Again, the mood quietens; an upwardlyclimbing motif in the brass allows for some gently clever, relaxed contrapuntal work, before the movement ends in a shimmer of strings. The second movement is a dramatic contrast of texture, timbre and atmosphere. Assertive strings set off at an impressive pace (Molto allegro!), and accompany clashing lines of wind and brass. Dropping back to allow some soloistic moments, the strings and other sections then engage in an overlapping skirmish of ascending flourishes. A soaring theme is underpinned by hints of the opening movement (flowing rhythms and the occasional chime) while the timpani add punctuations. Everything builds up to a triumphant major chord, which signals the beginning of an imitative section. This allows the composer to draw his listeners’ attention to timbral differences across the orchestra. The ending is extraordinary: a cheeky, rude, send-up of a fanfare that repeats itself then echoes off into the distance. Movement III suggests that Rautavaara looked back at his exquisite first movement and decided he could make the material into something even more beautiful. The gentle opening is reminiscent of Movement I, and fragments of the chorale theme are heard in high, soft strings. Marked Come un sogno (‘like a dream’), the music repeats the conjuring trick of the opening, gradually expanding the texture, then unexpectedly removing any impetus. The harmony begins to take on a darker feel, twisting to unlikely colours and destinations. The upward-scale motif that has recurred throughout the Symphony takes on a new importance as various solos develop it; they move independently of the strings (which therefore function
as a backdrop), a technique producing an exceptional sense of softness. Trills begin to insinuate themselves, by way of intensifying the texture. The orchestra becomes more assertive and climbs to a decisive moment, when yet again it all drops away and leaves the tiny high thread of a solo violin, floating over the familiar gentle string patterns, occasionally decorated by little trills. A dark fanfare from the brass opens the final movement, leading the strings into an epic section that sweeps between major and minor. The rich warmth of the strings is overlaid by interjections from harp and winds, which work themselves into a restatement of familiar material. The rising scale patterns, punctuations, and sense of flow recur and push the rhythms onward and upward into a bold, brass version of the chorale, gleaming over the busy strings. In accordance with the established pattern, the activity lessens, falling to the quietest possible string tremolo. Katherine Kemp © Symphony Australia 1998
RAUTAVAARA: ANGEL OF LIGHT – 24
