Overtures from Finland

Albumbeschreibung

Truth in advertising prevails; this release offers ten overtures from Finland, more often freestanding orchestral pieces than overtures to dramatic works. There is just one piece by Jean Sibelius, the Karelia Overture, Op. 10, and it is hardly typical; it is one of his splashy early works from the period of Kullervo, Op. 7, but what is striking about the rest is how often it sounds like Sibelius. Of course, this is partly because Sibelius influenced some of these pieces and also because there is a substantial Overtura sinfonica here by Sibelius' teacher, Robert Kajanus. Armas Järnefelt, another Sibelius predecessor, is represented by a pair of works, but most of the music is exactly contemporary with Sibelius' career, and it shows a national style when Finland was not even yet an independent country. Sample the Comedy Overture, Op. 53, of Leevi Madetoja, much in the vein of some of Sibelius' lighter music. There are other influences, including Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, yet one is left with a sense of the vitality of the scene in this tiny country and of a national school before there was a nation. The performances by the indefatigable Rumon Gamba and the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, the latter a remarkable illustration of the depth of Finland's regional orchestral scene, are another attraction. Highly recommended to anyone interested in music of the early 20th century outside Viennese and French circles. This release made classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2023.
© James Manheim /TiVo