PROGRAM NOTES

Portraits of Porvoo is my imagined perception of Porvoo, a charming medieval town in Finland, written before arrival. The piece was composed in response to a challenge given by Finnish composer Jukka Tiensuu, which is as follows:

" Compose three 1-minute pieces with exaggeratedly different, even contrasting character. The pieces could be either separate (a suite) or connected (attacca or with short transitions). Each piece should concentrate in just one character. If you get really excited, you may add yet another (less than a minute long) piece, where you elegantly combine the ideas and characters you used in the three first pieces." - Jukka Tiensuu.

The first piece, titled " Spark" , expresses the spark of adrenaline I experience when seeing and exploring a new place for the first time. The second piece, titled " Charm" , is joyous, playful, and childlike, with some interjections, representing the innocent wandering through unexplored paths, with surprises and unfamiliar sounds around every corner. The third piece, " Ballade" , takes the form of a short, repetitive winter jazz serenade, while also alluding to the medieval forme fixe, a strophic musical trope from long ago, as Porvoo is a medieval town. The fourth piece, " Jumble" , is a harmonic, motivic, and textural blend of the first three.

Written for the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Sävellyspaja International Composition Masterclass 2026

 

 

MOVEMENTS

I. Spark (c. 1 min. 30 sec.)

II. Charm (c. 1 min. 30 sec.)

III. Ballade (c. 1 min 30 sec.)

IV. Jumble (c. 1 min.)