Piano Music of Erkki Melartin performed by Maria Lettberg

Recommendation

Finnish composer Erkki Melartin (1875-1937) was ten years the junior of Jean Sibelius, and although they were working at the same time and were very close friends, there is little evident influence by the more celebrated composer on Melartin’s music. This Delta Classics two CD set of his solo piano works performed by Maria Lettberg provides a cross-section of his entire output. The program is loosely arranged in chronological order and as such provides a fascinating portrait of the composer’s development, which underwent appreciative changes.

The CD opens with a series of early character pieces. They are quite romantic, lyrical and virtuosic, almost Chopinesque. This music and many of his earlier pieces are often programmatic, based upon themes found in Finnish novels or poetry. Through his middle period, the music is characteristically more impressionistic, and by the time we are listening to the later works, Melartin’s musical vocabulary has widened considerably. He shows the influence of the prevailing modernity in music. The mood has darkened, there are more unusual harmonies and an increased use of dissonance and chromaticism. The tonal center is more frequently ambiguous. Sometimes it is modal, or makes use of whole-tone scales. He can add an exotic flair, of the Orient or of Spain, and within all this, Melartin often blends his romantic origins into this new musical language.

The music is interesting throughout, and to listen to these two CDs through is to follow the course of Melartin’s art. It is a fascinating expedition, and the eloquent performances by Ms. Lettberg show that she knows the journey well.

Album Overview

The lyrical music Lettberg rediscovers here draws on folkloristic elements. The leading German music magazine Fono Forum (06.2011), giving the CD a five-star rating for performance.

Source: Maria Letterberg

Erkki Melartin

Composer: Erkki Melartin Erkki Melartin (2 February 1875, Käkisalmi – 14 February 1937, Pukinmäki) was a Finnish composer and pupil of Martin Wegelius from 1892 to 1899 in Helsinki, and Robert Fuchs from 1899 to 1901 in Vienna. He shares identical birth and death years with the composer Maurice Ravel. As well as composing, Melartin also taught and directed music at the Helsinki Music College, later the Helsinki Conservatory. As conductor of… read more

Maria Lettberg, piano

Performer: Maria Lettberg, piano Ms Lettberg’s talent was recognized and nurtured at an early age; she went straight from the central Latvian elite school for musically gifted children to the Petersburg Conservatory. There, she was able to develop her personality as a pianist considerably and perfect her virtuoso technique until she graduated with distinction in her concert examination. … read more

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