Various composers have attempted writing series of works for solo instruments, most famously, perhaps, Berio in his 14 Sequenzas (1958-2002). Another example came from one of this year’s centenarians, Malcolm Arnold, who composed 12 unaccompanied Fantasias between 1966 and 1987. Neither completed the sequence for the standard complement of orchestral instruments (unlike Hindemith with his sonatas – with piano accompaniment – or Lars-Erik Larsson with his set of 12 concertinos); nor yet, quite, has Kalevi Aho, with only that for tuba yet outstanding in his 17 pieces (despite annotator Elke Albrecht’s claim to the contrary; Solo VIII is for euphonium).

Aho is best known for his to date 17 symphonies but the Solos are not orchestral works compressed or shoehorned into a single line; most were composed as test pieces or for specific occasions. Each convincingly charts its individual course in a single flow and, as with the symphonies, they chart his development as a composer, from the youthful joie de vivre of Solo III (1990‑91) for flute and searching lyricism of IV (1997) for cello – superbly played by Samuli Peltonen – to the more tonally ambiguous later ones such as IX (2010) for oboe, with its hints of Arabic music, and V for bassoon (1999) and XIV for clarinet (2018), both of which use multiphonics. Hiyoli Togawa’s tender rendition in January 2020 of Solo XII, written in memory of Rautavaara (2016), is another highlight.

Jaw-dropping virtuosity of the type that so impressed Michael Oliver in Bezaly’s account of III, recorded back in 2000 (10/01; the couplings then included the Arnold and Berio), is repeated throughout these performances, and BIS’s sound is excellent. Matthias Spitzbarth has done a remarkable job mastering the recordings (engineered by five different hands in four countries across two decades) so consistently. While there are minor differences in the acoustical pictures of each, these are no more than one might encounter were the seven soloists to perform from separate points on the same concert platform. Strongly recommended.