Psychiatrists just love to play word-association games which (they say) aid in elucidating the inner workings of a patient's psyche. Doctor — 'asparagus', Patient — 'cheese sauce' probably doesn't amount to much, but perhaps Doctor — 'asparagus', Patient — 'nuclear armageddon' might require a bit more interpretational energy.
So let's play doctor. I say — 'symphony' and you say — '??' Quite possibly something like: 'Beethoven', 'orchestra', 'Brahms', etc. Hopefully not 'nuclear armageddon', but if you did, well...chacun à son goût, as hoity-toity beldames murmur into their clotted cream in British teacup dramas.
It's unlikely that you might reply with a word that implies contemporary life, or with the name of a current composer of symphonies. And I mean real symphonies, the ones with numbers and occasional nicknames and all that, you know, like: Schmitzoff's Symphony No. 4 in E, Op. 47 "The New Chrysler Imperial", and not something called Kontakaterion XII for Three Amplified Vibraphones, Mezzo-Basso Coloratura Spinto Soprano, and Electronic Duck Blind.
As a rule we tend to associate symphonies with an earlier era and its creative figures; Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and so forth. Maybe if we're a bit more au courant we might toss Vaughan Williams, Prokofiev, or (especially) Shostakovich into the mix. But what about the here and now — are there any new symphonies? Are any of them worth bothering with? Is it possible to find recordings of them without knocking yourself out?
The answers to the above questions are: Absolutely, sure thing, and piece o' cake.
As a matter of fact, the situation is so affirmative that I can't begin to cover more than an itty-bitty morsel of available, really good, stuff in a single posting. So I won't try. I'd like to start by acquainting you with just one wonderful symphonist whose many brilliant products combine accessibility (i.e., they won't make you feel mentally retarded or wish you were dead), with superb construction and fascinating orchestration.
He's one of Finland's major figures, and his name is Kalevi Aho. So that's the first spiffy thing about him — his name is easy to pronounce and spell, unlike other Finnish composers such as, say, Einojuhani Rautavaara, a spelling I always have to look up because I never can remember where all those damn a's go.
Aho has written fifteen symphonies up to the present, which ties him with the very prolific Shostakovich, whizzes by Beethoven (9), Brahms (4), Bruckner (9), and Sibelius (7). Of course there's no way he's going to catch up to Haydn (107!!) but then again has anyone really, truly caught up to Haydn?
Kalevi Aho is barely shy of 60 years old and is therefore far from the end of his compositional career. His works aren't all of a single style by any means; he has grown and changed as one might expect. His earlier symphonies definitely bear witness to his great symphonic predecessors, Jean Sibelius in Finland and Dmitri Shostakovich in Russia. However, like any fine composer, he has developed and evolved. Fortunately for us, he has a long-standing association with Finland's terrific Lahti Symphony Orchestra, which means abundant, crystal-clear recordings from Sweden's first-rate BIS label. Here are a few symphonies to consider:
Symphony No. 1 (1969): this one opens highly reminiscent of late Sibelius, then in four movements moves through a neo-Shostakovich style into a rich, almost Stravinskian neo-classicism. It might seem overall a little derivative as a result, but it should be remembered that he was still in school when he wrote it.
Symphony No. 7 (1988) offers an astonishing blend of popular dance idioms within the framework of a modernistic work. It manages to be both humorous and beautifully expressive, all at the same time.
Symphony No. 11 (1998) is a knockout virtuoso work which is as much concerto as symphony, scored for five (!!!) percussionists as the soloists. If you have a super-duper audiophile stereo system you'd like to show off, the Lahti Symphony's recording is an excellent prospect.
If you're interested in exploring Kalevi Aho and his music, here are some links that might prove useful:
Information about him from the Finnish Culture Ministry
Recordings from Osmo Vanska and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra on BIS:
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