Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite; Rakastava; Lemminkäinen

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Mälkki and the orchestra remarkably conjure the dark, swirling soundworld of ‘Lemminkäinen in Tuonela’ (the Hades of Finnish legend). And the concluding ‘Lemminkäinen’s Return’ canters along... — BBC Music Magazine, March 2024, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 2nd Feb 2024
Catalogue No: BIS2638
Label: BIS
Length: 78 minutes

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Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Op. 11

Work length17:14

$3.50

$5.30

$7.15

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki

I. Intermezzo. Moderato

Track length4:19

$1.00

$1.50

$2.05

II. Ballade. Tempo di Menuetto

Track length8:10

$1.50

$2.30

$3.05

III. Alla marcia. Moderato

Track length4:45

$1.00

$1.50

$2.05

Sibelius: Rakastava, Op. 14

Work length11:30

$3.00

$4.50

$6.15

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki

I. The Lover. Andante con moto

Track length3:53

$1.00

$1.50

$2.05

II. The Path of His Beloved. Allegretto

Track length2:15

$1.00

$1.50

$2.05

III. Good Evening!... Farewell! Andantino - Doppio più lento - Lento assai

Track length5:22

$1.00

$1.50

$2.05

Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22

Work length49:40

Album only

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki

I. Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island. Allegro molto moderato - Allegro moderato

Track length17:43

Album only

II. The Swan of Tuonela. Andante molto sostenuto

Track length9:48

$1.50

$2.30

$3.05

III. Lemminkäinen in Tuonela. Il tempo largamente - Molto lento - Largo assai

Track length15:33

Album only

IV. Lemminkäinen's Return. Allegro con fuoco - Quasi Presto - Presto

Track length6:36

$1.00

$1.50

$2.05

About
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About

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra can with justification be regarded as ‘Sibelius’s own orchestra’, as it was this orchestra, usually conducted by the composer, that premièred most of his major works. On this disc of three such pieces, the orchestra is conducted by Susanna Mälkki; the recording follows on from their three acclaimed albums devoted to the music of Bartók. Although they were all later revised, the three works on this recording all originated within a very short period in Sibelius’s career: the years 1893–96, a time when he was beginning to establish himself as a composer and a time of national awakening. One of his most popular works, the Karelia Suite is drawn from a series of tableaux that evoked events in the history of Karelia, the region where Finland and Russia meet. In late 19th-century Finland, the promotion of Karelian folk culture was both fashionable and politically relevant. The short suite Rakastava [The Lover] is a subtle reworking of a work for male voices based on lyrical poems from the collection Kanteletar; Sibelius often conducted it in concert. Sibelius often drew inspiration from the Finnish national epic Kalevala, and episodes from this poem provide the subject matter of Lemminkäinen, a substantial four-movement suite (including the captivating Swan of Tuonela) that recounts the adventures of a daredevil hero, a sort of Nordic Don Juan.

Reviews

March 2024

Mälkki and the orchestra remarkably conjure the dark, swirling soundworld of ‘Lemminkäinen in Tuonela’ (the Hades of Finnish legend). And the concluding ‘Lemminkäinen’s Return’ canters along in roistering style.

February 2024

Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra produce wellcrafted, beautifully detailed accounts on a par with rival versions – including the Helsinki orchestra’s own with Segerstam (with warm Ondine sound) from the mid-1990s.

New,Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite; Rakastava; Lemminkäinen

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