ABSTRACT
The diversity of musical modernism represented by the eight composers in these studies is really quite striking. Individuality, powers of communication and the broad recognition of artistic achievement are notable attributes of this corpus of music. Paavo Heininen shown to occupy a central place within the nexus of compositional influence, places great emphasis on issues of poetic stress as part of his composition teaching. Magnus Lindberg also talked about the importance of the composer-performer-audience triangle and, as an active performer himself, brings a different slant to the issue. Stylistic balance, a synthesis of modernity and tradition, is another recurrent feature; it provides a certain connection between the otherwise differing compositional worlds of Joonas Kokkonen and Heininen, for instance. All the music is highly economical: there is nothing wasted or superfluous and a strong sense of imderstatement emerges from a subtle amount of dramatic tension.
