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Commissioned Sysmä Summer Sounds 2015
Publisher Gehrmans Musikförlag
Category Chamber music
Year 2015
Duration 7 min
Opus number 38
Instrumentation flute & accordion

Program note

Groove for flute and accordion is a piece which combines a fusion of jazz, progressive rock, latino rhythms and contemporary music elements. The material consists of several 12-tone rows and the melodies are often symmetrical, although the rhythms are almost purely from the world of popular music. The slow middle section experiments with the extreme registers of the accordion. The piece is a palindrome which means that from the middle of the piece everything is played back to front both as a rhythmical and harmonic mirroring.

Groove was commissioned by Janne Valkeajoki for the Sysmä Summer Sounds Festival 2015, where he and flutist Jacintha Damström premiered the piece.

Review

Cecilia Damström is one of the theme composer participating in this year’s music festival, and she was also present at Maxmo Church. Her “Groove” is, as the title suggests, music based on catchy rhythms and jazz. It started with a bang, with an intense flute solo by Erica Nygård. Jonna Pirttijoki on accordion was quick to join in. There were intense rhythms and cascades of tones, but also lyrical, beautiful passages, and an absolutely incredible section with the softest pianissimo in the middle. Brilliant!

The entire “Groove” is written as a palindrome, and from the middle onwards, everything is repeated in reverse order. Wonderful music that fit perfectly after Kuusisto’s minimalism.

Bertil Blom, Vasabladet Saturday 29.7.2023


 

Performances

World premiere 4th of July 2015 at 3PM, at Sysmä Summer Sounds, Finland

Musik på Pentala 20 år, 14th of August 2015 at 7PM, Pentala, Espoo, Finland – More info

Tampering Festival 20th of August 2015 at 9PM, Telakka, Tampere

Helsinki premiere 18th of March 2016 at 7 PM, Helsinki Music Centre – More info

Kulturfondens regionala utdelningsfest 12.4.2016 at 6PM, PIUG Kultursalen, Pargas, Finland – More info

Kulturfondens regionala utdelningsfest 13.4.2016 at 6PM, Nya Paviljongen, Grankulla, Finland – More info

Kulturfondens regionala utdelningsfest 14.4.2016 at 6PM, Frans Henriksonssalen, Närpes, Finland – More info

Sonja Vertainen’s Master recital 7th of April 2021 at 7PM, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki – More info

German premiere 10th of November 2022 at 12:30PM, Kunstquartier Benthein, Berlin – More info

Kunsthalle Erfurt 24th of March 2023 at 7PM, Erfurt, Germany – More info

Korsholm Music Festival 27th of July 2023 at 9PM, Finland – More info

Austrian Premiere 28th of November 2023 at 7:30 PM in Linz, Austria – More info