Kai Nieminen's music has been described as "often constructed according to a narrative logic, as fantasy journeys in imaginary or dream-like worlds". Most of his works have an extra-musical stimulus, alluded to in their titles...

Kai Nieminen's music has been described as "often constructed according to a narrative logic, as fantasy journeys in imaginary or dream-like worlds". Most of his works have an extra-musical stimulus, alluded to in their titles...

Songs to texts by Hannele Huovi. English translation included.

The Clarinet Concerto immerses the listener in the dream-like world of Nieminen's music. From the very first bars the soloist is like a snake-charmer hypnotising all around. Klarinettikonsertossaan Kai Nieminen upottaa kuulijan musiikillisten tarinoidensa unenomaiseen maailmaan...

“The quartet was created out of the need to describe childhood memories and in distinction to polar nights. The conception of time is present in both of them. Mental pictures turning to the past and the stillness of polar nights in the darkness of which...

The Temple - Igor Stravinsky in memoriam is a work of wide musical contrasts and varying atmospheres. It explores the tonal range of the guitar superbly, and makes much use of the pizzicato or etouffé effext...

Nieminen has an intense awareness of colours, and the possibilities of expressing these on the classical guitar, an instrument on which he is himself a fine performer. This piece captures impressionistic qualities of the Scandinavian summer and the midnight sun...

Kai Niemisen soolokitarateos ”Northern Spells” (pohjoisia loitsuja), yhdistää ainutlaatuisella tavalla pohjoista mystiikkaa, luontoa ja ikivanhoja rituaaleja. Teoksen avausosassa ”Invocation and Spell” (Manaus ja Loitsu), on hyvin mystinen tunnelma, johon...

Riflessioni sul nome Amedeo Modigliani (Omaggio a Oscar Ghiglia) is divided in two movements that follow each other attacca. The first movement of the piece is named by the composer …Il Pittore…sta…dipingendo… (…the painter…is…painting…)...

In der Winterzeit... (in memoriam Paul Klee) by Kai Nieminen (1953-) was is musical picture of arctic winter. Winterwinde, painting by Paul Klee was also in composers mind while he was writing the piece...

Kai Nieminen's I Can Hear Northern Lights for string quartet is part of "Three Quartets of Winter" series. The piece was inspired by arctic winter and northern lights. The work consists two movements, Elegy for Agatha for solo violin and I Hear Streaming Light for string quartet...

The third string quartet "Gestures of Winter... (Time around northern night skies)" by Kai Nieminen was a part of "Followers of Sibelius" -project in 2017. The work is based on the Nieminen's childhood memory of experience of the northern night sky in Southern Lapland...

This piano trio, Frammenti dal buio... (Inspirazioni Caravaggesche), by Kai Nieminen was written in 2016 for Trio la Rue. As title suggest, the composer was inspired by paintings of Caravaggio. Kai Niemisen pianotrio Frammenti dal buio...

The Smile of the Flamboyant Wings (Hommage à Miró) pianolle sai inspiraationsa Joan Mirón samannimisestä taulusta vuodelta 1953. Siinä sarkasmi ja leikkisyys kohtaavat eri värien vastakohdissa ja kontrastoivassa viivan käytössä...

In this one-movement concerto the flute is a highly adaptable soloist: at times a whispering breath on a starry sky, at others an arctic bird soaring above a winter landscape, taking startled flight on spotting a human figure...