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Anders Koppel: Concertos

Music by Danish composer Anders Koppel (b 1947) springs from disparate musical influences. He was trained as a clarinetist and pianist, and since his father Herman was a composer and pianist, Anders grew up in a classical environment. But he also spent years in an experimental rock band. His musical language is tonal, with pungent dissonance, and his harmonies take interesting turns. Of the three concertos offered here, the Sinfonia Concertante (2007) for violin, viola, clarinet, bassoon, and orchestra is the most absorbing.

A waltz-like I has touches of whimsy and much contrapuntal interplay. In a dreamy II the soloists pair off-violin and clarinet, viola and bassoon-for lovely melodies and duets. The finale is a relentless Allegro appassionato where the action is relentless. The fine soloists-violinist Yana Deshkova, violist Anna Maria Dahl, clarinetist Randi Ostergaard, and bassoonist Sheila Popkin-are members of the Aalborg Symphony. Koppel wants us to hear "scenes from the life of a human being" in the five-movement, 24-minute Concerto for flute and harp (1998, rev 2009). I (Intrada) evokes the wonder of new life with lovely flute melodies and delicate harp sounds. A shimmering Pastorale is a walk in the woods, complete with thunderstorm. A little Intermezzo ("a memory of one's first encounter with love") is Brazilian-tinged, while an Elegia is a funeral march. The Finale is a metronomic "song of time".

Once again, the able soloists-flutist Claus Larsen and harpist Mette Nielsen-are members of the Aalborg Symphony. The 22-minute Tuba Concerto (2003) has a genial I, brief II, and jovial yet dignified III. It may be a fine piece, but soloist Mattias Johansson (Aarhus Symphony) has such a small tone that it is hard to evaluate. Playing a relatively small instrument (probably an F tuba), he makes a compact sound that is satisfactory in the middle and upper registers but quite unsatisfying down low. A tuba concerto needs some heft!