Shadows (Sallinen)
Shadows, Op. 52, is an orchestral prelude by the Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen, who wrote the piece in 1982 on commission from the National Symphony Orchestra Association. The prelude's thematic material is closely related to Act III of Sallinen's third opera, "The King Goes Forth to France", on which he also was at work in 1982, writing "Shadows" upon completion of Act II of the opera. Nevertheless, the composer has emphasized that "Shadows" is "an entirely independent orchestral work", albeit one whose "lyrical and dramatic ingredients reflect the philosophy of the opera". The National Symphony Orchestra  (NSO) premiered the work on 30 November 1982 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., under the direction of its music director, Mstislav Rostropovich. "Shadows" so impressed Rostropovich and his orchestra that the NSO requested Sallinen compose a symphony for them, the result of which would be the Fifth (1985). Composition. Instrumentation. According to the publisher, Novello & Co, "Shadows" is scored for the following: Reception. Notable performances. As part of the 'Scandinavia Today Exposition' in Washington, D.C., "Shadows" had its world premiere on 30 November 1982, with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the Kennedy Center; also  on the program was Sibelius's Violin Concerto in D minor, Berwald's "Sinfonie naïve", and Rosenberg's orchestral suite, "Voyage to America". Reporting on the concert, "The Washington Post" wrote that Sallinen's orchestral prelude had "had a powerful impact on its first performance", noting in particular its kinship with the Sibelius concerto, due to its "having a similar prevailing darkness of tone and a strong sense of dramatic contrasts". A day later, on 1 December, Rostropovich and his orchestra gave "Shadows" and the Sibelius concerto at Carnegie Hall in New York, but this time paired with Nielsen's  Sinfonia espansiva and "Choralis". In its review, "The New York Times" found the Sallinen "heavy and sober" in mood and "eclectic" in style, concluding "the shadows evoked by the piece were definitely of the darker sort". "Shadows" is also the only work by Sallinen's to have been performed at the BBC Proms, in Prom 13, August 1983. Recordings. To date, "Shadows" has received three recordings, the first of which is from 1984 with Okko Kamu conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic on the Finlandia label. Finnish conductor has also recorded the prelude (an interpretation that is notably quicker than those of  his predecessors) as part of cpo's compendium of Sallinen's orchestral works. "Shadows" joins the Eighth Symphony (Op. 81, 2001), the Violin Concerto (Op. 18, 1968), and "The Palace Rhapsody" (Op. 72, 1995) on the second volume of the cpo series. Notes, references, and sources. Sources. Books CD liner notes Journal articles News reports