Although he was immensely popular and well received in his native Finland, composer Joonas Kokkonen's music has never truly achieved the same international recognition as that of his compatriot Jean Sibelius. Like Sibelius, Kokkonen's music (especially his later works) featured color as a component as integral to his music as harmony, melody, and rhythm. His total control of orchestral tone and texture is a key in his Third and Fourth symphonies, composed in 1967 and 1971, respectively. While Kokkonen experimented in his earlier works with twelve-tone writing, his more mature compositions feature a tonality all his own which is neither overly exotic nor unapproachable by casual listeners. The cello concerto, composed between the two symphonies, is a further testament to Kokkonen's control of the orchestra. Similar in structure to the first of
Shostakovich's cello concertos, Kokkonen's only concerto features a full-movement cadenza. While the orchestra has some immense and powerful tuttis, Kokkonen keeps the texture delightfully thin when the cello is performing, totally negating any balance problems. The
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, by whom the Fourth Symphony was commissioned, is particularly well suited to delivering all of the intricacies and colors of Kokkonen's music. They are joined by cellist
Marko Ylonen, whose lean, focused sound and exceptional technical skills keep listeners enthralled throughout the cello concerto.