Ten Pieces for Orchestra

The title of the Ten Pieces for Orchestra (1930) is misleading. At the most, Merikanto employs a chamber orchestra of 20 players, and most of the pieces are for unusual chamber ensembles extracted from the orchestra. None of this detracts from the fact that this is one of Merikanto's most mystical and stimulating creations and each piece is a masterwork in miniature. The atmospheric Largo misterioso which opens the work has become a Finnish concert classic.