Reinterpreting the Concerto: Three Finnish clarinet concertos written for Kari Kriikku

The origins of the word concerto can be traced to two different sources: the first is the Italian translation, to mean ‘agreement’, and the other stems from the Latin concertare, which means ‘to compete’. Ironically, the duality presented by these two translations encapsulates the true meaning of the concerto: opposition and resolution.
This thesis focuses on Finnish works for clarinet and orchestra composed for Kari Kriikku in the last forty years, and seeks to analyse three in depth: Jukka Tiensuu’s Puro (1989); Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto (2002); and Kaija Saariaho’s D’OM LE VRAI SENS (2010). The works have been chosen as these composers were all born around a similar time in Finland, and all worked with the same clarinettist, whom they all know personally. Through analysis, Reinterpreting the Concerto seeks to discover how each of these composers tackled the pre- existing model of the concerto, and suggest reasons for compositional decisions. The thesis will end with a discussion of clarinet technique, and how much writing for Kriikku in particular may have influenced the works.
This essay will be formed of several sections, with the first examining the traits which could be considered important to each of the pieces: form, and how this results in the linear progression of the work; continuity and discontinuity created through melodic treatment, and how the soloist interacts with the ensemble. The next will analyse the repercussions of tonality and pitch centres. The final portion of the thesis will discuss the use of the clarinet, from the player’s perspective, and how extended techniques are used within each work. This will then be developed to discuss how much Kriikku may have contributed to each of the concertos.