Yhdessä kuluu syysyö joutuin ("Together, the autumn night flies") is composed to poems translated into Finnish by poet Kai Nieminen, from a selection of old Japanese love songs, Rakasta sinä vain: valikoima vanhaa japanilaista laulurunoutta (1986). The poems set in this composition originate from two collections: the Ryūtatsu kōutashū, dating from around the turn of the 16th–17th centuries, and the Kanginshū, from 1518. The title poem, Yhdessä kuluu syysyö joutuin, comes from the former, while Kun tiedän: tapaamme and Käy kateeksi oma kaipuuni ("As I know: we will meet" and "My enviable longing") come from the latter.
The ten-minute work is in a single movement; the three poems it contains form a thematically unified whole. The composition is built from clearly defined, stylistically varied sections, in which the melodies and rhythms introduced at the outset take on new forms and carry the piece forward. Its harmonic world is varied yet accessible to the listener, its rhythm clearly articulated, and its expression branches out in many directions. These crystallized Japanese love poems receive a treatment updated for our own time, reflecting themes of love, longing, and passion that are timeless and shared across cultures.
The work was commissioned by The Academic Male Choir Psaldo for the choir's 30th anniversary concert and its tour of Japan in October 2026.
Instrumentation
for male choir (TTBB)
2026
