Entrancing Imagery
Sibelius tone poems -
enthrall
GERALD FENECH'A magically enthralling foray into Finnish mythology.'
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Finland's greatest composer, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), is best known for his seven symphonies and violin concerto, not to mention Finlandia, which one can consider to be the real Finnish National Anthem; but his extensive repertoire also contains an impressive series of orchestral tone poems. The works on this CD were all composed during the 1890s when his first symphony was still some years away and at a time when Finnish nationalism was starting to simmer.
The inspiration for the Lemminkäinen Suite comes from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled by Elias Lonnrot and first published in 1835. Like many of his co-nationals the Kalevala had a huge impact on Sibelius as well, and very soon the composer set himself the task of putting to music some of the episodes in this epic poem...
Copyright © 11 September 2014
Gerald Fenech,
Gzira, Malta
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