Some random episodes
The first time I encountered a reference of baryton as a bowed instrument was at eighties when playing with a friend some duos for two cellos by Haydn which revealed to be arrangements of duos for baryton. The music was so heartfeltly beatiful, that further research was unavoidible. At the library of Sibelius Academy was the Gesamtwerke of Haydn by Henle Verlag and the mysterious baryton was dominating altogether five fabulous books of it! The writing for baryton was in G-clef and at pretty high register at cello, so it would have not sounded like the duos I was charmed by. Further, at that time the searching of knowledge wasn’t quite as it is today – after failing of find anythng in finnish language, I left the subject to the dungeons of history.
Some years later at a department store in Kuopio (Finland) I stumbled on a recording of Haydn’s trios for baryton, viola and cello. It was in a compact cassette and placed in a discount-basket. The recording was by John Hsu, David Miller and Arico Fortunato and music was again astonishing. At that moment was born the idea or a dream of playing the same music myself one day. (Photo: Pertti Suonio)
The dream kept sleeping for many years - even when listening the warn out cassette of the trios. Then some years later Markus Sarantola, a viola playing friend and colleague told me suddenly that he thought I should pick up the baryton and play trios of Haydn with him and Jussi Seppänen. This all seems very simple now but it took many years of research, studying and rehearsing to give our first concerts as ensemble.
Some years later at a department store in Kuopio (Finland) I stumbled on a recording of Haydn’s trios for baryton, viola and cello. It was in a compact cassette and placed in a discount-basket. The recording was by John Hsu, David Miller and Arico Fortunato and music was again astonishing. At that moment was born the idea or a dream of playing the same music myself one day. (Photo: Pertti Suonio)
The dream kept sleeping for many years - even when listening the warn out cassette of the trios. Then some years later Markus Sarantola, a viola playing friend and colleague told me suddenly that he thought I should pick up the baryton and play trios of Haydn with him and Jussi Seppänen. This all seems very simple now but it took many years of research, studying and rehearsing to give our first concerts as ensemble.
Contemporary music for baryton
I thought to have already lost the possibility of playing any contemporary music on the whole when leaving my desk in orchestra to concentrate fully on periodinstruments. Later I was asked if I would make comissions for my rare instrument baryton. This needed some digesting before I dared to make my first commissions from Eero Hämeenniemi, Sampsa Ertamo and Tomi Räisänen. These works got premieres during International Baryton Symposium in Helsinki 2009. The working with composers and playing their music has been great fun and inspiration –
I could not live without it anymore.
Commissioned works:
Olli Virtaperko: Songs of innocence, lust and sorrow 2011 for two viols, arranged (my commission) 2012 for two barytons by composer
Sampsa Ertamo: The Sonic Golem 2012 for baryton octet
Jovanka Trbojevic: Paradise lost 2012 for baryton, viola and cello
Sampsa Ertamo: Sisäinen puutarha 2012 for baryton, viola and cello
Max Savikangas: Spectroblaster 2010 for baryton, viola and cello
Pasi Lyytikäinen: Pariton 2010 for baryton, viola and cello
Tomi Räisänen: A Night at the Park Qüell 2009 for baryton, viola and cello
Sampsa Ertamo: Sibylla 2009 for soprano, baryton and viola da gamba
Eero Hämeenniemi: The Dong with a luminous Nose 2008 for soprano, baryton and viola da gamba
I could not live without it anymore.
Commissioned works:
Olli Virtaperko: Songs of innocence, lust and sorrow 2011 for two viols, arranged (my commission) 2012 for two barytons by composer
Sampsa Ertamo: The Sonic Golem 2012 for baryton octet
Jovanka Trbojevic: Paradise lost 2012 for baryton, viola and cello
Sampsa Ertamo: Sisäinen puutarha 2012 for baryton, viola and cello
Max Savikangas: Spectroblaster 2010 for baryton, viola and cello
Pasi Lyytikäinen: Pariton 2010 for baryton, viola and cello
Tomi Räisänen: A Night at the Park Qüell 2009 for baryton, viola and cello
Sampsa Ertamo: Sibylla 2009 for soprano, baryton and viola da gamba
Eero Hämeenniemi: The Dong with a luminous Nose 2008 for soprano, baryton and viola da gamba
Two barytons
Here are the two instruments I play today. The left one is builded by recently passed Alfred Lessing (Düsseldorf) after original by Hanns Kögl Vienna 1679. It has 6 bowed and 18 plucked strings and is suitable f.e. for Krause's partitas with fascinating lute tuning dfedf (sounding f1-d1-a-f-d-A) and plucked G-f1 in nearly chromatic scale.
The right one is builded by Tilman Muthesius based on original in Brussels. It has 6 bowed strings and alternatively 9 or 15 plucked strings. It can be tuned to both classical or "Haydn" tuning and baroque.
The classical tuning is a D major diatonic scale from d to d1 with an added dominant A. The Baroque tuning is a chromatic scale from C to d1 and gives the player a possibility to accompany bowed tune with plucked bass line.
More information in finnish in here.
The right one is builded by Tilman Muthesius based on original in Brussels. It has 6 bowed strings and alternatively 9 or 15 plucked strings. It can be tuned to both classical or "Haydn" tuning and baroque.
The classical tuning is a D major diatonic scale from d to d1 with an added dominant A. The Baroque tuning is a chromatic scale from C to d1 and gives the player a possibility to accompany bowed tune with plucked bass line.
More information in finnish in here.