Esa-Pekka Salonen

Salonen's first foray into choral writing sounds remarkably fresh and involving. About 12 minutes in total, these settings of Swedish poetry move with a mysterious, serpentine grace; "Kyss Min Mum" (Kiss My Mouth) is particularly sensuous. Again, the singing and direction are first-rate, with the imprimatur of the composer.

Novelty characterized the program, without disorienting the listener. The US premiere of two strikingly sensuous choral love songs by Esa-Pekka Salonen was the centrepiece, surrounded by unfamiliar works by familiar composers. The mix becoame invigorating, the evening short. Salonen’s ‘Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jäderlund’ capture the listener through seductive tone-clusters, attractive melodic cells and unflagging sense of musical continuity. They were written during Salonen’s yearlong sabbatical from the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the 75th anniversary of the Swedish Radio Choir. In the performance, Gershwin switched the order of the two pieces without informing the audience. But only those who tried to follow the printed words may have been confused; the pleasures here were in hearing the compelling sounds of the singing, not in monitoring the Swedish text. At the end, conductor Gershon shared bows with the composer, the popular LA Philharmonic music director.