Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote his Symphony No. 7, subtitled Angel of Light, in 1994. It was originally known as The Bloomington Symphony, as it was commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra. Belonging to his Angel Series, inspired by childhood dreams and revelations, the symphony has won wide popularity for its deep spirituality. The première performance was by the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in 1994. In 1997, the première recording, by Leif Segerstam, was nominated for the Grammy Award for "Best Classical Contemporary Composition".
There are four movements:
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets in B 2 bassoons
Brass 4 horns in F 3 trumpets in B 3 trombones 1 tuba
Percussion (4 players) timpani
suspended cymbal snare drum glockenspiel xylophone marimba vibraphone tom-toms tam-tams
Strings
harp
violin I violin II violas cellos double basses
Recordings OrchestraConductorRecord CompanyYear of RecordingFormatHelsinki Philharmonic OrchestraLeif SegerstamOndine Records1995CDLahti Symphony OrchestraOsmo VänskäBIS Records1999CDRoyal Scottish National OrchestraHannu KoivulaNaxos Records2001CD Reviewing Segerstam's version, Gramophone noted a "calm though powerful atmosphere, with many Sibelian points of reference, and stated that "Rautavaara’s language is more a celebration of nature and her works than of any specific religious ritual."
For Robert Layton, the symphony "finds the composer at his most imaginative"; Layton recommended Vänskä over Segerstam, as being "every bit as atmospheric and powerful and which can now be said to displace the former’s benchmark position... While attentive to every nuance and detail of colour, Vänskä also keeps the music moving and to my mind casts the stronger spell."
David Hurwitz judged that Segerstam had "the better orchestra," with "larger, lusher string sonorities," while Vänskä was "completely at home in the composer’s idiom, and if anything even better recorded than the competition"; and called Koivula's recording "expertly paced and confidently played."
Koivula's version "captures the mysticism of the musical language, while he also has a real grip on the structure," according to critic Terry Barfoot. Tim Ashley in the The Guardian called the Seventh "an awesome piece that juxtaposes passages of spiritual stasis with eruptive dissonances," and Koivula's recording "excellent."
References