Overtures from Finland Oulu Sinfonia & Rumon Gamba

• Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957): Karelia Overture, Op. 10:
• 1 Sibelius: Karelia Overture, Op. 10 07:53
• Uuno Klami (1900 - 1961): Nummisuutarit:
• 2 Klami: Nummisuutarit 08:30
• Erkki Melartin (1875 - 1937): Overture to "Prinsessa Ruusunen", Op. 22 No. 30:
• 3 Melartin: Overture to "Prinsessa Ruusunen", Op. 22 No. 30 05:07
• Leevi Madetoja (1887 - 1947): Comedy Overture, Op. 53:
• 4 Madetoja: Comedy Overture, Op. 53 07:40
• Armas Jarnefelt (1869 - 1958): Ouverture lyrique:
• 5 Jarnefelt: Ouverture lyrique 09:23
• Ernst Mielck (1877 - 1899): Dramatische Ouvertüre, Op. 6:
• 6 Mielck: Dramatische Ouvertüre, Op. 6 12:27
• Selim Palmgren (1878 - 1951): Overture from "Tuhkimo-Sarja", Op. 21:
• 7 Palmgren: Overture from "Tuhkimo-Sarja", Op. 21 04:32
• Robert Kajanus (1865 - 1933): Overtura sinfonica:
• 8 Kajanus: Overtura sinfonica 09:48
• Heino Kaski (1885 - 1957): Prélude, Op. 7 No. 1:
• 9 Kaski: Prélude, Op. 7 No. 1 03:20
• Armas Jarnefelt: Præludium:
• 10 Jarnefelt: Præludium 02:48
• Total Runtime 01:11:28

Info for Overtures from Finland

From the middle of the nineteenth century there was a blossoming of nationalism within the creative arts – very notably in music – in Finland that reflected the political mood in the country. From an international perspective, the dominant stature of Sibelius can often overshadow the wide-ranging works of his peers – something that this album goes some way to redressing. Robert Kajanus was the leading figure in Finnish music before Sibelius became established. His Overtura sinfonica is a late work, from 1926, which epitomises his style. Armas Järnefelt was a friend and fellow student of Sibelius, and eventually became his brother-in-law. Erkki Melartin wrote his incidental music for Prinsessa Ruusunen (Sleeping Beauty) for a production of Zachris Topelius’s fairy-tale play at the Finnish Theatre. Ernst Mielck (who cruelly died aged twenty-one) was mentored by Robert Kajanus, who also conducted the première of Mielck’s Dramatische Ouvertüre in Helsinki. Selim Palmgren was an acclaimed pianist and composer, and was eventually appointed Professor of Composition at the Eastman School of Music. The overture from his Tuhkimo-Sarja (Cinderella Suite) is particularly exotic. Another pianist-composer, Heino Kaski, spent his career as a teacher, leaving little time for composition. His Prélude is an orchestration of one of his most popular piano miniatures. The work of Uuno Klami is closer to European modernism, reflecting his studies in Paris and Vienna. Leevi Madetoja was perhaps the most talented of Sibelius’s small number of private pupils. His Comedy Overture is an orchestral tour-de-force, with echoes of Richard Strauss. He was a native of Oulu, the home of the Oulu Sinfonia, conducted here by its chief conductor, Rumon Gamba.

Oulu Sinfonia
Rumon Gamba, conductor

No biography found.

Booklet for Overtures from Finland