Sallinen: Piano Trio, Cello Sonata & From a Swan Song

When examining the instrumental statistics for Aulis Sallinen’s overall oeuvre, we see that in quantitative terms he has preferred the violoncello above all other solo instruments, and a constant that uniformly pervades his chamber compositions is his love of the cello sound. The Sonata per violoncello e piano (2005) is a compact work with elements transcending movement limits indicating the composer views it as a single complex. ‘From a Swan Song’, for cello and piano, is a dramatic dialogue between two instrumentalists. His only piano trio to date, a work about memory, closes the program.