By his own admission, composer Einojuhani Rautavaara had a fondness for autumn. The light, the colors, the serene atmosphere, you can hear it all in pieces like the choral work Autumn at the River's Estuary and the bird concert Cantus Arcticus. Rautavaara most beautiful ode to autumn is undoubtedly Autumn Gardens (1999), which he described in his diary as full of "grandiose melancholy. In this piece,
… Rautavaara incorporated a metaphor that holds true for much of his music, the garden. Indeed, as a composer, he sees kinship with the work of a gardener. 'Both are observers and overseers of natural growth. That's why I like to compare my compositions to an English garden, free-growing and organic.' This image also applies to Rautavaara's Violin Concerto. (1977) Take the atmospheric opening alone, where the solo violin, accompanied by celesta, harp and strings, wanders through a dreamy night landscape. Equally melancholy and serene sounds are Rautavaara's Sérénade pour mon amour (2016). It would prove to be his last completed composition. Meanwhile arriving himself in the autumn of his life, Rautavaara thereby paid homage to his great love: his wife and muse.(JWvR)more
