Tapiola Sinfonietta
The Tapiola Sinfonietta is one of the exceptionally large number of top orchestral ensembles that flourish in Finland, five-and-a-half-million souls strong. It is the municipal orchestra of the city of Espoo; Tapiola is a district of that city, and the orchestra is based at Tapiola Hall in the Espoo Cultural Center. In 2022, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, under honorary conductor Jean-Jacques Kantorow, backed pianist Alexandre Kantorow in a recording of works for piano and orchestra by Saint-Saëns, including the popular Piano Concerto No. 2.
The Tapiola Sinfonietta was founded in 1987. With 43 members, the group applied itself to the beginning to Viennese Classical-era repertory, performing this music with an ensemble approaching the size originally used. As the orchestra's successes grew, however, the repertory broadened to include Scandinavian works, contemporary music, and more. The group's municipal functions are strong, including performances for school groups and in senior citizen housing complexes, but it has also made numerous foreign tours.
The Tapiola Sinfonietta has proven to be an unusually reliable launchpad for international conducting careers. Its artistic directors have included Jorma Panula, Osmo Vänskä, and violinist-conductor Jean-Jacques Kantorow, who was the artistic director from 1993 to 1999 and conductor from 2000 to 2006 and, according to the orchestra, "was of decisive importance to the shaping of the orchestra's current sound." Kantorow was named the orchestra's honorary conductor in 2011, and guest conductors have included Paavo Berglund, Hannu Lintu, and Masaaki Suzuki, among others. It is also notable that the orchestra's membership has been quite stable, enabling the group to perform frequently without any conductor at all.
By 1997, the Tapiola Sinfonietta had begun to attract the attention of top classical labels. It has recorded often for both the BIS and Ondine labels. It has recorded premieres of works by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Kaija Saariaho, and Magnus Lindberg. In 2017, the orchestra joined pianist Yevgeny Sudbin for a recording of Beethoven's first two piano concertos, and it was featured, along with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, on a recording of works by composer Matthew Whittall the following year. In 2019, the orchestra and Kantorow backed the conductor's son, Alexandre Kantorow, on a recording of Saint-Saëns' Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4, and 5 on the BIS label. These same forces returned in 2022, this time offering Saint-Saëns' Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, along with other works for piano and orchestra. As of the early 2020s, the Tapiola Sinfonietta has released more than 70 recordings.
© James Manheim & Keith Finke /TiVo
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BACH, J. S.: Violin Concertos (Kuusisto)
Jaakko Kuusisto, Pekka Kuusisto, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RANTALA, I.: Piano Concerto and Concerto in G sharp major / A flat major / Astorale / Tangonator / Final Fantasy (Rantala)
Iiro Rantala, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jaakko Kuusisto
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MUSTONEN, O.: Triple Concerto / Petite Suite / Nonets Nos. 1 and 2 / Frogs Dancing on Water Lilies (Rousi)
Pekka Kuusisto, Martti Rousi, Jaakko Kuusisto, Lisa Batiashvili, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Olli Mustonen
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Part: Tabula Rasa / Frates / Collage Sur Bach
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on Mar 31, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saens: Music for Violin and Orchestra
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by BIS on Jan 31, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lalo: Concerto russe - Romance-serenade - Fantaisie-ballet - Piano Concerto
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Pierre-Alain Volondat, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Kees Bakels
Classical - Released by BIS on Jun 5, 2012
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour piano n°4 & 5
Olli Mustonen, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by Ondine on Oct 27, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jean Sibelius : Six Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra, Rakastava, Pelléas Et Mélisande
Leonidas Kavakos, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on Mar 15, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart : Concertos pour violon n°3-5
Pekka Kuusisto, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Olli Mustonen
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
20TH CENTURY MUSIC FOR FLUTE AND ORCHESTRA
Petri Alanko, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Okko Kamu
Classical - Released by Naxos on Apr 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RAITIO, V.: Queen of the Flowers - Works for Small Orchestra
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Tuomas Ollila-Hannikainen
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Terral, Strings to the Bone, Chamber Symphony
Tapiola Sinfonietta, John Storgårds
Classical - Released by BIS on May 5, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour piano n°1 & 2
Olli Mustonen, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2007
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Choral Concert: Tapiola Choir - BERGMAN, E. / JOHANSSON, B. / SALLINEN, A. / RAUTAVAARA, E. / KORTEKANGAS, O. (Dreams)
Elina Laakkonen, Nora Rissanen, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Tapiola Choir, Osmo Vänskä, Erkki Pohjola
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Klami: Symphonie Enfantine / Hommage A Handel / Suite for Strings / Suite for Small Orchestra
Timo Koskinen, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by BIS on Sep 30, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rimsky-Korsakov / Tomasi / Rota: Trombone Concertos
Christian Lindberg, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Osmo Vänskä
Classical - Released by BIS on Mar 31, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN, L. van: Piano Concerto No. 3 / Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 61a (Mustonen, Tapiola Sinfonietta)
Olli Mustonen, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MOZART, W.A.: Clarinet Concerto in A major / MOLTER, J.C.: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1, 3 and 4 (Kriikku, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Storgards)
Kari Kriikku, Tapiola Sinfonietta, John Storgårds
Classical - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vocal Recital: Mattila, Karita - PORTER, C. / KERN, J. / WEBBER, A.L.
Karita Mattila, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Pekka Savijoki
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Ondine on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 0 & 1
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Mario Venzago
Symphonic Music - Released by CPO on Jan 3, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner : Symphony No. 5
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Mario Venzago
Symphonies - Released by CPO on Nov 4, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo