7 Haiku

In Olli Koskelin's 7 Haiku for flute and guitar the haiku gets three different interpretations: intertwined with the composed version the performers improvise it and read it out loud. The texts of haiku are included in English and in Finnish.

Olli Koskelin's (born 16 April 1955) compositional output reflects a wide range of interests. The vast area covered by his style encompasses the neo-impressionism of the piano work Courbures (1989) to the post-expressionist echoes of his Music for String Quartet (1981) as well as the breakneck virtuosity of his clarinet piece Exalte (1985/1991) and the rich romantic textures of his orchestral piece ... like a planet silently breathing... (1993).

He often uses the overtone series like the French spectral composers and avoids dramatic culmination. Soft harmonics, tranquil arching melodies, a leisurely rhythmical pulse and a coherence of mood are in evidence in his later works as in Uurre (1997) for chamber ensemble, Miniatures (1997) for string quartet and Circles within for 19 solo strings.