Janne Malinen - Concertos cum tribus (2022)

Piazzolla’s double concerto for guitar and bandoneon is surprisingly seldom performed, given how appealing and concert hall-capable tango nuevo it is. Whether it’s due to the low number of bandoneon soloists or the balance problems of the soloists, things are mostly okay with this album. Niko Kumpuvaara chants bandoneon to the side instrument carefully and Malinen's guitar takes the space that is available. However, the ensemble, even with orchestral accompaniment, feels restrained - tango nuevo is allowed to expect roar and ferocity. Perhaps Kumpuvaara will save a little on the terms of the guitar and the Helsinki Symphony will not dare to throw himself - or the concert will pave the way for the strange world of the next work.

In Tommi Kärkkäinen's guitar concerto "Tener Tempestas", Malinen plays an unresonated silent guitar that produces all the sound electronically. At first, the soloist operates with softly shaky, alienated chords, but the work is not as effective as you might think, but is based on the interaction of chords and harmonies between the orchestra and the soloist. Even the more determined tightening, shudders, and cracks in the slow last part sound guitaristic and blend naturally with the orchestra.

The sonorous leap from Kärkkäinen's mirror worlds to Weiss's lute concerto is the best part of the album. The intimate rumble of the accompaniment of the clavichord and the softness of the old guitar excitely comment on the effects of the silent guitar. The ensemble, which listens spiritually to both rhythms and non-rhythms, makes the work a full-bodied experience that is not missed by the orchestra.

So Janne Malinen has clearly had a strong vision of the album's strange combinations of works and sounds, and I was surprised, excited and impressed many times by that vision, especially in the breaking points. So Malinen's skills are not limited to great guitar playing - he also knows how to curate music, which is an increasingly important skill in today's musical reality.