While their elder conjures in translucent textures the otherworldly darkness of Lemminkäinen’s sojourn in the Land of the Dead, Madetoja and Pylkkänen opt for galloping drama and pathos in depicting the tormented Kullervo. All handle the orchestra with confidence, the younger two composers contrasting exuberant themes and fanfares with lighter, more lyrical episodes.

In his first Sibelius recording with his erstwhile Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Dima Slobodeniouk capitalises on that etched, articulate style the orchestra brings to its pet composer, even if the Sibelius can feel over-emphatic.

I think my favourite has to be Tauno Pylkkänen's Kullervo Goes to War. Writtten in 1942 when Pylkkänen was 24, it's full of youthful exuberance and many colourfully orchestrated episodes which the Lahti players bring out to great effect...A successful opera composer, Pylkkänen was known as the 'Puccini of the North', and so you can imagine how marvellously vivid the pictures that he conjures up are, and it makes for a thrilling conclusion to this tremendous collection of orchestral works.

Taken together the three works and the Sibelius rarity make a fascinating collection of music that will be totally unfamiliar internationally; if none of them is a neglected masterpiece, all are very well worth hearing, especially in such characterful and accomplished performances as these.