Aho, Kalevi: String quartet no. 3

Kalevi Aho's (b. 1949) String quartet no. 3 (1971) comprises eight short sections played in a single movement without pause and is strictly linear in character. The work begins, in all simplicity, with dance music of a rather innocent nature. Gradually, however, the tone of the quartet becomes more and more complex and 'modern' until this phase of development reaches a peak in the 4th and 5th sections with a very intricate polyphony. The composer tells: "My goal was a style and musical language that would be light, yet not superficial; I wanted to portray a tragic development in a playfully light and unsentimental way. [...] From the almost childishly naive, innocent mood of the first movement, one moves toward the increasingly complex musical worlds of the middle movements. After that, however, a return to the original, innocent simplicity and cheerfulness becomes impossible. The entire development of the work has a tragic end. "