I. Down the Rabbit-Hole
II. Red Pill
III. 9 ¾
IV. Ruby Slippers
V. Wormhole

Portals have always been featured in human stories, especially in the transition from this to the other world. In the Finnish national epic, Kalevala, the River Tuoni separates the living from the realm of the dead. This was likewise the role of the Styx leading to Hades in Greek mythology. Dante, for his part, passed through the Gates of Hell at the start of his journey to Paradise. Nowadays, everything between Heaven and Hell is, of course, readily accessed at the click of an internet portal.

My work focuses not on the gates of death but on portals familiar from the popular culture. The concerto begins with a picture of a lurching rabbit and Alice who, having fallen down the rabbit hole, floats down into Wonderland. The second movement alludes to the film Matrix in which the dystopian real world transfers to virtual reality along telephone lines. The special feature of this movement is the orchestrated DTMF (dual-tone multi-frequency) sounds of a telephone. The wind section of the orchestra "tinkles" Emmet "Doc" Brown from the film Back to the Future, and even God himself, for example. The magic world of Harry Potter is entered via platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross station in London. The soundscape of the third movement alternates between the Doppler effect of express trains and puffing steam trains. One of the finest moments in the history of the cinema is when Dorothy steps out of her twister-mauled home into the fairytale land of Oz; initially black-and-white, the film suddenly bursts into a riot of colour. I have sought to capture something of this in Ruby Slippers, amongst a musical texture that whirls like a tornado. The closing movement drifts inescapably in space toward a black hole. The wormhole lurking there acts as a portal to a new dimension; at least in sci-fi literature. TR, 2019 (Translation: Susan Sinisalo)

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"Konsertin avasi Tomi Räisäsen Portal-marimbakonsertto, virolaisen Iyömäsoittaja Heigo Rosinin tulkitsemana. Räisänen luo erilaisia maailmoja mm. elokuvista tuttujen portaalien kautta ja Doppler-ilmiötä hyödyntäen. Rosin marimbasta loihtima sointi on täyteläinen, ja folion tuottaman äänen lisääminen marimban soundiin on hauska ajatus."

Michael Sagulin, Rondo 12/2019

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"Tomi Räisänens marimbakonsert Portal gläntar bildligt på dörren till många världar, men grundstämningen är som slagsverksestetiken påbjuder rytmiskt intensiv och solostämman, elegant spelad av Heigo Rosin, intensiv. En dramaturgisk höjdpunkt infaller när Rosin, under sin enda långa paus inför sista satsen, preparerar marimban med aluminiumfolie. Om solisten dittills stått i dialog med sin kollega i orkestern, utökas slagverksektionen nu med pingpongbollar som ruskas om i plastmuggar och som rasslar trivsamt innan de hälls ut på golvet med ett naturligt, av fysikens lagar, framkallat ritardando som slutkläm."

Wilhelm Kvist, Hufvudstadsbladet, 16.11.2019