Rautavaara: Ave Maria

Einojuhani Rautavaara’s reputation as one of the greatest living Finnish composers is assured. Once Sibelius’s protégé, over his long career he has achieved success in a great number of musical genres, particularly that of opera. But it is his choral works that have made him a household name, both in his native country and internationally. Recorded here is a fascinating selection of works, including the Suite de Lorca—one of the most popular Finnish choral works of all time—and all demostrating the unique style forged by the composer on his travels through the musical fashions of the twentieth century. His rich and sonorous neo-Romantic textures have a steely modernist edge and the resulting voice is one that is deeply attractive and approachable, yet endlessly captivating. He sets texts of great passion and complexity and does not hold back from expressing deep emotion.

Rautavaara’s music is performed by the Schola Cantorum of Oxford, described in The Times as ‘Oxford’s classy intercollegiate choir’ and highly acclaimed for their two previous recordings for Hyperion. The choir is conducted by James Burton.

Ondine continues its long-term collaboration with Einojuhani Rautavaara with the world première recording of his Missa a cappella.

Einojuhani Rautavaara – a self-described “mysthic” – has written a considerable amount of sacred music, including works in the Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. His Missa a cappella is one of his most significant recent works, and is here recorded alongside extracts of the Vigilia – his most extensive sacred choral work – his Missa duodecanonica, and a number of smaller sacred choral works.

The Latvian Radio Choir is one of the top chamber choirs in Europe, praised by Gramophone as “an outstanding body of singers”. As a “sound laboratory”, the singers investigate alternative techniques to enhance their vocal skills – from traditional methods to the art of quartertone and overtone singing.

Under the direction of Sigvards Kļava, the Latvian Radio Choir has become an internationally acclaimed and vocally distinctive ensemble, constantly searching for new ideas. Under his guidance, the choir has recorded a several works bylesser-known composers, and have collaborated with a number of notable Latvian composers.

This is the Latvian Radio Choir’s follow-up disc to their highly acclaimed recording of Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil, which was Gramophone’s Recording of the Month in their February issue.

This release marks the culmination of the 80th birthday celebrations for Ondine's best-selling omposer, Einojuhani Rautavaara, following a successful campaign on his back catalogue. Ondine has had a long and fruitful association with the Finnish cult composer since the late 1980s, having recorded the premières of many of his works and garnering many awards along the way, including a Grammy nomination for his Angel of Light (Symphony No. 7). This new recording features his complete works for male choir - one of the most popular genres in this composer's artistic output.The two ensembles are the YL Male Voice Choir (Helsinki University Choir), one of the world's most prominent male voice choirs and the commissioner and dedicatee of most of Rautavaara's (and also Jean Sibelius') works for male voice choir. Only recently the Choir was featured on the critically acclaimed recording of Sibelius' Kullervo, along with the Talla Vocal Ensemble, a smaller group of 10 singers originally founded within the YL Choir.

After releasing boxes featuring Einojuhani Rautaavara’s eight Symphonies and twelve Concertos, Ondine is pleased to release a four-CD box of his Choral Works.

This box includes both sacred and secular works, and shows the composer’s diversity in style, expression and content.

Rautavaara is perhaps the most well-known and certainly the most recorded living Finnish composer today.

These recordings feature two acclaimed Finnish mixed choirs – the Finnish Radio Chamber Choir and the Finnish Philharmonic Chorus – as well as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under conductors Timo Nuoranne, Eric-Olof Söderström and Leif Segerstam.

The recordings are taken from existing acclaimed releases on Ondine.