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afore Piano Composed: 2015 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Piano Duration: 8 minutes Commission / dedications Dedicated to Tuomas Niininen First performance Tuomas Niininen, piano, Concert hall of the Lodz Academy of Music, Lodz, Poland, November 23, 2015 Back

Tulevaisuuden retki Children's opera: 2 soloists, reciter, ensemble Composed: 2010 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Children's opera: soprano, tenor, reciter, ensemble: clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, violin, cello Duration: 1 hour Libretto Libretto by Emma Puikkonen Acts / scenes One act: Introduction and eight scenes. Scene 7 includes two alternative versions, with the audience choosing during the performance which one will be performed. Commission / dedications Commissioned by ArtSoppa Society and Turku 2011 European Capital of Culture First performance Kirsti Tuominen, soprano, Timo Turunen, tenor, chamber ensemble, cond. Pasi Helin, Linna Theatre, Turku Music Festival & European Capital of Culture 2011, Turku, Finland, August 6, 2011 Reflections Concert review, published on Turun Sanomat by Katariina Norontaus February 2, 2011 A Children’s Opera That Doesn’t Underestimate Its Audience An unusual world premiere took place on Tuesday morning at Pääskyvuori School. The children’s opera Tulevaisuuden retki ("Journey to the Future"), part of the European Capital of Culture programme, tells the story of Jaspriina Akuliina Harvahammas Möttönen, who is given a mission by the President: to travel into the future and bring back something exciting, something to brighten up everyday life—and a pickle jar opener. Produced by the Turku 3011 Children’s Opera team and ArtSoppa Society, the opera aims to introduce children to the world of modern opera both as audience members and creators. Workshops related to the opera were held last semester in twelve elementary schools. “We specifically wanted to include schools without any special emphasis or focus areas, and that are located outside the city centre,” says producer Krista Leivo . Six classes participated in composition workshops, while three classes contributed to the set design and libretto. The latter groups’ creative input is strongly reflected in the final production. A Libretto with Child's Logic An hour of modern atonal music might sound like a tough listen—even for most adults. But composer Markku Klami , who composed Tulevaisuuden retki , has found through teaching and workshops that children tend to approach music with more openness than adults. “That’s why I didn’t try to write music that sounded like children’s songs—I approached it from a completely different angle.” Director Tapio Väntsi is also pleased with how the children received the hour-long performance. “There was some fidgeting in the front row—that’s where the youngest kids were sitting. One teacher even said there haven’t been many performances that students have watched so still and focused.” Emma Puikkonen , who wrote the libretto based on texts by the children, noticed that the same things that made them laugh in class also worked in the audience. Back

Voyage Flute, clarinet and guitar Composed: 2019 Watch / listen Hanna Juutilainen, Asko Heiskanen and Markku Laakso rehearsing for the world premiere of Voyage, January 2019 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Flute, clarinet and guitar Duration: 14 minutes Movements I. Stars over Grant Grove II. Canyons III. Giant forest Commission / dedications Commissioned by Markku Laakso with funding from North Savo regional fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Teosto Commission Fund First performance Hanna Juutilainen, flute, Asko Heiskanen, clarinet and Markku Laakso, guitar, Hannikainen hall of Nurmes House, Nurmes, Finland, February 6, 2019 Composer's Notes The trio of flute, clarinet and guitar is not quite the usual ensemble one might come across in a chamber music setting and therefore there is not so much repertoire written for it. When the guitarist Markku Laakso inquired about my interest in composing for this ensemble, I was immediately excited. I strive with great interest and curiosity for anything special, new and perhaps a bit strange – which I consider a prerequisite for maintaining all creative activity. The sonic possibilities of this trio are really versatile, so I wanted to take up the challenge. In music, I have always been fascinated by its ability to influence our experiences of time and surroundings around us. While listening to music or performing it myself, I have plunged into countless trips outside of the current situation and surroundings around me. For years, my compositional interest has focused on exploring and blurring the experiences of time and place, and I decided to continue along the same path with this trio. In my opinion, however, composing always requires some external stimulus, a reason for the music to become present. For me, these reasons come mainly from connections outside music itself, and nature in particular has for long played an ever-increasing role as a source of ideas for me. This was the case with composing Voyage as well. The first sketches I did during the summer of 2018 were heavily influenced further by my honeymoon trip to California and Nevada in October 2018. In the midst of all the hurry of our current rhythm of life, my wife and I managed to completely detach from our everyday life and enjoy each other's company in the pulse of the big cities and in the intoxicating peace of the nature. The vastness and endlessness of the Pacific Ocean, the wilderness in the sunburn deserts, the canyon areas and the Sierra Nevada Mountains impressed me forever. Although I have many times experienced similar feelings while being in the nature, perhaps a little clichéd statement for feeling very small hit me very strongly in the Giant forest of the Sequoia National Park in California. That rather small area of around 1880 acres is the home to five of the world's ten largest trees. The area's famous giants, the Giant sequoias, are among the oldest surviving trees on this planet. While walking among and standing at the foot of these trees, which reach up to the heights of a 14-story building, time disappeared. I felt as if these old giants were peacefully watching us in their sanctuary almost two kilometers above the sea level. The experience was overwhelming. These giants have survived many ordeals during their lives spanning over 3000 years, and they may well continue to live for another 1000 years, if we people allow them to do so. As a result of these experiences and thoughts, my trio became a Voyage , even though it is not really a travel diary. I would like to warmly thank Markku Laakso for the commission and the Teosto Commission Fund and the North Savo Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation for supporting the commission. Voyage is dedicated to its commissioner and performers in the premiere: flutist Hanna Juutilainen , clarinetist Asko Heiskanen and guitarist Markku Laakso. Back

trompetgeskal Brass quintet Composed: 2006 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Brass quintet Duration: 2 minutes Commission / dedications Commissioned by Finnish Student Health Service, Turku, for their 50th anniversary First performance Finnish Student Health Service Turku 50th anniversary gala, Brass quintet of Sohon Torwet, VPK House, Turku, Finland, February 3, 2006 Back

ripples Piano Composed: 2012 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Piano Duration: 4 minutes Commission / dedications Dedication: in memoriam Kauko Korhonen First performance Diana Liiv, piano, HELIjaKEEL Concert series, Kirjanike Maja, Tallinn, Estonia, November 20, 2015 Back

Ambience I: Burning Clarinet and electronics Composed: 2024 Watch / listen Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Clarinet and fixed electronics, with optional live electronics Duration: 13 minutes Commission / dedications Commissioned by Lauri Sallinen with support from Sibelius Fund. Dedicated to Lauri Sallinen First performance Lauri Sallinen, clarinet, Markku Klami, electronics, Ainola, Meidän Festivaali, Järvenpää, Finland, July 29, 2024 Reflections Concert review, published on Adventures in Music by Jari Kallio July 30, 2024 To begin with the beginning, let us first examine the afternoon programme at Jean and Aino Sibelius’s Ainola, heralded by the inaugural performance of Markku Klami’s Ambience I: Burning (2024) for clarinet and electronics. Written for Lauri Sallinen , the ca. twelve-minute score builds upon cyclical meditations upon a single, consolidated idea – that of burning and renewal. In his note, the composer refers to the life cycles of the giant sequoias of the Sierras in California, in which fires play an essential part. The first chapter in a projected series of musical works revisiting the composer’s roots in electronic music, Burning weaves its mesmerizing clarinet material together with ambient soundtrack of pre-recorded tapestries, coming up with an instantly appealing synthesis of texture and color. As Klami’s gently transforming spirals unfold, cloud-like sonorities hover in the air, revealing their spectral richness gradually as iterations mount. Accessible in the best sense of the word, the score is far from mere sonic backdrop, thanks to its nuanced construction and intriguing harmonic layout, all brought to life with compelling authority by Sallinen, whose performance was quite magical indeed. One looks forward to Klami’s next installments in the series with eager joy. Composer's Notes Ambience I: Burning for clarinet and fixed electronics is the first piece in series of works written for solo instrument and electronics. The series, carrying a main title "Ambience", refer to my roots in composing electronic music in my teens in late 1990's, and my affection to ambient music. Ambience I: Burning is inspired by the concept of burning. Although burning may lead one's thoughts to fire and its destructive power, the work aims to bring out burning as an event that creates new growth. The increased number of forest fires in recent years is a reminder of man's impact on his environment. At the same time, however, forest fires are a means of survival for various tree species, such as Giant sequoias growing in the Sierra Mountains of California. Ambience I: Burning proceeds from the terrifying destructive power of fire towards the birth of something new and beautiful. Ambience I: Burning was commissioned by Lauri Sallinen and is dedicated to him. The commission was supported by Sibelius Fund. Back

Violin Concerto: A Requiem Violin and orchestra Composed: 2023 Watch / listen Score / parts Edition Wilhelm Hansen Instrumentation and duration Solo violin and orchestra: 2(pic).2.2(bcl)2./2.2.0.0/perc./Str. (minimum 6.4.4.2.2, preferred: 8.6.6.4.3) Duration: 26 minutes Movements I. De profundis II. Alcheringa III. Ad lucem Commission / dedications Commissioned by Maria Puusaari with support from Madetoja Foundation and Teosto Commission Fund. Dedicated to Maria Puusaari Publisher Edition Wilhelm Hansen / Wise Music Classical First performance Maria Puusaari, violin, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Ruut Kiiski, Tampere Biennale Festival, Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland, April 17, 2026 Composer's Notes My Violin Concerto is a Requiem to an unborn life. A deeply personal work for me, this concerto draws its inspiration from such profound personal experiences as unwanted infertility, and the experiences and thoughts that arose during this very difficult journey of dealing with unwanted childlessness. The music progresses from anger and frustration in the first movement, De profundis , to a dreamlike state in the second movement, Alcheringa* , where glimpses of hope emerge, only to disappear again. In the last movement, Ad lucem , the music embarks on a journey, trying to reach the light, reminding of one's need to hold on to hope. Violin Concerto: A Requiem was commissioned by Maria Puusaari and is dedicated to her. The commission was made possible with kind support from Madetoja Foundation and Teosto Commission Fund. *Alcheringa , an Arandic language term, refers to Australian Aboriginal beliefs of Dreaming, Dreamtime, or "Everywhen", a myth of creation and, in a larger context, a concept that embraces past, present and future. Another definition suggests that Dreaming represents how the relationships between people, animals, plants and the land came to be and how they need to be maintained. It is argued that the term itself is based on a misunderstanding or mistranslation, and that the closer meaning of Alcheringa could be "eternal" or "uncreated". Back

L Orchestra Composed: 2008 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Chamber orchestra: 1.1.1.1/2.1.1.0/0.2/0/Str. (4.4.4.2.1) Duration: 3 minutes Commission / dedications For Magnus Lindberg on his 50th birthday First performance Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, cond. Dmitri Slobodeniouk, XXIII Avanti! Summer Sounds Festival, Art Factory, Porvoo, June 27, 2008 Back

eikä merta enää ole Boys' choir or mixed choir Composed: 2007 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Boys' choir or mixed choir Duration: 7 minutes Commission / dedications Commissioned by Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum for their 20th anniversary First performance Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum, cond. Heikki Rainio, Turku Cathedral, Turku, Finland, September 15, 2007 Reflections Concert review, published on Turun Sanomat by Timo Lehtovaara September 17, 2007 Markku Klami , whose career as a composer is well on its way, has himself sung in Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum at a young age. eikä merta enää ole is a demanding work for young singers. The motifs of minor and major seconds that bubble over the pedal point at the beginning burst into a smoothly flowing harmonic texture that, despite its chromaticity, remains very airy and clear-sounding. The bass and soprano voices are often situated quite far apart, which poses challenges in terms of intonation and balance. In spite of some uncertain moments, the choir survived the performance with honor. Klami's work is a great addition to the contemporary music repertoire for boys' choir. Back

Colori Violin Composed: 2020 Instrumentation and duration Violin (young players) Duration: 2 minutes Commission / dedications For Kiira on her 10th birthday Back

Colours in Blue Guitar Composed: 2002 Watch / listen Patrik Kleemola , guitar Live recording from Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Arts, Turku, Finland, October 15, 2002 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Guitar Duration: 11 minutes Movements I. Andante espressivo e molto rubato II. Adagio misterioso, poco rubato Commission / dedications Dedicated to Patrik Kleemola First performance Patrik Kleemola, guitar, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku, Finland, October 15, 2002 Back

Karui Quartertone clarinet and quartertone accordion Composed: 2018 Watch / listen Helmi Malmgren , quartertone clarinet, Veli Kujala , quartertone accordion Live recording from Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu Festival, September 29, 2018 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Quartertone clarinet and quartertone accordion Duration: 11 minutes Commission / dedications Commissioned by Lauri Sallinen and Veli Kujala with funding from the Sibelius Fund First performance Helmi Malmgren, clarinet and Veli Kujala, quarter tone accordion, Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu Festival, Tulindberg hall, Oulu Music Centre, Oulu, Finland, September 29, 2018 Composer's Notes For me, Karui is a leap into a new area, a world of microintervals. In some of my previous works I have occasionally used microintervals to color the twelve-tone equal temparament, but in the past microintervals – in the case of Karui , the equally tempered quarter tones – have not played a significant role in my music. My growing interest in the power of music to influence the receiver's perceptions and experiences of time and surroundings around themselves has led me to focus on the resonant qualities of the tones. Microintervals bring a lot of new dimensions into the play. With the melodic and harmonious possibilities offered by the quarter tone clarinet and the quarter tone accordion, I became mostly preoccupied with fragile sound surfaces, and the more or less traditional development of the musical material is deliberately left out. The slowly moving microtonal harmonies and melodic figures invite the listener to come to a halt – to stop and dwell into the fragile sonic world of Karui . I would like to warmly thank Lauri Sallinen and Veli Kujala for the commission and the Sibelius Fund for their support towards this commission and the Finnish Cultural Foundation for supporting my work during the year 2018. Back