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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Saint-Saens: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Symphony in A Major
Torleif Thedéen, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on 30/11/1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schnittke: Quasi una Sonata - Suite in the Old Style
Ulf Wallin, Ralf Gothóni, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Classical - Released by BIS on 1/01/2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich, Jolivet, Klami : Concertos
Concertos - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on 19/12/1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Divertimento and Other Works
Hanna Juutilainen, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on 31/10/1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saens: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 in D Major and 2 in G Minor
Noriko Ogawa, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on 1/05/2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: Sinfonietta / Serenade / Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal / Nocturne
Christoph Prégardien, Ib Lanzky-Otto, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Osmo Vänskä
Classical - Released by BIS on 1/01/1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jolivet: Complete Flute Music, Vol. 2
Manuela Wiesler, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Paavo Järvi
Chamber Music - Released by BIS on 30/11/1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Aperitif - A French Collection
Sharon Bezaly, Harri Maki, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on 1/11/2002
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 30/09/1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sallinen: Variations for Orchesta, Op. 8 / Violin Concerto, Op. 18
Eeva Koskinen, Torleif Thedéen, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Osmo Vänskä
Classical - Released by BIS on 30/11/1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc / Ibert / Jolivet / Roussel: Orchestral Music
Manuela Wiesler, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Paavo Järvi
Classical - Released by BIS on 30/09/1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ikävä Omia Maita
How Many Sisters, Kirmo Lintinen, Tapiola Sinfonietta
World - Released by Presence Records on 17/09/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MALMSTEN, G.: Choral Music (Malmstenin Aapinen - Rakkaimmat lastenlaulut)
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Ondine on 1/01/2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Serenades Nos. 1 and 10
Classical - Released by BIS on 30/09/2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht - String Quartet No. 2 - Chamber Symphony No. 1
Christina Hogman, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on 30/11/1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crusell: Concertante / Bassoon Concertino / Introduction and Swedish Air
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Osmo Vänskä
Classical - Released by BIS on 30/11/1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SHOSTAKOVICH, D.: Symphony No. 14 / Adagio and Allegretto (Haverinen)
Margareta Haverinen, Petteri Salomaa, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Joseph Swensen
Classical - Released by Ondine on 1/01/1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Serenades
Tero Latvala, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Classical - Released by BIS on 31/03/2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ries: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Janne Nisonen
Classical - To be released on 17/05/2024 by Ondine
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo