Ross Edwards: Maninyas. Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto

Recording technology at the start of the 21st century is probably the best that can be achieved, but a steady flow of historic audiophile reissues demonstrates that the improvement of sound quality has been a decades-long quest, and the first superb efforts are still worth hearing today.

“Die Musik von Sibelius lässt sich nicht vergleichen oder in eine Schublade stecken. Sie ist wie ein Meteorit, der vom Himmel fiel.”

Janine Jansen releases her first concerto album in nine years, pairing the iconic Violin Concertos of Sibelius & Prokofiev. Janine is joined by Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for this album, forming the ultimate classical dream team. “The highlight of the program was the Sibelius Violin Concerto, in the hands of the Dutch Janine Jansen… Jansen and Mäkelä recorded this concert together last summer… and it promises to be a true reference, based on what was heard in Oslo.” - Platea

Janine Jansen releases her first concerto album in nine years, pairing the iconic Violin Concertos of Sibelius & Prokofiev. Janine is joined by Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for this album, forming the ultimate classical dream team. “The highlight of the program was the Sibelius Violin Concerto, in the hands of the Dutch Janine Jansen… Jansen and Mäkelä recorded this concert together last summer… and it promises to be a true reference, based on what was heard in Oslo.” - Platea

Janine Jansen releases her first concerto album in nine years, pairing the iconic Violin Concertos of Sibelius & Prokofiev. Janine is joined by Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for this album, forming the ultimate classical dream team. “The highlight of the program was the Sibelius Violin Concerto, in the hands of the Dutch Janine Jansen… Jansen and Mäkelä recorded this concert together last summer… and it promises to be a true reference, based on what was heard in Oslo.” - Platea

Already hailed as his country's foremost composer, Sibelius completed what was to be his only concerto in early 1904, and its spellbinding and instantly recognisable opening can surely be counted amongst the most iconic of any. A virtuosic violinist himself, Sibelius beautifully evokes Finland's natural landscape and ancient folklore, which continues through Sibelius's 1917 work for violin and orchestra – the Six Humoresques – demanding a considerable level of technique.

The multicolored strands of influence – personal and creative – that converged on composer Sergei Prokofiev lent to his musical career a strange richness and duality. Prokofiev's musical development evolved in the constant shadow of multiple and often paradoxical circumstances. Raised and trained in the culture of waning imperial Russia, he would nonetheless emerge as one of the brightest stars in the Soviet Union's world of stringent artistic doctrines. Though hailed early on as a "bad boy" modernist, simplicity, urged by Soviet strictures, became Prokofiev's ultimate goal. Still, he steadfastly continued to employ those aspects – novel and unexpected harmonic turns, melodic athleticism, and a prodigious handling of rhythm – which from the outset marked the uniqueness of his style.

Bronisław Gimpel was born in Lviv, part of Polish Galicia, now Lviv, Ukraine to a musical, Jewish family. His father Adolf (* 1875, † after 1937) was considered a gifted musician, violinist, clarinetist and pedagogue.

Award-winning violinist Akiko Suwanai is backed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo for this recording of compositional works by Sibelius and Walton. In 1990, Suwanai was the youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition following a second place award in the Queen Elizabeth Music Competition in 1989. The performances display warm virtuosity, captured with brilliant sound quality.