Einojuhani Rautavaara

Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928–2016) was the most important Finnish composer of the generation after Sibelius, a wide-ranging, individual voice whose music moved through many styles over a long career. Spotted early as a major talent (Sibelius himself recommended him for a scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York, where he worked with Vincent Persichetti, and he also took lessons at Tanglewood with Aaron Copland and Roger Sessions), Rautavaara passed through neo-classicism and strict twelve-tone serialism before arriving at the lush, mystical, freely tonal ‘neo-Romantic’ style for which he is best loved. He is especially celebrated for his luminous, atmospheric orchestral works, above all Cantus Arcticus, the ‘Concerto for Birds and Orchestra,’ which weaves recorded birdsong into the orchestra, and the Seventh Symphony, ‘Angel of Light.’ A deeply spiritual and poetic artist, fascinated by angels, mysticism and the natural world, he created some of the most immediately appealing serious music of the late twentieth century, rich in glowing harmony and soaring melody.