Works for Solo Piano

 Known for his orchestral output - 16 symphonies and 21concertos to date! - Finnish composer Kalevi Aho wasrecently described in Gramophone as having 'a strong claimto the title of greatest living symphonist'. But Aho has also composed a large number of works forsmaller forces - quartets and quintets, duos and solo pieces. On the present disc, the Finnish pianist Sonja Fraki presentsAho's output for solo piano, comfortably fitting on one disc,but nevertheless spanning some 30 years of a long career. The disc opens with his earliest published work, theNineteen Preludes from 1965-68, written before thecomposer had begun any formal studies of eithercomposition or the piano. As in much of his other music, the works for piano displayhis characteristic fascination with the virtuosic andtechnically brilliant side of music-making. On the present disc, this quality comes to the fore in theSonata, with it's sparkling first movement and percussive,toccata-like second movement followed by a searchingTranquillo molto, characterized by a trill which continuesalmost without interruption throughout the movement. Solo II is likewise a challenge for any pianist, forming partof a series of big (roughly ten-minute) solo works for variousinstruments, several of which have been recorded by BIS.