Symphonic machinations
Two dark, introspective symphonies by the Finnish composer Pehr Henrik Nordgren. The 3rd symphony (in six parts) evokes the strain of disaster: soul-searching movements are interspersed with the desolate playing of a solo piano creating an overall vision of calamity then defiance. The 5th symphony (in one movement) reminds me of a vast underground factory: mechanical rhythms stop and start generating abstractions as if the listener were being led along a giant production line of strange workings and devices. To be sure neither work will fill your heart with joy, nor will they give you memorable melodies to hum, but if dark symphonica be the order of the day, then Nordgren could well fit the bill.
