Two Ways to Leave and Return    2011    17 min.
1121 / 111- / 2 perc / p / strings: 11111
Commissioned by the New Paths in Music festival
I     One Way to Leave and Return
II    Another Way to Leave and Return
Fp: The New Paths Chamber Ensemble / David Alan Miller
New Paths in Music Festival, June 21, 2012,
Elebash Recital Hall, Manhattan, New York, USA

Two Ways to Leave and Return

Two Ways To Leave And Return - 1 One Way to Leave and Return

Pertti Jalava (b. 1960 in Turku , Finland ) has composed numerous works for various chamber ensembles and orchestra, among them five symphonies, four string quartets, a large guitar quintet and several concertos. He has also written a considerable volume of music for jazz line-ups and big band, and some works for choir. Though stylistically he keeps his two main genres (jazz / chamber and orchestral music) separate, without engaging in crossover, he does allow influences to travel between the two and they have many features in common: the important role assigned to rhythm and melody, poly­phony, picturesque narrative and richness of event. 
His primary objectives are, Jalava says, emotional and narrative expression. Such aspirations leave no room for exclusions of any kind. In his music he uses strong contrasts, thereby achieving dramatic effects and aesthetic accents. Sometimes ugliness is needed to emphasise beauty: distorted harmonies, sharp timbres and aggressive rhythms. At other times these negative messages have to be offset by unashamed beauty in order to be experienced to the full.
Rhythm occupies a major role in Jalava’s music. It is often motor-like and fre­quently asymmetric. Yet a meditative quality, or a kind of floating, carefree mood is also characteristic of his music.
Despite drawing mainly on twelve-note techniques, most of Jalava’s classical works create a feeling of tonality. In his most recent compositions he often lets their nature determine the music or employs other methods of his own devising, assigning row technique only a secondary role. Nor does he belittle the role of humour, the very salt of life and music.

Jalava has studied composition – and music in general – almost entirely on his own. In 1993, having already created an extensive repertoire  for his jazz ensembles, he studied theatre composition with the American Craig Bohmler on a six-month course run by the Finnish Music Theatre Association. As his final assignment he composed a chamber opera called Paradise .
Having completed this course, a turning point in his career, Jalava embarked on an intensive course of private study and attended the composition laboratories held by the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Turku in 1994, 1996 and 1998.

Pertti Jalava has won a number of prizes in Finnish and international composition competitions with works for string orchestra, wind orchestra, chamber ensemble, jazz ensemble and big band. Works by him have been performed by many orches­tras and ensembles in Finland and abroad. He has been a full-time composer since 2001.

Jalava has produced three albums, two for a Finnish record label Alba: "In The Wind - 2007" containing four Jalavas works for string orchestra and soloists (piano and flute) and "Go to the Beach - 2010" containing nine Jalavas works for his jazz ensemble "Peppe Jalava Band" with a choir added on one composition and "Pertti Jalava: Into a Warm Night" for Polish label Acte Prealable. Jalava plays in his ensemble drums and keyboards. The reviews for both of these records have been praising.

Two Ways To Leave And Return - 1 One Way to Leave and Return

PerttiJalava