Works |
Concerto for Jouhikko and Chamber Orchestra (2013) » 13′ I. Cusp 1 Ilkka Heinonen, Jouhikko My work on the Concerto for Jouhikko and Orchestra began in 2009, as I was writing a short piece for the Canadien Le Nouvel Ensemble Modern on my grandmother’s Idaho farm – a spot where morning quail song has recently been infused with sounds of machines marking the encroachment of urban industrial sprawl. The ensemble was comprised of the standard western instruments, but even then I could somehow hear the gritty sound of the jouhikko (Finnish bowed-lyre) wanting to appear in the foreground. When an opportunity presented itself to expand this work, I immediately approached Ilkka Heinonen, an incredibly gifted and versatile Finnish musician who has pushed the technical and expressive limits of this traditional folk instrument to previously unknown heights. While working together, we pondered the following: Is the jouhikko something other than a poor, three-string violin? In either case, what should constitute virtuosity on this instrument? |