After the success of his first operas and symphonies, Aulis Sallinen settled into a style characterized by strongly colored instrumental gestures and long stretches consisting of little more than “atmosphere”. While this may work well enough on the stage, its effectiveness in symphonic composition is questionable, as these two pieces demonstrate. Though often ear-catching in terms of sheer sonority, their static quality and lack of harmonic variety produce an overall impression of glumness, particularly in the Fifth Symphony. However, the performances and sonics are certainly up to the high level of previous releases in this series, and the bottom line is that if you are collecting the Sallinen orchestral works, you’ll want this. If you’re new to Sallinen, though, start with the disc containing the Fourth Symphony, one of his strongest works in the form.
