Sub rosa

Joonas Kokkonen (1921-1996) was one of the post-war Finnish composers who sought to distance himself from the legacy of Sibelius. The cycle Sub rosa - settings of poems by Eeva-Liisa Manner (1973) - is now being published for the first time. The poems by Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921-1995) are from her collection
Orfiset laulut (Orphic Songs) published in 1960 drawing on ancient mythology, oriental philosophy and mysticism in her own inimitable, unadorned manner. Poet and composer shake hands in this song cycle: the same landscape looks different depending on the lighting and season. The music represents the sparse, economical Kokkonen at his best; he uses an embryonic motif in a variety of ways and forms.

Sub rosa was premiered by Heljä Angervo, mezzo-soprano and Izumi Tateno, piano on March 25, 1973. The overall duration is c. 10 minutes.