, at Järvenpää-Talo and released by Alba Records.
The Zeng album will be released on Saturday 2.12. in connection with the Avanti! quartet concert at Suvilahti Tiivistämö. Four works composed for string quartet will be performed in this upbeat and atmospheric evening: the Finnish premiere of Pige by Lotta Wennäkoski and Flickereth, premiered in July, John Zorn’s Cat O´nine Tails and Michael Daugherty’s Sing Sing: J. Edgar Hoover for quartet and tape. The evening will start at 18:00 with a discussion with composer Lotta Wennäkoski and writer Riina Katajavuori. The discussion on intertextuality and musicality is available for the price of a concert ticket. The concert itself starts at 19:00.
