Flow
String orchestra
Composed:
2004
Watch / listen
Sigyn Sinfonietta, cond. Markku Klami
Live recording from Sigyn hall of Turku Conservatory of Music, March 5, 2005
Score / parts
Instrumentation and duration
String orchestra (minimum: 8.6.5.4.2)
Duration: 12 minutes
Accolades
Winner of the National Composing Competition of the Finnish Polytechnic Chamber Orchestra
First performance
Finnish Polytechnic Chamber Orchestra, cond. Atso Almila, Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland, November 21, 2004
Reflections
Concert review, published on Turun Sanomat by Tomi Norha
March 7, 2005
The concert concluded with Flow by Markku Klami (b. 1979), which won first prize in the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences composition competition last year. It’s hard to believe this is his first orchestral work — Klami clearly has a great deal of musical substance to share, and most importantly, the ability to shape that material into a coherent and natural form.
Flow was full of edge, rhythmic and dramatic pull, and multidimensional textures. The major second motif and tremolos introduced at the beginning ensured cohesion, forming the foundation for a piece that lived up to its name, flowing seamlessly from one moment to the next. There wasn’t a dull moment, and the transitions were skillfully crafted. The harmony was tangy enough to be interesting, yet triads were not excluded.
If anything could be further developed, it might be the rhythmic palette — adding even more variety and nuance. Still, by the time the opening motifs returned at the end, the journey felt fully convincing.