Sebastian Fagerlund: Nomade (Cello Concerto), Water Atlas
Nicolas Altstaedt (cello)
Hannu Lintu / Finnish Radio Symphony (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
當代芬蘭作曲家費格倫特（Sebastian Fagerlund）最知名作品，歌劇《秋天奏鳴曲》曾在香港上演過，這碟收錄他兩首寫於2018年的近作。
軌一至八是大提琴協奏曲《游牧》，近40分鐘長，六個樂章另加兩個間奏曲，假如用較傳統的詞彙寫出來，其實結構也較想像容易理解。
第一樂章（軌一）：慢板引子
第二樂章（軌二）：快板
第三樂章（軌四）：諧謔曲
第四樂章（軌五）：慢板
第五樂章（軌七）：華彩段
第六樂章（軌八）：急板
軌三及六是不足一分鐘的間奏曲。
聽了兩次，第一次覺得音樂有點重覆，雖然很易入耳（但又不至於庸俗）。第二次就會想，假如現場聽，不讓自己有機會分心，會否感覺不同。我覺得這音樂易入口，是因為Fagerlund將每個樂章的心情抓得很緊，快板就是充滿能量，慢板就是默想，不過他好像很有能力將音樂「繼續」，卻不像令音樂「發展」，所以往往就是用大聲或者加速，把音樂推到高潮後就轉到下一樂章、下一種心情，於是我有那種重覆的感覺。
軌九是20分鐘的管弦作品《水地圖》，有更巨大的管弦聲響，似是描寫水或海洋的動態，時而洶湧，時而呆滯，當成一首21世紀的德布西《大海》來聽，也無不可，不過也是和上首樂曲那樣，有點重覆，不過較華麗的管弦聲響可以彌補這缺陷。
Here’s two 2018 works from Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund, best known for his opera Autumn Sonata, after Ingmar Bergman’s film.
Tracks 1 to 8 are the cello concerto “Nomade”, here played by its dedicatee Nicolas Altstaedt. Nearly 40 minutes and in six movements and two interludes, if we just write its framework out, the concerto is actually more traditional than we thought.
Movement 1 (track 1): Adagio introduction.
Movement 2 (track 2): Allegro
Movement 3 (track 4): Scherzo
Movement 4 (track 5): Adagio
Movement 5 (track 7): Cadenza
Movement 6 (track 8): Presto
Tracks 3 and 6 are interludes, each shorter than one minute.
I listened to this twice. I found it quite repetitive on the first listen, despite it being rather easy-listening (but not to the extent of kitsch). During the second time, I was wondering what if I listen to this more attentively in the concert hall. I found this piece easy-listening, because Fagerlund’s movements are quite distinctive in mood. The allegros are energetic, while the adagios are meditative or static. But to me his music was just sustaining a certain mood rather than developing onwards. He’d just bring the music to a climax by speeding up or turning up the volume, then switch to another tempo and mood. That would explain the sense of repetitiveness.
Water Atlas (track 9) is a 20-minute orchestral piece and it won’t hurt to approach it as a 21st century version of La Mer. The volcanic energy and the stillness of water or ocean seemed to be what Fagerlund was depicting. The grand orchestral palette somehow made up for the sense of repetitiveness as in the previous piece.