Einojuhani Rautavaara - Symphony No. 8 (The Journey)

Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)
Symphony No. 8: The Journey (1999)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, conductor
00:00 I. Adagio assai - Andante assai
11:28 II. Feroce -
14:32 III. Tranquillo
20:32 IV. Con grandezza - Sciolto - Tempo I
Artwork by Ken Salaz

[@kensalaz57]

Thank you for selecting my artwork to accompany this fine piece of music!

[@johnsalacan23]

Gorgeous painting. I thought it was a photo. Great music.

[@yowzephyr]

What's on fire? I first thought that was a cabin putting out smoke. But it looks like we can see the fire.

[@christianschuster4184]

Hi Ken Salaz where to have a look at your artwork?! Link ...:?

[@noahgodard3338]

Beautiful work!

[@steveegallo3384]

@@noahgodard3338 -- I believe that Ken, a hermit of the mountains, has no interest in popularizing or commercializing his work....for he is a Pure Artist. Cheers from San Agustinillo !

[@jean-alexandrakis]

The coda of 1st. Movement give such a instinct of fury, rage and inevitability of our short time in this world...

[@Scriabinfan593]

9:40-11:24 is just pure magic. And the way he voiced that D#min11 chord starting at 11:17 is just so good.

[@yowzephyr]

0:00 is a good place to start.

[@darrylschultz6479]

🤔Yes, but is it the BEST place to start?

[@yowzephyr]

@@darrylschultz6479 Actually yes, in my opinion. But I try not to be too pushy.

[@sailingsam3815]

Love the tranquillo segment. This is a modern masterpiece.

[@olhardesperto6346]

what a wonderful composer

[@BarryJohn2211]

Extraordinary.

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

He seems to pick up where Sibelius left off.

[@kokonssp]

magnificent and poetic masterpiece

[@SeigneurReefShark]

This is probably my favorite symphony ever, just... No words, no words..

[@Scriabinfan593]

Yeah same here.

[@Darrylizer1]

I love this symphony. Just bought it on iTunes so i can listen to it in my car though it's a different orchestra and conductor: Pietari Inkinen & The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Definitely some Rites Of Spring in this piece.

[@jamescombs8316]

Buy the CD: very inexpensive.

[@Spher82]

fabulous, thx for sharing

[@susanneseppo1817]

Beautiful!!!!!!

[@WennAde]

I'm getting a feeling that this is as great and profound music as those movie soundtrack composers have thought to have composed that people usually awe and hail as masterpieces... what they have is mostly hollow tones, catchy melodies that do not attach to any greater musical body, pompous sound masses -- without really a masterfully crafted musical architecture - a complete and coherent universe of its own - or a spiritual meaning, a true reason for those tones to combine. If you investigate music as well as other mysteries of life deeper, what that kind of music can offer does not speak to you, you have grown to yearn for deeper musical truths. This is what Mr. Rautavaara has created here. Sole beauty but not an easy, cheap beauty as for example those film composers can offer. A deep, thought provoking, your self and being challenging, maybe even hurting beauty. Yes a glimpse of truth, an abstract truth (I mean not THE truth, of course) that addresses somewhere beyond music and the heard, beyond our knowing. Good Journey, past our earthly realms, Mr. Rautavaara.

[@PeterLunowPL]

You completely put into words what I think and feel about this music and those "masterpiece -soundtrack -composers". It gives me great joy to read your words, realising I am not alone. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[@IsaacCreager]

@@PeterLunowPL John Williams is a masterful composer. Anyone who disagrees does not know anything about music.

[@Icedmanta]

Don't discredit film composers - their compositional genius is not to be underestimated.

[@luanuka4175]

You have to consider that film composers are scoring an existing movie and have to fit that. So you cannot really compare it to absolute music like this symphony. They are trying to accomplish different goals

[@callscreenerpaul6636]

I'm guessing you've had some bad experiences with film composers? This isn't film music, its a concert symphony, its purpose is completely different from a film score so comparing the two is ridiculous.

[@TheLaura1655]

Ancient Egypt

[@carlconnor5173]

I don’t get the admiration for this meandering, aimless piece, howbeit ending quite nicely.

[@darrylschultz6479]

Probably something to do with the haunting beauty throughout. People are funny aren't they!?

[@GovernorBroadsideDS]

Well, I mean, the piece was literally named "The Journey", there will be some meandering!

[@urbangardener66]

That's okay, not everybody has to like everything. I could never get into Brahms, love Beethoven, Schumann, etc, just find Brahms so overwrought. Oh well. To each his own.

[@svipalspring3409]

begin by listening to it