Reviews of works by Osmo Tapio Räihälä

"Osmo Tapio Räihälä's Conatus was the other domestic première of the evening... ...The pondering chords in the beginning remind of Debussy but comparisons end there. Surprisingly Räihälä's music sounds like itself and doesn't associate strongly with other composers. That is very much asked for and one can congratulate Räihälä for his clear originality. The tradition hasn't prevented him from writing music in a fresh way, without anchoring it to any defined ism."

Kaisa Iitti, Helsingin Sanomat (1998)
 

"Räihälä... ...lets music remould several times while it is driven onwards by a warm pulse. Räihälä's new work is stylistically almost impossible to define, but it sounds in a clear and full-bodied way, with the rich harmony flavoured by sharply dancing rhythms."

Mikael Kosk, Hufvudstadsbladet (1998)
 

"Osmo Tapio Räihälä's Satan Arrives in Turku for alto flute, flute, violin, cello, piano and percussion was full of fabulous colours enabled by this line-up, with musical lines meshed into each other seamlessly. The rich in nuance but subtle use of percussion finished Räihälä's ripe and savoury work."

Kirsti Vanninen, Aamulehti (1999)
 

"Osmo Tapio Räihälä's Damballa had original, tonal solutions and focused its ideas very well."

Lena von Bonsdorff, Hufvudstadsbladet (2001)
 

"...in Osmo Tapio Räihälä's Damballa, the draughting environment does not refute solidity and sheer musical delight."

Antti Häyrynen, Rondo (2001)
 

"The Mallet Concerto that we heard now was premièred by a chamber music line-up in 1999, and now it was performed for the first time as enhanced for the size of Joensuu City Orchestra. Räihälä uses the orchestra ergonomically and cleanly, the craftmanship that lies below is of very high quality. The nuances are deeply thought and effective.
His moderate style isn't probably every contemporary composers' choice, but Räihälä's music might be just suitably modern to enhance the listening habits. This music doesn't open ears too violently, it doesn't make one reject everything that's new.
It seemed that at least in this composition the orchestration style stems from playing styles that are natural to mallet instruments. The piece is clearly in three movements, albeit without breaks, and in each movement there is a different solo instrument. The marimba in the opening movement sounds in a profound and thoughtful way despite the vivid speed. In the misty slow movement, Lento misterioso, the lucid vibraphone is the soloist as a matter of course. The orchestra is then snatched into a rip-roaring speed by the xylophone. Hannu Porkka is such a reliable and virtuoso soloist that he could easily be loaned out elsewhere, for example to perform this very piece. Of course we don't want to let him go for good but this composition is worth to be heard anywhere."

Mikko Nortela, Karjalainen (2002)
 

"Räihälä is skilful at composing short chamber pieces for ensembles with two, three or four musicians."

"As a 'serious' work, the Concerto for marimba, vibraphone and xylophone was, with Hannu Porkka as an outstanding soloist, a delicately shaped composition in its interaction between the soloist, the other percussion and the exuberant chamber orchestra."

Mikael Kosk, Hufvudstadsbladet (2002)
 

"Räihälä's music ... is individual, dexterous, and surprises with its musicianship and with how well it works."

"Rampant for two solo violins tells about Räihälä's healthy and fundamental musicality. The instruments are handled smartly and their roles are set with deep thought."

Veijo Murtomäki, Helsingin Sanomat (2002)
 

"Especially succesful were Rampant for two violins in its telling idiomacy, the trio Spinoza's Web in its strict self-control and the quartet Damballa in its liveliness."

Kimmo Korhonen, Classica (2003)
 

"Osmo Tapio Räihälä's premièred work Rock Painting, which has ancient rock paintings as a sort of impressionistic starting point, goes over to a jam session with improvised solos in rock and jazz style. This brilliantly sounding and lively music is actually not border-crossing. It rather blends all its ingredients in a home-spun fusion."

Mikael Kosk, Hufvudstadsbladet (2004)
 

"Osmo Tapio Räihälä's Rock Painting draws from the composer's musical past, as well from art music as from rock. The former is emphasized especially in the early parts of the work, but gradually rock effects start surfacing more and more in the form of simple riffs. In the core of the work there is a large solo section, where three soloists improvise on the riffs played by the orchestra. The solos were entertaining and skilful."

Samuli Tiikkaja, Helsingin Sanomat (2004)
 

"...Räihälä's orchestration is masterful ... he lets the different moods and melodies run through the orchestra. Alongside the new, there is more familiar and traditional part in the music, such as clear pulse, that Dmitri Slobodeniouk kept up well. The clever use of brass made music colourful..."

Risto Pellava on Ardbeg, Kymen Sanomat (2005)
 

"Osmo Tapio Räihälä's Ardbeg fell out on the final stages in the recent Uuno Klami Competition. Luckily it had the chance to be performed, because it is in my opinion a much more interesting work than some of those that were awarded top positions ... as a whole Räihälä's work was an attracting piece to listen to, and awoke the interest towards his music in general."

Jukka Kumpulainen, Kouvolan Sanomat (2005)