Puumala: "Chainsprings"

Veli-Matti Puumala: "Chainsprings" (1997) Roland Pöntinen, piano. Tampere Filharmonia/Hannu Lintu, kapellimestari. Visual image: "View 4" by Axel Weiß

The following information on the composer was written by Kimmo Korhonen:
Veli-Matti Puumala (b. 1965) is one of the leading Finnish composers who made their debut in the 1980s. His early works tied in with the Finnish Modernist mainstream of the period; Puumala, however, has remained faithful to Modernism even in the 1990s, when more traditional, even Neo-Romantic ideals have begun to appear in Finnish music. In an interview in 1993, Puumala said: "If by Modernism you mean the desire to continue the broad line from Beethoven to Stockhausen and on into the future, then all right, I'm a Modernist. I like to believe that there's always something new to discover."

Puumala's idiom combines abundant post-serial detail and precision with rich tonal colour and thoroughgoing textural treatment. The relative significance of these elements varies from piece to piece; his work shows no clearcut progress in any specific direction. Puumala has concentrated almost exclusively on instrumental music, making use of different playing techniques of various instruments as a means to produce variety of detail and timbre.

Puumala seems to have a liking for groups of several works all bearing a loose family resemblance. An example from his earlier period is the chamber trilogy Scroscio, Verso and Ghirlande. This has been offset in the latter half of the nineties by a set of four works that do, if anything, occupy an even more important position in his output: Chant Chains (1994--95), Chains of Camenæ (1995--96), Soira (1996) and Chainsprings (1995/97). Puumala himself has pointed out the family resemblance in, for example, describing the last of these four works: "In aesthetics and style Chainsprings is very closely related to its predecessors — it belongs to the same musical family." On the other hand the different combinations of instruments give each work an identity of its own: Chant Chains is scored for a chamber ensemble of 11 players, Chains of Camenæ for chamber orchestra, Soira for accordion and chamber orchestra, and Chainsprings for large orchestra.

The word Chain featuring in the titles may call to mind Lutoslawski, who also composed a series of Chain works. The music of Puumala is, however, nothing like Lutoslawski's in style, though there is a certain affinity at the level of form. The typical feature of the Puumala Chain trilogy is the ramified growth of the music from a sort of unrefined initial state made up of more fragmentary events towards more coherent shapes.

One of Puumala's objectives in his Chain works has been "to fuse a number of seemingly different materials in one and the same work". And indeed, the range of styles is in this sense broader than in his earlier works. The basic framework is still complex modernism, but this also blends with and assimilates mellow, radiant spectrum harmonies and clear textures and rhythmic patterns, even pulse-like beats. Puumala has been at pains to avoid creating a collage-like impression and to ensure that the elements are born of the work's own world.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• modern
• Finnish
• music

[faroenmano]

This music makes me remember things that otherwise I would not remember.

Personal anecdote aside, it's really beautiful and powerful.

[2011tresnotas]

Sublime!!!!!!!!! Is interested when for example in my case I don´t know a lot of music to read your explanation helps, believe me. Thanks for share this

[muhtimin]

Is there a recording of this? DO WANT.

[azzelweit]

wow - very intense! absolutely great stuff.